3. S.O.S. EARTH & BLUE PLANET
S.O.S. Earth & Blue Planet is an ambitious multi-media project to spread
information about the present condition and the future of our planet.
Water and Earth, two mystic and yet real elements, the picture of which
is pure but the everyday reality poisoned, are the focal point of our
work which foresees the production of a series of documentaries and
photographic reports made around these two elements. S.O.S. Earth &
Blue Planet came into being from an idea of Patricio Estay, Director of
Nazca Pictures Communication, as a product of excellence in the field
of information. It presents a specific view, whilst being at the same
time artistic, on the subject of the environment, and has been pro-
duced making use of the most important means of broadcasting and
media communication such as television, web, books and exhibition
spaces at fairs and shows. It is a journey through the work of people
involved in protecting the environment, the struggle of the natives to
save their traditions and their land, the struggle to survive that is fa-
cing certain animal species in danger of extinction and finally the disa-
sters caused by pollution and the alternative energy solutions available
to a new political environment.
Using two ultralight airplaines it will be possible to catch peculiar and
specific images which are useful for our research and documentary
work. The main aim of S.O.S. Earth & Blue Planet is in fact to arouse pe-
ople’s awareness so that they can adopt a new modus vivendi through
knowledge of all the possible alternatives for protecting the environ-
ment. Such an important project deserves to be shared and to support
the most important worldwide meetings on the subject of the ecology.
S.O.S. Earth & Blue Planet will offer information and in depth knowled-
ge, a view of a complex reality and future solutions, art and science,
hypothesis and discussion points presented by the most important
experts on this subject.
5. G A NG A N G E
GE
GANGA-MAI THE HOLY RIVER
Along its entire flow of 2700 kilometers, the Ganges has always set a spark to the flame of faith. Every day millions of
pilgrims arrive from the borders of India to worship it, to purify themselves, and to die by its side thus freeing them-
selves from any future reincarnation. Millions of names have been given to this mythical and mystic river – it is called
Gangâ-Mai (mother Ganges), Jagada-hita (friend of all those who live) or Bhagya-janani (creator of happiness). The
Ganges represents the life of the country, the salvation of its people and of the souls of its worshippers. The Ganges
means life for eight hundred million Indians, but today her waters are amongst the most polluted on the earth. The
main reason for this pollution is industry, especially the tanneries, which every day pour their extremely harmful waste
products into the river. There are many scientists involved in protecting the river and in the battle against its pollution.
7. RESEARCH RESEARCH
VEER BAHDRA MISHRA MAHANT-JI - SWATCHA GANGA RESEARCH LABORATORY
Veer Bhadra Mishra is a Brahmin of the Sankat Mochan temple at Varanasi, a descendent
of a family which belongs to one of highest Hindu casts. He is a former professor of
hydraulic engineering. He has two qualities which seem to be so far apart – his faith and
his love of science, two qualities which are difficult for one person to possess. Perhaps a
man who combines spirituality and scientific knowledge is the only one who, in a country
like India, can help to break down the ignorance of the people regarding the subject of
pollution and can save the destiny of the Holy river. The professor, who by now has been
known for about twenty years as “Mahant-Ji” , is engaged in a non-violent battle to try to
save the river, educate his people and make them aware of the problem of pollution. Religion and science, rituals and experiments
give polish and impressiveness to the personality of Veer Bahdra Mishra who every day carries on with his work of research and his
foundation, The Sankat Foundation, in order to give hope to the river and its followers.
KATEY WALTER ANTHONY - FAIRBANKS UNIVERSITY
Katey Walter Anthony is an aquatic ecologist, bio-geochemist, researcher of excellence
and a member of the University of Fairbanks, Alaska.
For her, research is worth much more than a life spent in extreme weather conditions.
Her scientific discoveries have confirmed that the subsoil and the Arctic sea beds contain
enormous quantities of methane, a gas which is twenty five times more powerful and the-
refore more harmful than carbon monoxide. The presence of methane is dangerous for
the environment and for the layer of permafrost which is melting at a dangerously high
rate. On the other hand, extracting the methane presents an alternative energy solution for the entire Arctic region.
10. D O L P HO LNH I N
D I P
THE AMBASSADOR OF THE SEA THREATENED BY MAN
The dolphin, more than any other animal, is able to establish a very special relationship with man. More and more dolphins
are being used in water births – apparently their sonar relaxes the expectant mother and the babies are born with greater
physical resistance. Disabled patients, people suffering from autism and Down syndrome have been able to improve their
motorial and communication skills thanks to dolphin-therapy. Despite this, every day their existence is threatened by man.
Chemical pesticides, mercury and other pollutants which factories are pouring into the waters make the sea where the dol-
phins live poisonous and noise pollution made by sea traffic impedes their search for food and confuses their sense of di-
rection. And if that is not enough, every year more than three thousand dolphins are victims of poaching. Man, even though
he does not know it, represents a great threat to this species and does not realize what a valuable resource this animal has
to offer.
12. ESTATION POLLUTION AND DEFORESTATION
OUR PLANET IS IN DANGER
It is not an unreal scenario, but it is what scientists are predicting for the future of our planet. More and more coastal towns
are in danger of being submerged because of ice melting and more and more often we are forced to face the problem of de-
sertification.
About eighteen thousand square meters of Amazonian forests are being destroyed every year, and now only 7% of the Atlantic
forests remain. Massive deforestation which signifies negative effects to the soil, decreasing the fertility, and to the air cau-
sing a serious increase in the concentration of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere.
Technological-productive development is harming the environment and the most serious consequences are the increase in
size of the hole in the ozone layer and the thinning of the stratospheric layer which protects our planet.
Air pollution affects mainly the breathing apparatus: cancer, chronic bronchitis and chemical pneumonia are the most com-
mon diseases in polluted areas, such as La Oroya in Peru, Norilsk in Russia and Cubatão in Brazil.
13. FUTURE RE
FUTU
RENEWABLE ENERGY, REFORESTATION AND DIFFERENTIATED REFUSE COLLECTION: CHANGE CAN SAVE THE EARTH
The Earth is shouting out a cry of alarm that cannot be ignored. Man is the chief culprit for the suffering of our planet and is
the only one able to help. A radical change in our way of thinking and behaving is required. Changes that are gradually taking
place. In the refugee camps in Nepal solar panels provided by UNO are being used to supply energy for cooking. In Sicily a
large Italian wind power plant has been installed and the automobile industry is encouraging its designers to create impact
zero emission vehicles. Only by means of wind, solar and geothermic energy will it be possible to accomplish sustainable
development which will allow man to save our planet. Changes which not only are needed to be made on a large scale in the
production systems, but also in our everyday life, from differentiated refuse collection to saving water. Small actions but of
great importance.
14. ND POWER WIND POWER
WIND AND BREEZES CAN BECOME OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Holland pioneered the use of wind power, thanks to its windmills. Northern Europe is the centre of research and development
in this field. The wind farms in Denmark are real electricity stations, whilst Norway and Great Britain are busy developing
innovative projects. The new technology in this field is aimed at creating off shore wind power plants, that is installation of
plants some miles from sea and lake coasts in order to exploit the strong currents present in these areas. The largest plant
in the world will be made in Norway, in the city of Havsui which will be able to supply 1.5 gigawatts of electrical power.
In Great Britain a project has been approved whereby sufficient electric power will be supplied to cover the requirements of
all the homes in the United Kingdom by 2020. Even Italy, which already has wind power plants in Sicily, Sardinia and Tuscany,
is studying new methods for extracting energy from the wind. Much hope is resting on the experimental project Twind aimed
at exploiting the currents which can be found a few hundred metres from the ground. Areas with strong winds, such as the
Strait of Gibraltar, are the ideal places for installing wind power plants, like the one built in Tarifa. The largest wind power
plant in Europe is being built in Romania, at Cogelac. When this plant will become operative it will represent 30% of the entire
Romanian renewable energy. Europe, home of wind power, is exporting its know how to the United States. The French energy
company EDF (Electricité de France) has just signed a contract to build a wind farm at Lakefield in Minnesota where 134 tur-
bines will be installed which will produce 100.5 megawatts of energy. The cheapness of managing and building these plants
make wind farms an excellent investment for the future of our planet.
17. RESTATION REFORESTATION
THE SURVIVAL OF OUR FORESTS
It has been estimated that every day we lose almost a hectare of forest per second, between 10 and 16 million hectares
a year. The size of this abomination is equivalent to a football field every two seconds. Today, deforestation is the main
cause of climatic changes. A turnaround is not just something desirable but it is absolutely essential for our survival and
for the survival of many species of animals. 50,000 species a year become extinct as a consequence of the destruction
of the rain forests. Today only 1.8% of the forests that covered our planet fifty years remain. The indifference with which
man has treated his home has reached the point of no return and the unreasonable and profligate cutting down of trees
means that the natural re-growth process cannot occur. The Amazon forest, the lungs of our planet, is the most worrying
example and yet it should be the most looked after and protected area on the earth. An overdose of pollutants which are
detrimental to the air and the ground, together with excessive and wicked deforestation, have obstructed any possible
environmental reconstruction. It is therefore up to man, by means of a tremendous work of reforestation, to save his
habitat. At the moment there are many organisations and countries involved in reforestation with targeted programmes.
Amongst these are Indonesia and Madagascar where local flora is being revitalised thanks to the synergy between associa-
tions, both private and Governmental. In Ethiopa the government has recently carried out a public campaign of awareness
to encourage the population to plant more trees, giving advice on the use of alternative domestic and agricultural mate-
rials. For every tree cut down, it has been asked of each citizen to plant another one. Reforestation is the only solution
to save our forests. Every human being must feel responsible, together with the Governments, to look after the already
existing green spaces.
18. ECYCLING RECYCLING
NEW LIFE FOR WASTE
The waste emergency and their disposal is one of the problems that requires definite action at an investment level and
awareness on the part of individuals. Already in the 1970s environmentalists were proposing re-usage of materials. A
shout of alarm against unchecked consumerism dictated by uncaring industrialism. Billions of products in billions of con-
tainers – the disposable philosophy. Today, contrary to a few years ago, we are at least aware of the fact that something
must be done, and quickly. We are more conscious of the problems regarding our garbage and already many towns are
acting, adopting ecological politics and investing in modern and innovative recycling systems. To re-use something that
has been considered unusable is becoming popular in our daily life. For example, San Francisco is able to recycle 70% of
their garbage, lowering the levels of pollution in the city, as well as globally. If San Francisco is an example of how institu-
tions and organisations who work for the city can improve the level of life there, then Italy proposes to be the first exam-
ple of an eco-sustainable country. The new Headquarters of SAVNO, the company which manages the integrated cycle of
urban waste in Veneto has been built entirely from recycled materials coming from differentiated waste collection and is
supplied with power from renewable energy sources and uses sustainable heating systems. It is an excellent example of
the recycling culture and its advantages, amongst which is the reduction in pollution, which can be attained by working
and re-using waste. It seems that at last man has begun to understand that the time has come to act in a determined way,
on a worldwide level. Certainly, a constant campaign of awareness and education aimed above all at the new generations
will in time bring about a “Modus Vivendi”, a new way of life based on total respect for the environment and for others.
20. CATIONAL PROJEC- EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
Young people are our future, the heirs of our planet and the hope for change. Nazca Pictures Communciation de-
dicates their multi-media project “SoS Earth & Blue Planet” to them.
“S.O.S. Earth & Blue Planet” is the actual fulfillment of what was forseen in the Agenda 21 programme, a document signed by
180 countries during the UNO Conference “Earth Summit” held in Rio di Janeiro in 1992. The most important subjects of this
programme are the climatic/environmental and social/economical emergencies that the entire human race has been facing
since the beginning of the Third Millenium. Thanks to the cooperation of the most important public and private organisations
in this field and to various international organisations, the material produced whilst working on this project will be processed
so as to comply with the educational requirements and will be distributed free to the various schools of the countries adhering
to the Agenda 21 document. The school system can play an important part by taking on the role of promoting and carrying out
projects and enterprises which will permit cultural, environmental and social advantages and benefits. The various interac-
tive products, illustrated books and cds will be made with the purpose of making students, and consequently their families,
aware of the state of our planet, with an in-depth approach to ecology and the subsequent changes in their habits, orientated
chiefly towards eco-sustainable ethics.
Educating the new generations means giving them the know-how to manage their future and the future of our planet.
21. S P OP O N S R R
S NSOO
Supported by
UNESCO
“P L A N T A T R E E !”
WITH S.O.S. EARTH & BLUE PLANET
The “RAIN FOREST FOUNDATION” will plant
a tree for every sold book.
23. NAZCA PICTURES COMMUNICATION
PATRIZIA BENEDETTI-ESTAY CEO
Via del Bobolino 14 Florence 50125 ITALY
Phone : +39.055280643
Mob : +39.340.85.40.378
patrizia@nazcapictures.com
SILVIA NEGRI FIRMAN CEO
Via San Giovanni sul Muro 18 Milano 20121 ITALY
Phone : +39. 02 89 09 60 12
Fax : +39.02 72 02 0178
info@negrifirman.com
