Theme: “Opportunity borns out of Crisis”

In Chinese the word "weiji" means "crisis". However, the characters that compose this word refers to two very different terms. "wei" means "danger" while "ji" means "opportunity". As for ancient Greek philosophers, Chinese believe that a period of Crisis is a period full of dangers but also rich of opportunities. However, nowadays we do not think the same way. Economic, financial and social crisis are what media, governments, companies, schools teach us to be afraid of as merely negative experiences to avoid at any cost. Everyone knows what the 2008 world financial crisis has generated, leaving hundred thousands of families without their houses, jobs, savings, lives. However, spending all the time talking and discussing about these important problems often does not leave time or hope to think about solutions. How many are aware of the incredible opportunities that this crisis is unfolding? Why is not common to talk about what resilient and innovative communities, companies, NGOs are creating everyday, step-by-step, gradually bringing their local revolution to a global stage?

“There’s no merit without crisis. It’s in the crisis where we can show the very best in us. Without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. To speak about a crisis is to promote it. Not to speak about it is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead. Let us stop, once and for all, the menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it.” (Albert Einstein)

Centro Servizi Culturali Macomer
ex Caserme Mura, Viale Gramsci
Macomer (NU), Sardegna, 08015
Italy

Alessio Ciacci

Director of Acsel Spa, Person of the Year 2012 for the Environment

Gabriele Cucinella

Managing Director of We Are Social, Expert of Social Thinking

Gianluca Cadeddu

Director of the Sardinian Regional Center for Programmation (CRP Sardegna)

General Director of Sardinia Regional Centre for Programmation.

Manuele Mureddu

Author and Cartoonist

Fumettista e scrittore, lavora con la lingua e la mitologia sarda.

Nicola Pirina

CEO of Sardex spa, expert of Innovation and Local Development

Direttore Generale di Sardex spa. (CEO of Sardex spa). Giurista credente e praticante, specializzato in governance, sviluppo locale e processi d'innovazione. Innovation strategist con esperienza in attività di R&S, progettazione, coordinamento, attuazione e comunicazione di progetti d'innovazione per lo sviluppo delle economie locali. Senior con esperienza maturata in attività consulenziali, anche all'estero, a favore di pubbliche amministrazioni e privati.

Piero Pelizzaro

Founder of Climalia, Expert of Climate Resilience

Resilience Expert. Fondatore Climalia. Esperto di resilienza climatica ed ambientale. Socio dell’associazione RENA.

Raphael Fellmer

Founder of Foodsahring.de

Raphael Fellmer lived from 2010 until 2015 in a money strike, which started with a moneyless journey from The Netherlands to Mexico. He is an activist, who lived without money to raise awareness and makes use of surplus of the consumer society. To fight food waste, he created a foodsaving movement, a network that managed to organize 250.000 food collections which account for 3,5 Mio. Kilo of saved food. He is co-founder of foodsharing.de, where people can share their leftover food instead of throwing them away. In 2015 together with friends he founded yunity, a multi-sharing and saving platform. He born in 1983 in Berlin and went to school there. In 2011 he returned with his wife and lived there with their two children until 2015 when he moved close to Stuttgart.

Valentino Mannias

Actor, Premio Hystrio 2015 Best Actor