Critical Natural Philosophy VI

Act Locally Think Globally

cnp6 poster

Think globally, act locally

Im Sinne der «Lokalität» beginnen wir mit einem Rundgang durch das Territorium von Gandria. Unter Anleitung eines Spezialisten der lokalen (aber auch globalen) Vegetation betrachten wir unsere unmittelbare pflanzliche Umgebung. Der Rundgang endet mit einem politischen Graswurzel-Projekt, das in diesem Jahr in Gandria entstanden ist: der «Giardino della Salute».

Kontrastiert würden diese erdverbundenen Ansätze mit einem Vortrag über das Projekt «Plano B» der Gemeinde Lugano, zu welcher Gandria seit seiner Eingemeindung 2004 gehört. Es geht im Plano B um die Etablierung eines alternativen Finanz- und Währungssystems, das unsere Vorstellungen von staatlich gewährleisteter finanzieller Sicherheiten in Frage stellt.

Anhand dieser und weiterer Beispiele wollen wir konkrete Ansätze für das kleine Dorf (und damit kleine Gemeinschaften im Allgemeinen) diskutieren. Wir stellen uns vor, wie der zeitgenössische Mensch in Balance mit seiner Umwelt existieren könnte; eher symbiotisch als parasitär.

Das Ziel ist die Aktion.

Think globally, act locally

In the spirit of ‘locality’, we begin with a guided walk through the Gandria area. Led by an expert on local (and global) vegetation, we will explore the flora in our immediate surroundings. The walk concludes with a grassroots political project that emerged in Gandria this year: the ‘Giardino della Salute’.

These earth-centred approaches will be contrasted with a talk on the ‘Plano B’ project run by the municipality of Lugano, to which Gandria has belonged since its incorporation in 2004. Plano B centres on establishing an alternative financial and monetary system that challenges our notions of state-guaranteed financial security.

Using these and other examples, we aim to discuss concrete approaches for the small village (and thus for small communities in general). We envisage how contemporary people might exist in balance with their environment; in a symbiotic rather than parasitic way.

The aim is action.

Place: Gandria

Date: 6. – 8. November 2026

Language: General language: English, Guided tour of the sentiero: italiano / English

Contact: Stefan Wolf

Agenda

Friday, November 6

16:00 Conference participants arrive; check-in

19:00 Dinner, discussion, and a movie in the loggia, featuring an “anti-ki” welcome speech by Flavia, Stefan, and the gang

Saturday, November 7: Open Event @ Casa Comunale

9:30 Botanical Tour (in italiano & English) with Nicola Schönenberger; meeting point: parking lot at the start of the Castagnola olive tree trail

11:00 Stefan Wolf: Welcome, featuring Jacques Ellul’s "Think Globally, Act Locally" and McKenzie Warks's "A Hacker Manifesto"

11:30 Presentation of a civil society initiative currently in the works: "Un sogno collettivo — il Giardino della Salute" by Vieri del Bianco, Flavia Sutter, Melissa Vassalli, Shiva Raju, Stefan Wolf, and many more

12:30 Lunch at Ristorante Antico

14:30 Jaromil Roio: Lugano’s "Plan B," and "Luga-Coin"

15:30 Moritz Feichtinger: A long history of tracking, sensors, databasing, and resistance strategies

16:30 Short break

16:45 Mathias Binswanger: Summary and synthesis

18:30 Flavia Sutter: "Experiment: The Best World"

19:00 Ciara's vegan dinner at the loggia

20:30 Film "The Biggest Little Farm" and discussion

Sunday, November 8: Open Event @ Casa Comunale

10:00 Tamara Lebrecht: Olives in Gaza

11:00 Massimo Pedrazzini: Presentation and guided tour (italiano & English) through Gandria's olive garden

13:00 Farewell speech by FiGa / The End