“ON THE SIDE OF THE GROUND”
At FloraCult, Paolo Pileri, professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan, accompanied by science journalist Silvia Bencivelli, presents "On the Side of the Soil," a talk that is also the title of his latest book published by Laterza. Pileri denounces the threats looming over soil—logistics, infrastructure, greenwashing—and invites the audience to stand with soil, the only part we can afford. Soil, a fragile and vital ecosystem, is being damaged by pesticides, plastics, concrete, and intensive exploitation. A climate regulator, guardian of biodiversity, and source of 95% of our food, it remains invisible in public discourse and political plans. Treated as a market product, a surface on which to build or exploit, it is denied its status as a living substance and substance: it takes 2,000 years to form 10 cm of soil. Paolo Pileri invites us to understand it, defend it, and ask critical questions of politicians, technicians, and urban planners, promoting informed ecological activism.