Contribution short abstract:

In 2024, Sardinia has seen many protests against wind farms. The presentation will reflect on the ways in which political, environmental and identity issues are mutually reinforcing, and how they are being reworked by permaculturists to disentangle the different meanings of sustainability.

Contribution long abstract:

In June 2024, a large number of people gathered in northern Sardinia, Italy, to protest against the installation of wind turbines in the region. This was led by local committees against the central Italian government's decision to promote the installation of large wind farms on the island. The protest took on the characteristics of a popular uprising against an energy transition perceived as "unsustainable " and led to the collection of 210,000 signatures in support of a citizens' initiative law on the issue. Among the activists in these committees are permaculturists: people who carry on local projects according to the principles of permaculture and who have a strong environmental awareness. Indeed, permaculture proposes a set of tools for designing sustainable systems based on the three ethics of "earth care, people care and fair share of resources" to ensure life for future generations. The paper proposes a reflection on the protests as a paradigmatic example of how political, environmental and identity issues are mutually reinforcing. Indeed, identity discourses in Sardinia have historically been rooted in the use and ownership of land and even today this issue provides the backdrop for public demands for energy sovereignty. Exploring permaculturists' views on this issue provides an opportunity to disentangle the many meanings that the category of sustainability can take on, depending on the cultural frame of reference. The data collected are part of an ongoing ethography on permaculture in Sardinia as a techno-performative everyday revolution based on a different ontology of care and relatedness.