How to use your hands, heart and shared knowledge to help nature.

The memory I want to share with you is about a small revelation I had in Sicily (Italy) a few summers ago. It was a bea@utiful, sunny day and I was walking alone along the shoreline, lost in thought, when I discovered a starfish out of the water. Never having seen one before, I felt blessed to witness such a magical creature.

After a few seconds, I noticed the starfish was not doing well; it was attempting to move, but the sun was drying it out. Being careful not to touch it, I poured water over it with my hands, trying to help. Shortly after, a local gentleman passing by understood the situation at a glance and showed me how to put it back in the water, lifting it carefully with all the surrounding sand to avoid causing harm.

This simple gesture was a revelation for me: humans differ from other living beings in one small but significant detail - we have hands. And these hands can be used for harm, but if we combine heart and shared knowledge, we are truly capable of making a difference.

That day, I decided that my life’s work would be to help nature, whether through my bare hands, my design profession or any other means.

Story and illustration by Diana Giaisa Rinaldi @diana_giaisa (designer working for nature (with love), creature of the woods, ecofeminist). Made during the learning journey Becoming Climate Artivists, organised by Climate Creativity and One Resilient Earth with support from Erasmus+.