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Durban talks climate changes! How does our Holiday Season impact the environment?
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While Durban talks on climate change have started we are ending the entries of Rock the Statue Green art competition, an event created by the “Services Culturels de l’Ambassade de France” in New York. As I have been honored to contribute to this project geared to the spirit of the “green” alternative it has left me with the dilemma of raising concerns, more so because this 2011 being the 125 years celebration of the Statue of Liberty is also the warmest one ever recorded. And even so we did not plan for this second fact, what is the learning linking this two historical events?
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block cutting
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Obviously, from this historical photographic document above, the “Christmas tree” Far west operation is over – [ at least in the upper hemisphere] — the lack of a chainsaw did not seem to discourage the ending of the live of the king of the ‘vegetable’ world.
Very likely, this ‘brave’ cutting beavers are of the same era of the Statue of Liberty builders. It is significant to see a man on top of the ladder, raising above his buddies to reach up to the same sky that the tree he help to put down… was scratching.
We are entering this Holiday Season once more with a murdering of endless young trees, with the excused they were raised to be executed while young — anyway responsible adults, found of solutions, will brighten their deaths with the help of electricity – more likely generated by a component that they guaranty will ‘no’ arm this earth…
Nothing is said of the negative impact of these dead trees to be ‘trucked’ into our enormous cities, ‘sold ‘as if they were ‘presents’ from good old and protective mother nature – chopped nature as a reminder of life!
Later they will become extra burden of the supers of our buildings – dumped ‘plastic bag’ rapped into the streets – to be finally ‘trucked’ out of site, out of busy minds [generating big ideas]. Folks of good intentions will bring young dead trees to a park ! – [ for the left alived trees to rejoice?]- and now the last ceremonial show, far from their native land, this forced immigrant trees will be reduce to pulp – yes, yes, by an engine that function thanks to the burning of some oil the children’s lungs will rejoice.
Ultimately, hypocrisy and selfishness are not meant to save anything, they are designed to push us deeper into the ditch.
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? drawings, linoleum cuts, photographs and texts copyright Raymond Verdaguer, 2011.