The Huffington Post just published a very sweet interview of environmental artist and activist, Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Touching reminders of the beauty we live in, and also, of the degradation that is threatening it, Arthus-Bertrand’s spectacular aerial photos cannot leave one unmoved. It struck me that Arthus-Bertrand is playing a crucial role as environmental witness, whose pictures cause us to pause, and reflect on the state of our environment. From sprawling suburbs, that require us to drive everywhere, to our 24/7 pumping of oil, to the hopeful sight of a windmill covered landscape, . . .
- Yann Arthurs Bertrand – suburbs
- Yann Arthus-Bertrand – oil fields
- Yann Arthus-Bertrand – Windmills
We can consume Arthus-Bertrand’s landscapes, and transform our impressions into action. We can also emulate Arthus-Bertrand and engage into environmental witnessing ourselves. Thanks to the Internet, and user friendly technology, it has become child play to record and broadcast scenes that strike us, in only a matter of minutes. Think YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, or blogging.
Just imagine a world, where citizens all over, took the time to witness and share what they see with their fellow citizens. Action starts with information, and it is our great privilege and responsibility to make sure that all environmental crimes get recorded. That’s the least we can do. Someone, somewhere else, can take that information and run with it.
La Marguerite 
The company I currently work for is in the midst of a United Way campaign to raise funds and awareness to a need for a disadvantaged population. From feeding the hungry to assisting the homeless. During this campaign, there are breakfasts and luncheons just like any other sales-pitches. There is much leftovers – a significant portion which gets tossed.
So, the very company which promotes and asks its employees for donations to feed the hungry on one hand turns right around and wastes food and resources with the other.
Nobody sees this connection – or a lack of. There is a very strong disconnect between the world we’re surrounded by and the world that is described to us via promotion. Sadly, they’re just “pretty” pictures – it’s not real… regardless of how real they are. I wish there was a way to take everyone personally to a dump-site, to arid lands now without mountain-water, to the lack of ice in Antarctica – but there isn’t. Even the homeless right outside the building are somehow distant from reality – “it’s not real, he’s probably just lazy.”
All communication is good – and this just promotes it – great – but the average suburbanite will look at the roof-picture, grunt and laugh at the poor souls, and then drive home to house-plan #736 in subdivision 39 without a thought. How to re-connect the disconnected?
The recent blog entries in our site try to connect these dots – it’s not easy…
Suburbs with each family having their own little house is so energy inefficient and wasteful in terms of land and so many resources.
At a time where climate change and energy scarcity become serious threats, I think this will change. But how ?
Speaking of twitter, I now have my own, which can be found there : http://twitter.com/Edouard_Stenger
Hope you will enjoy it ! 😉
[…] در این دو تصویر و با مقایسه چاه های نفت و توربین های بادی می توان پی به […]