A trip to Houston, in the heart of Texas, USA. « The lonely star » (Texas’ motto)… As far as I saw, the lonely star is exactly how people from Texas consider themselves. They are nice, very friendly… but… they seem to feel they are the only ones leaving on this planet. First impression was the huge aspect of … everything! Huge highways, huge burgers, huge kids too! The wonderful land of big pick ups with tiny people inside! When I asked for he local actions in term of sustainable development I felt I was a Martian. Never heard about this « sust… sustai… sustainable thing ». Wawh. Waste management? None. Over consumption? Yes. Environment? Biodiversity? You can try all the key words, it is not worth it. It is amazing to see a country like the US, being so different from a state (California) to another (Texas). This means we have a lot of work to do.
I was reading the Plan of the UN about education on sustainable development (UNESCO ESD), thanks to a a presentation I went to few days ago, at the UNESCO in Paris. At the end of this presentation they showed a new TV concept : 10 episodes about 30 people who have changed the world one way or another. It is called « Architects of change » and we saw episode 2 « Between philanthropy and capitalism, an impossible marraige? ». Very interesting… The UNESCO ESD gathers all the schools in the world that work on educational programs on SD. Guess what? There is none in the US.
J’ai eu le plaisir de passé trois semaines aux USA (Californie, Arizona, Nevada) cet été.
Le constat y est le même que celui que vous faites au Texas.
C’est assez consternant / navrant …
Si, les gens réagissent tout de même … ils s’inquiètent des hausses du prix des carburants … et puis, Michael est mort tout de même …
Les gens réagissent? seulement si les prix montent. La Californie me semblait un peu plus en avance sur ces sujets tout de même. Michael est mort. Si l’on ecoute certaines de ses paroles justement, il aurait pu/du éveiller quelques consciences.
Paroles de Earth Song :
What about sunrise What about rain What about all the things That you said we were to gain.. . What about killing fields Is there a time What about all the things That you said was yours and mine… Did you ever stop to notice All the blood we’ve shed before Did you ever stop to notice The crying Earth the weeping shores? Aaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaah What have we done to the world Look what we’ve done What about all the peace That you pledge your only son… What about flowering fields Is there a time What about all the dreams That you said was yours and mine… Did you ever stop to notice All the children dead from war Did you ever stop to notice The crying Earth the weeping shores Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaah I used to dream I used to glance beyond the stars Now I don’t know where we are Although I know we’ve drifted far Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah Hey, what about yesterday What about the seas The heavens are falling down I can’t even breathe What about the bleeding Earth Can’t we feel its wounds What about nature’s worth It’s our planet’s womb What about animals We’ve turned kingdoms to dust What about elephants Have we lost their trust What about crying whales We’re ravaging the seas What about forest trails Burnt despite our pleas What about the holy land Torn apart by creed What about the common man Can’t we set him free What about children dying Can’t you hear them cry Where did we go wrong Someone tell me why What about babies What about the days What about all their joy What about the man What about the crying man What about Abraham What about death again Do we give a damn…