Tapestry: The Commons
Carlie Mertens
The world I see is green. And blue, and orange, and pink. There is color everywhere. A kaleidoscope of patterns and shapes. It is in the vines that grow up the sides of towering office buildings and water towers. In the grass that stretches tall towards the sky. In the fresh flowers blooming over roads and bridges, on houses, hugging headstones, and curling up lampposts. Plants sprout on dirt roads and between the cracks of old cement.
There are animals too. They travel the earth and share the sky. A new sound lifts from them; a chorus of voices chirp and chatter, roar and sing. Litter disappears from the ditches and paths. It is gathered from the lakes and rivers. Their habitats are protected, and people make way for their travel.
People have changed too. They are careful and mindful; respectful and appreciative for perhaps the first time ever of the lives pulsing right under their very feet and the world around them. They take stock of the fresh air, the clean water, the wide sound of nature as it surrounds them, and the sheer beauty of it all.
Sarah Alig
There are no parking lots. No turf grass in boulevards, medians, or lawns. People recognize that they are animals too so we don’t cloister ourselves in temperature controlled, hermetically sealed buildings and combustion engine coaches. I don’t know how much ‘legal rights’ would protect the environment, probably not as much as a cultural recognition and appreciation for the reciprocal nature of our human relationship with animals, plants, water, and air.
Tom Mortenson
“Imagine the world was real with no lies.”
Imagine what the world would look like if nature had legal rights. The sky would be fresh and clear, with birds flying across the land. The water would be clean, clear, and fresh. The land would be free of trash and pollution. Animals and people Imagine a world and nature at peace, with methods and procedures to sustain healthy populations of wildlife.
Imagine the total protection of endangered species.
Imagine a balanced ecosystem where humans can get clean air and water, and food while protecting Mother Nature in all her forms.
Imagine a world in which we stem the tide of single-use plastics flowing into our oceans every day.
Imagine using our power to protect and preserve nature.
Imagine “restoring nature to its natural state … a cause beyond party and beyond factions … a common cause of all the people”
“You may say I’m a dreamer.
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us.
And the world will live as one”
Inspired by the words from John Lennon “Imagine” soundtrack and Richard Nixon.
