I was interested immediately as the subject matter is important to me and I feel quite strongly about plastic pollution. So I replied and have now been included its very exciting.
I decided to submit a landscape that depicts the kerbside as you drive down the A61 into Derby the trees are festooned in plastic bags and debris from the fast food restaurants and general blown in rubbish from the city.
Plastic now seems to be part of the landscape at first you don't notice it but then you do and when you start looking for it you realise it is everywhere in the trees in the grass twisted around weeds little bits floating about its all over the place. Its something we are all aware of but seem to have put at the back of our minds is only recently due to awareness raising programes on TV and action on social media it is beginning to dawn on us that the problem is bigger than we thought.
So this exhibition is very timely indeed, please take time to read their mission statement below.
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| Festoon Kerbside 10 x 14" Acrylic on canvas board. |
22.April 2018, Earth Day Mission Statement
EarthDay takes place on 22 April every year and celebrates the value and beauty of the natural world.
More than one billion people in 192 countries take part in Earth Day events, ranging from community
fayres and film festivals to this impressive exhibition by local artists.
This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’.
Plastic is seriously bad for our environment. It is seriously bad for our health.
**
The first Earth Day was held on 22 April 1970, a year after the infamous three-million-gallon
Santa Barbara oil spill off the Californian coast. More than 10,000 seabirds, dolphins, seals
and sea lions died because of the pollution.
The stage had been set by the publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson’s bestseller, Silent Spring.
With awareness heightened, thousands of people, horrified by the Santa Barbara carnage, were
spurred into action.
Environmental regulation, environmental education and … Earth Day followed.
Initially activists envisaged a teach-in day for US college students but the concept took on a life
of its own. Earth Day is now celebrated across the world with events demonstrating support for
environmental causes.
**
A number of environmental treaties have been agreed on Earth Day, most notably the Paris
Climate accord of 2015, which was backed by 195 countries.
It was the world’s first legally binding deal aimed at tackling climate change. It obliged signatories
to limit global warming to below 2°C.
**
Earth Day is widely recognised today but what does ‘protecting the environment’ or ‘celebrating
Earth Day’ actually mean to us as individuals?
Is it enough to recycle our rubbish? Is it enough to ban glitter and microbeads?
Does it count when we enjoy a stunning sunset or marvel at the swans in the park?
Does it count when we let the end of the garden become a bit of a wilderness to provide a home
for hedgehogs and insects?
**
The answer of course is yes and no. Everything counts yet is never enough: our environment is as threatened
now as it was when Earth Day was conceived.
Species are going extinct at a faster rate than ever before; the pace of temperature rise is
unprecedented – all because of human activities.
While it’s important to enshrine environmental protections into our laws, it’s also important to
contribute ourselves to protecting our Earth and everything that lives on it.
We can act individually. We can act collectively. We can pressure those with influence and those
in power to act on our behalf.
Let’s not wait for another disaster before doing so.
**
Local Artists Ruth Goodman, Suse Nielebock, Susan Chester, Chloe Valerie, Audrey
Bowling, Dana Mallon, Judith Menges, Fiona Chaney, Mitzie Green, Ruth Gray, Priscilla,
Chantal Ridings, Jill McMaster, Vanessa Byron , Deana Kim Page , Natalie Mills, Stephen
Hill, Peter Fraser and Richard Wheeler are reflecting upon our natural environment in tribute
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