Message
| Tadao Ando / Architect, Umi-no-Mori Project Chair |  |
| Aberrant weather conditions, increasingly pronounced in recent years, are presenting us with firsthand experiences of how global warming and other environmental issues facing our planet will bring major changes to our lives and the lives of our children. At the same time, with the world population about to reach 6.7 billion, the increase in environmental load on our planet arising from urban living is perceived to be almost hopeless. The modern practice of mass production and mass consumption has given rise to a negative legacy throughout the world in the form of refuse. In Tokyo Bay as well, a consequence of our urban activities is seen in a landfill of refuse and surplus soil that reaches 30 meters in height and stretches over 88 hectares-about the size of one golf course. Umi-no-Mori ( Sea Forest) fundraising campaign aims to raise funds for tree planting activities that will transform this mountain of waste into a beautiful forest in the middle of the bay. I hopes to collect donations of 1,000 Japanese yen (about 10 US dollars) per person from 500,000 people. Umi-no-Mori ( Sea Forest) will become a symbol of our recycling-oriented society through which Japan, a country that has a tradition of living hand-in-hand with nature, can make an appeal to the world about the importance of living in harmony with the environment. In view of the fact that landfills exist in all corners of the world, I perceive this island as a forest that belongs not just to Tokyo, but to the world, and through this project, wish to communicate the message of "living in harmony with nature." Your understanding and cooperation is greatly appreciated. |
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