L Chao
A Virtual Exhibition: “Unless”
On the first day of one of my Environmental Science classes, my teacher said something that has danced around in my head for some time now. He said, “People are changing the world at a pace so fast that Mother Nature is now struggling to keep up with it. As graduates of Duke University, I encourage you to make sustainable choices. Wise choices. It takes knowledge and research to choose the wiser path. It is our responsibility to preserve this Earth for your children, your children’s children, and the many generations that follow.”
If anything, my teacher made me think of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax and the valuable lesson that this children’s book teaches. We must remember that we have an obligation for those who still have not had the fortune to grace this Earth yet. We have the duty to give them the world in all of its’ green splendor. As an economist, and hopefully one day a lawyer, I hope to contribute my part in increasing awareness on the importance of environmental sustainability. Thus, my sculpture from The Lorax would be placed in the courtyard outside of Levine Science Research Center, which is home to the Nicholas School of the Environment.
“Unless” means that the beauty and wonder of nature will disappear unless we, as students and professors, try our best to make a difference in our lifetime. Our world depends on our ability to practice clarity, transparency, and accountability.
