Fighting on the Sicilian beaches for the environment
Hard workin’ for the Greens of Modica, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily (Italy).
To prevent a tourist village being built on their local beach, they built a statue of sand. The impressive statue of a fallen angel – an emblem of their shattered dreams – his wings detached as he lies across the beach, was 14 metres long, 140 metres square and 2.5 metres high at its highest point. The sculpture was modelled from 100 tons of sand and 10,000 litres of sea water (no vinyl glue or any other glue, they are Green!) was used to keep it wet and prevent its collapse over its week-long life.
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The statue wasn’t just a symbol of the Greens’ concerns: it attracted attention to sign a petition to save the dunes from the proposals of their local Administration. They collected more than 2,500 signatures from local residents and tourists on the petition, which they presented to the Italian Minister of the Environment, Pecoraro Scanio, who is also the President of the Italian Green Party.
Will they be able to stop the cement, save the dunes and the beach of their coastline, which is also a Site of Community Interest (S.I.C.) and UNESCO World Heritage Site?
What do you think about it ?
Corrado Rizzone, Greens Co-ordinator
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