A Call For Globally Responsible Leadership

On the day of the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing these flags appeared on the fells, overlooking Buttermere and Crummock Water in the Northern Lake District. The flags, made from plastic bags gathered from local rivers and open spaces are decorated with the prayers and hopes for the world, offered by people from the community of Cockermouth.
Local Artist Rick Cross was accompanied by his 84 year old father, a former nuclear submarine engineer, on the 1000ft climb to place the flags on the summit of Haystacks.

“These plastic flags, based upon traditional Tibetan prayer flags symbolise the irresponsibility of our oil based economy and display a selection of corporate logos. The flags are offered as a call to political, corporate and community leadership at all levels to recognise the critical need to align their actions with the values expressed by The Earth Charter. The level of environmental destruction, growth in population, depletion of finite resources, the uncontrolled growth of global capitalism and erosion of basic human rights and values in communities worldwide, combined with Peak Oil and Climate Change, question the very viability of our civilisation. I believe we now face stark choices both globally and locally and that without a fundamental reassessment and cultural renewal we are sentencing our children and grandchildren to a bleak and perilous future. I am calling for all globally responsible leaders to sign up to the Earth Charter and take immediate practical action to step up to the task.”

This local arts project has been launched by Riversmeet Community Network, as a call for globally responsible leadership internationally, nationally and locally. We would welcome further contributors.

Join the Stream!