On Saturday, September 21, the removal of 41 trees was scheduled to begin on Avenida Guadalupe in front of the San Juan de Dios market. The trees, which line the center of the street, are more than 20 years old. However the process has been halted due to the protests of residents who say that –especially in the face of climate change--we need more trees, not less.
Since Saturday morning at 8 am, they have collected signatures from more than 6,000 residents to save the trees and have maintained a continuous vigil—day and night.
The removal is part of a municipal improvement plan for the area. Protesters do not oppose the plan in general, only the removal of trees which they consider unnecessary and destructive. They point out that, in an area of heavy traffic such as this, the trees mitigate the release of CO2 and greenhouse gases. The municipality claims that the trees will be transplanted, yet protesters maintain that mature trees, like these, cannot be successfully transplanted and will die.
Until now, the protesters have maintained a 24-hour vigil, yet they need help to keep it up. They are seeking help from all concerned residents. You can help by
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signing the petition at Change.org.
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joining the vigil on Avenida Guadalupe. You can visit or email them about your availability.
Communications:
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The email is salvemos41árboles@hotmail.com (or perhaps without the accent-- salvemos41arboles@hotmail.com, try both ways). If you have whatsapp and want to receive alerts, you can send them your number by email.
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The facebook page is salvemos41árboles.