6/10/08

Before the summer

The warm weather jump starts Montreal summer a dozen of days before the "official opening." Here is the quick recap of the events that marked the beginning of the month of June.

The area of Little Burgundy celebrated the change of seasons by a pineapple fight. The commercial and political connotation (promotion of locally grown fruit) of the event attracted such a number of environmentally responsible citizen that the reporting crew could only witness and photograph the aftermath.
The Organization for Humane Treatment of Edible Plants (OHTEP) responded by stigmatizing the activity as encouraging the melting of the Antarctic ice cap. Our analytical department is presently working on tracing the connection between the two.

The city of Montreal introduces innovative landscaping this summer. Young plants of new species, genetically engineered to survive in the urban environment are to be introduced in the places previously unthinkable. The tree seen on the photo extracts nutrients from the remains of food thrown into the can; it also receives its daily caffeine dose from disposable cups. Leaving a bicycle near one might not be the best idea, since some species planted near garages and gas stations were found to have particular liking for rubber and aluminum. The lack of foliage decreases the loss of water, thus diminishing the need for maintenance. This new kind of trees is independent, self-sufficient and resistant; it got everything to be fully integrated into the urban milieu of the 21st century.

Nightlife is not to be missed! Along with downtown bicycle renting service, summer '08 features the "uniglass" project, designed to reduce the use of disposable cups. Participating cafes, restaurants and bars are provided with standard glasses (seen on the photo). People that take their coffee or drink to go, walk off with a real glass, later leaving it anywhere in the downtown area, which is patrolled by a team of cycling volunteers; they pick up the glasses and bring them to the washing station, from where they are redistributed back to the businesses.

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