To Fight Pollution a Lush Green Wall

築起綠牆 對抗空氣汙染

By Damien Cave

MEXICO CITY – Over a traffic-clogged avenue in a metropolis once infamous for its pollution rises a towering arch of 50,000 plants.
這個大都市曾因汙染嚴重而惡名昭彰，如今在一條被車流塞滿的大道上，豎立起一個參天拱門，它是以五萬株植物構成。

One of three eco-sculptures installed across the city by the nonprofit group VerdMX, the vertical garden is both art and oxygenator. It catches the eye. And it gobbles up the carbon dioxide contributing to high ozone levels.
非營利組織VerdMX於墨西哥市全市設置了三個生態雕塑作品，這個垂直的花園既是藝術品也是氧合器。它非常吸睛。它還會吸收導致臭氧濃度升高的二氧化碳。

“The main priority for vertical gardens is to transform the city,” said Fernando Ortiz Monasterio, 30, the architect who designed the sculptures. “It’s a way to intervene in the environment.”
這三件雕塑的設計人是30歲的建築師奧提茲，他說：「垂直花園的第一任務是改造這座城市。這是干預環境的一個途徑。」

Many cities have green reputations. But in the developing world, where middle classes are growing along with consumption, waste and energy use, Mexico City has become a leader. Pollution measures now place it on roughly the same level as the (also cleaner) air above Los Angeles.
許多城市享有綠都的美名。而在中產階級不斷擴大，消費、垃圾、能源使用跟著提高的開發中世界裡，墨西哥市堪稱名列前茅。墨西哥市的汙染防制措施目前讓該市上空的空氣品質大致與（乾淨些的）洛杉磯相當。

Luisa Molina, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says Mexico “is very advanced not just in terms of Latin America, but around the world,” she said. “When I go to China, they all want to hear the story of Mexico.”
麻省理工學院科學家露易莎‧莫里納說，墨西哥「非常先進，不單在拉丁美洲，就全世界而言也一樣」。她說：「我去中國大陸時，他們都想聽聽墨西哥的故事。」

Starting in the 1980s, Mexico’s government created mandates that reformulated gasoline, closed or moved toxic factories, and banned most drivers from using their cars one day a week.
墨西哥政府從1980年代開始下達新令，將汽油重新配方，搬遷或關閉排放有毒氣體的工廠，並讓多數駕駛人每周有一天不得開車。

Mexico City has added a popular free bicycle loan program and expanded public transportation.
墨西哥市還有一項大受歡迎的自行車免費借用計畫，並且擴大了公共運輸系統。

The most optimistic Mexicans rave about citizen-driven efforts like VerdMX. Mexico City has become an incubator for groups that mix corporate financing with new ideas.
一些樂觀無比的墨西哥人，對市民推動綠化，例如VerdMX等的努力津津樂道。墨西哥市已成為那些將企業界提供的資金與新點子結合的組織的溫床。

Young architects here are looking to revive ancient rivers. Young women are teaching old women how to plant tomatoes between high-rises; artists are turning ocean trash into gorgeous consumer criticism; and a crowd-sourced multimedia campaign for a “Mexico of the Future” includes submissions like “a solar panel on every house” and “respect for flora and fauna.”
這裡的年輕建築師正試圖恢復古河道。年輕的女性教導年長的婦女如何在高樓大廈之間種植番茄；藝術家正努力將海洋垃圾變成消費者的佳評；一項集眾多媒體運動「墨西哥的未來」提出的訴求包括「家家有太陽能板」和「尊重植物和動物」。

VerdMX’s giant green sculptures – part of a broader vertical and roof garden movement – fit right in. In the normal day-to-day commute, however, the gardens show how far Mexico City still has to go.
VerdMX的巨型綠色雕塑，是一項更大的垂直與屋頂花園運動的一部分，它非常適合這個城市。不過，在日常的通勤中，這些花園也說明墨西哥市還有一段長路要走。

The most stunning vertical garden hovers over Chapultepec Avenue. But on a recent morning, the plants looked crippled. “The plants are distressed by all the traffic,” said Gabriela Rodríguze, the director of VerdMX.
最令人讚嘆的垂直花園矗立在查普爾特佩克大道上。但最近的一個早晨，這些植物看來有似殘枝敗葉。VerdMX的主管加布蕾拉‧羅德里格斯說：「這裡的交通讓這些植物黯然神傷。」

She said finding the resources and getting the government permissions for the project took years. Nissan, a corporate sponsor, needed to be convinced that it would get the credit it deserved, she said.
她表示她花了許多年的時間，才為這項計畫取得必要的資源和政府的批准。她說，我們必須讓贊助商之一「日產」公司相信，該公司會受到應得的讚許。

“When I would tell people about this, they’d always say: ‘It’s impossible. You’re crazy,’” Mr. Ortiz said.
奧提茲說：「每當我向人們提起這件事時，他們總是說：『這是不可能的。你瘋了』。」

Some residents are still skeptical. “Sure, it looks nice but what good does it do?” said Rosendo Hernández, 58, a newspaper salesman.
有些居民仍抱持懷疑態度。58歲的報紙推銷員艾爾南德茲說：「當然，它看起來不錯，但它有什麼益處呢？」

But Riberto Pineda, 17, who washes car windows at the stop light beside the tall garden, said he has grown to love it. “It’s pretty,” he said. “And it’s great for shade.”
不過，在這個巨大花園旁紅綠燈下替人清洗車窗的17歲少年畢內達說，他越來越喜歡它了。他說：「它很漂亮，而且很能遮蔭。」

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/world/americas/vertical-gardens-in-mexico-a-symbol-of-progress.html

2012-04-24聯合報/G9版/UNITEDDAILYNEWS 王麗娟譯 原文參見紐時週報七版左