Anne Frank Memorial Offers “Green” Commentary

Recently, a friend and I took a fun little road trip through Southwest Idaho. While exploring the city of Boise, we stopped by the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, situated just outside the downtown area and beside the scenic banks of the Boise river. Constructed and dedicated in 2002, it is meant to be a place for reflection on human rights and human dignity. The site features memorable quotes by world leaders and notable figures carved into the low wall that curves around the memorial and a bronze statue of Frank. I enjoyed our time there—it is, after all, a quiet, peaceful, place—but one interactive feature struck me as a particularly “green” way to provide commentary. And fun, too. Interspersed along the path, speaker boxes are mounted on short poles. To hear the recorded quote, one has to grab the handle and turn the crank to generate the energy to project the sound. It struck me how it would be interesting to have that kind of thing in other situations: Pull forward, turn the crank and order your tall, double-shot, non-fat latte. Arrive at your friend’s house in a gated community, turn the handle and have her buzz you in. When it is your turn in the bank drive-through lane, turn the crank and send your deposit whizzing through the tube. OK, those options might not be practical, and not all would be fun on rainy day or when you are in a hurry. But walking along a meandering path in a pleasant city by the river, surrounded by the words of some of the world’s wisest people, with a simple twist of the wrist a lesson in kindness becomes a hands-on experience.