Malibu is a small city on the coast of southern California that has been exposed to increasing amounts of industrialism, pollution, and tourism. More and more of once rural farmland is becoming utilized for shopping centers and exclusive neighborhoods. Richard Wientraub, a developer who is also an alleged environmentalist, has been trying to find ways to develop malibu for years and his dream of building a hotel on the scenic 28 miles across the Pepperdine lawn was finally voted against by congress and was treated with contempt by a large amount of locals. However, Wientraub's most recent idea is to take the land and make it into a cemetery with over 55,000 plots, which unlike the last idea, was passed in Congress and is in the midst of being planned. These 28 acres are home to many native plants and animals that would unfortunately all be killed in the process of the heavy landscaping and human interaction. For example the iconic deer that line the green hills of the pepperdine lawn seek refuge in the area and many live there. Furthermore, this land holds sacred value in memory of the Chumash whom used this land as a burial grounf. After spending only 30 minutes there today I was in awe of the lively ecosystem yet haunted by the fact of the ghostly image it will have once torn away. Although it is not a hotel the same thing, the ecosystem will suffer the same pain as if it were a hotel being built there.
If you truly love Malibu you would understand that you would be doing more for the area by not getting buried there and opting for something more environmentally friendly such as cremation or just simply getting buried elsewhere. Being born and raised in Malibu and currently being a member at the high school, I have seen a lot of the changes occur in industrialization and can't say that many of them had a positive impact. I cannot imagine losing anymore of the precious land that has already been lost to developers and are now used as tourist destinations. Irony lies behind the idea of a graveyard being built in that the true graveyard will be the deathly presence of the once lively ecosystem that homed plants and animals for hundreds of years yet all slaughtered in just weeks.
Once this petition closes, a protest will be held at the place of where the cemetery is being built. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at ediedenker@gmail.com
