Sting, the Lorax

    The approximately 4,967,000,000,000 trees in the world can rest easy knowing that 182 of their compatriots are safe.  Sting, the musician cum environmentalist ("Green Hornet" perhaps?), recently announced a change of venue for a planned concert in the Philippines. The AP reports:

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Sting has moved the location of his "Back to Bass Tour" concert in the Philippines following a petition by environmentalists who said the original venue is owned by a conglomerate that plans to uproot 182 trees for a parking lot and mall expansion in a northern mountain city.
The SM Mall of Asia Arena said on Saturday that changing the site of the Dec. 9 concert was "the decision of the artist himself."
"Understandably, the known environment advocate artist was left with no choice in spite of the SM representatives' appeal," it said in a statement....
Karlo Marko Altomonte, who initiated the petition, wrote Sting's foundation saying that removing the trees would significantly increase air pollution and the risk of landslides and flooding in an area near schools.

    The article goes on to note Sting's green cred:

Sting and his wife Trudie Styler established The Rainforest Foundation in 1989 to protect tropical rainforests and the people who live there. 

    However, that was not enough to spare Sting the sting of this charge:

Environmentalists said in their petition that as a champion of the environment, "Sting can't be saving rainforests and enabling SM [the Mall of Asia Arena owners] to rape the environment at the same time!"

    I will be carefully monitoring feminist websites for the outraged reactions to this frivolous use of the word "rape" in connection with 182 trees.  Senator Claire McCaskill could not be reached for comment.