In the 17th century, Dutch ship builders would alter
the growth of young trees into a crooked shape. Many years later their offspring could harvest these trees and use their crooked tree trunks for specific parts of the wooden ship that they were building.

We live in a society of instant gratification:
We want things now! This short term thinking poses a mayor barrier to tackle environmental problems.
Politicians addressing controversial topics like closing down a coal power plant are not always popular. Voters are more concerned with increasing taxes than distant environmental threats. That’s why some politicians tend to avoid the discussion and focus on satisfying the short term desires of the voters. By planting a symbolic monument of the distant threat of flooding in the heart of the Dutch political centre, we remind politicians to take into account the long term consequences of their sort term decisions.

– The growth of young trees is altered so in time they
will grow into the shape of a wooden ship