By Minea Herwitz,
CLASSMATE AND FRIEND OF CARL’S, ECO ART MATTERS CLASS

A man once sat next to a tree, and that tree revealed to the man her name, for the man was, and always will be, a source of healing to those who knew him. His spirit is forever embedded in each coastal redwood tree, from the strong & tall, to the struggling, suffering trees, to the magical albino redwoods he spoke about with such reverence. For his was a spirit beyond the limitations of the human body, his was a voice of synergy between mankind and plant, as though the divine light of Mother Nature spoke through him, with all her joy and all her pain. 
Carl made himself so open and vulnerable, that all ego fell away, exposing his roots which thrived on love and love alone, grasping to the soil in a symbiotic relationship, feeding the hearts of those who knew him, and being fed in turn by their friendship. 
Despite the ailments which threatened to shake the very ground beneath his feet, Carl whizzed into our lives and classroom, with a vibrant and thriving energy, and then so quickly whizzed out, into the next world, into the greater consciousness, where perhaps his work as the speaker for the trees will be easier for him. 
Though we are sad to see this beautiful soul move into a place where we cannot easily reach, we find comfort and solace in knowing that he is at last united with the trees that so powerfully sustained his passions, his fire. Carl Lasagna: healer, Shaman, friend. You are rooted deeply into our hearts and you are helping all of us to grow in love, to reach for the sky, and to meet the sun in all her glory. And now it is up to us to carry out Carl’s work saving trees. Let’ start by finding a tree we love, and giving it a name. Or perhaps, the tree will tell you…