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When the elevator door opens on the sixth floor of a building on New York's upper east side, there it is right in front of you. A work of art called Last Turn - Your Turn by Robert Rauschenberg -- the official picture of the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. And in the renowned artist's own handwriting, here's what it says in the top left corner:

I pledge to make the Earth a secure and hospitable home for present and future generations.

Written in a child-like manner, it puts a lump in your throat -- and an ache in your heart -- when you think about the 16 long years of opportunities that have passed us by since that idea of sustainability was captured in this iconic work of art.

I went to see the piece thanks to a tip from friend, locavore and cyber-maven Holley Atkinson, hoping to see the artist himself at the opening of a show called Robert Rauschenberg and the Environmental Crisis at the Jacobson Howard gallery.