Artist draws attention to the single-use plastic crisis

New York City is famously a center for culture and creativity in the U.S. But even in a city that’s filled with so much to see and do, one art exhibit is standing out among the crowd. Artist Dionnys Matos is using art to draw attention to sustainability and why it matters so much, what it means for the Earth and how it can be used as an influence to create beautiful things. Matos recycles and reuses items like foam bowls, plastic cups, bubble wrap and packaging materials in his art. His work focuses on what single-use objects really mean and the impact they have. Related: News From the Future imagines iconic landmarks after a climate apocalypse One work, titled “Wave”, is a four-panel mural created with bubble wrap that was injected with acrylic. According to Matos, this work showcases how our oceans are being overtaken by plastic . In this piece, the sea is getting its revenge. The still-life nature of “The Nature of Things” invites viewers to pause and draw awareness to their surroundings, the objects they interact with daily and how these objects impact the surroundings in the long-term. “Do we destroy our environment, or do we adapt? Are we capable of reusing that which is at the service of our comfort?” the project statement asks. The exhibit, titled Take a Minute: A Show of Resilience, is on display at the Thomas Nickles Project gallery at 47 Orchard Street in New York City. This gallery focuses exclusively on contemporary Cuban art . The pieces will be on display until April 18, and more information about the exhibit is available online . “I link these works with the environment in favor of an ecological conscience, Adopting dynamics inspired by the conservation of nature,” the artist said of the exhibit. “I work with recycled art with disposable materials that are not biodegradable; In these works I use bubble wrap giving it a utilitarian purpose, with the main objective of creating awareness of the dangers that threaten the planet and promote its conservation , enhance communication and citizen participation in the defense of nature and encourage political commitment in pursuit of this.” Matos trained at the Professional Academy of Plastic Arts and lives in Bogotá, Colombia. He continues to work on projects that will promote recycling and raise awareness of environmental issues. Matos joins many artists who are calling attention to the environmental issues — and possible solutions — of our world. Throughout history, artists have always captured the world as they see it, freezing a moment in time for successive generations to enjoy … and ponder. + Thomas Nickles Project Images via Thomas Nickles Project

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Artist draws attention to the single-use plastic crisis

Designers aim to reduce the waste and impact of airlines

Exhibitions of art can, and perhaps should, be thought-provoking, which is exactly the goal of the temporary showing ‘Get Onboard: Reduce. Reuse. Rethink’ by design studio PriestmanGoode at the Design Museum in London. Unlike typical art , though, this exhibit is a concept design that could change the way we travel, or at least the environmental impact when we do. With its eyes on a future of eliminating single-use plastic , PriestmanGoode has focused its problem-solving skills toward airline travel. The studio has looked for ways to eliminate the estimated 2.2 pounds of waste created per passenger per flight, a weighty problem that adds up to around 5.7 million tons of cabin waste annually worldwide. PriestmanGoode has taken a multifaceted approach to the problem, beginning with the meal tray and eating accessories on long flights. Related: San Francisco airport bans all plastic water bottles The designers have come up with functional and surprisingly attractive plastic alternatives for in-flight eating. Some of the plant-based items are washable and reusable: serving trays that are made out of coffee grounds and husks; dishes made from wheat bran; and sporks made from coconut wood. The cups are a two-part design, with a reusable outer layer made from rice husks and a PLA binder. The disposable interior liner is made from algae. Other packaging saw sustainable upgrades, too. The main dish is covered in a bamboo lid, an earth-friendly alternative to petroleum-based plastic. For side dishes, the lids are made out of algae or banana leaves, and the dessert lid has a wafer design that distinguishes it from the other lids to easily identify what is underneath. Single-use condiment containers were tossed in favor of capsules made out of soluble seaweed. For easy composting, everything packs into the main meal lid. PriestmanGoode also presents a refillable water canister designed to fit in a seat-back. It has also worked with airline representatives to design a central water refill station as a comprehensive, sustainable alternative to plastic water bottles. Although the design elements of the concept meal tray are innovative, an equally important goal of the exhibit is to raise awareness about the impact travel has on our environment, and not just in the food consumed. While there are still many steps the airline industry needs to take to lower its environmental impact, PriestmanGoode wants travelers to consider their own consumption habits by only using long-lasting and reusable products that they need. The exhibit will show until February 9, 2020. + PriestmanGoode Via Dezeen Images via PriestmanGoode

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Designers aim to reduce the waste and impact of airlines

SPAINLAB Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale Celebrates Innovative Approaches to Architecture

Read the rest of SPAINLAB Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale Celebrates Innovative Approaches to Architecture Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Architecture , Common Ground , exhibit , innovation , Investigation , SpainLab , Spanish Pavilion , Venice , Venice Architecture Biennale

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SPAINLAB Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale Celebrates Innovative Approaches to Architecture

David Chipperfield Masterminds 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale on Topic of ‘Common Ground’

Whether common ground is defined as a foundation for mutual understanding, interest, agreement, relationship or discussion, it can easily be defined by famed British architect David Chipperfield as this year’s theme for the Venice Architecture Biennale .  The Biennale just opened for previews and the theme is already getting major coverage by architecture magazines and blogs everywhere. Though the theme might be understood as an opportunity to display the multitudes of work being done for the “common good” in political, economic, and sustainable realms, Chipperfield also intends to study the relationship of the ground between buildings. Read the rest of David Chipperfield Masterminds 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale on Topic of ‘Common Ground’ Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: activism , Architecture , Common Ground , David Chipperfield , Economic , exhibit , italy , Projects , Public Interest , social , Sustainable , Urban design , urban interventions , Venice Architecture Biennale

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David Chipperfield Masterminds 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale on Topic of ‘Common Ground’

Finally. Graduate Sustainable Design Showcase Goes National

The Society for Responsible Design, founded in 1989, may be one of the oldest professional associations committed to the pursuit of environmentally and socially aware design. Now, after eight years of dedicated volunteer hard yards showcasing state-based graduate works, they’ve finally been able to give the exhibit the national exposure that new ecodesign deserves. 32 talented graduates, representing eight design streams have lent 26 of their inspiring projects to the SRD Change 2011 exhibition. See the projects first hand, as they take over the complete upper ground floor of a

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Finally. Graduate Sustainable Design Showcase Goes National

Futuristic Space Station Made From Reclaimed Doors

German architectural collective Raumlaborberlin unveiled a futuristic prefab “space station” constructed entirely from recycled discarded doors for this year’s Transmediale Festival in Berlin. Titled Futures Exchange , the exhibit envisions a future based on the wastes and failures of 20th century ideologies while bringing new awareness to a possible future with less available natural resources. Read the rest of Futuristic Space Station Made From Reclaimed Doors http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “sustainable architecture” , architecture constructed of doors , exhibition architecture , futures exchange exhibit architecture by raumlaborberlin , green design , reclaimed doors , sustainable design , transmediale festival exhibit architecture

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Futuristic Space Station Made From Reclaimed Doors

Milan Furniture Fair 2010: Plants that are Lamps, Lamps that are Plants

Pendant lighting in the exhibit “Sparkling, Ecologically Correct 2010.” Photo copyright Mairi Beautyman This is my favorite trend so far at the Milan Furniture Fair, Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2010 : a plant that is a lamp, lamp that is a plant. And I also saw a table that contains a plant. I came across the pendant lighting above at the exhibit ” Sparkling, Ecologically Correct 2010 .” ..

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Milan Furniture Fair 2010: Plants that are Lamps, Lamps that are Plants

More on Veggie Burgers and Neurotoxins: News from Mother Jones

Hello, TreeHuggers. Here’s what’s new over at Mother Jones ‘ Blue Marble blog: Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin

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More on Veggie Burgers and Neurotoxins: News from Mother Jones

MOMA Exhibit Offers Real Solutions to NYC’s Rising Tides

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MOMA Exhibit Offers Real Solutions to NYC’s Rising Tides

Plant Based Vaccines Grown in Podlike Labs Could Stop the Next Pandemic

While viruses like H1N1 scare the living bejesus out of us, they’ve also been spurring science to look for new ways to produce vaccines quickly. Last year, H1N1 was responsible for more than 12,200 deaths, and the first batches of vaccines took about 7 whole months after the first cases were reported to ship. Researchers at the Texas Plant-Expressed Vaccine Consortium, a joint venture between  The Texas A&M University System and pharmaceutical facility technology maker  G-Con, LLC , think that they could solve some of the efficiency issues that plague vaccine production with an unconventional plant-based approach . Called Project GreenVax , the plans entails using a combination of tobacco plants and podlike laboratories that will be able to scale up or down in direct relation to vaccine demand.

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Plant Based Vaccines Grown in Podlike Labs Could Stop the Next Pandemic

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