Trash Cans as Public Art

If your notion of a trash can is simply that of an everyday utilitarian product, you should take a look at what the non-profit known as the Steel Yard has been working on for the past few years. As part of its Urban Furniture program, the Steel Yard, based in a 5600 SF industrial space in Providence, Rhode Island, collaborated with local artists to design and fabricate a series of distinctive steel trash cans (along with a number of other street-based art/products), in an effort to revitalize and beautify the Industrial Valley district within the city. Working with the Olneyville Housing Corporation, the organization sought to create aesthetically beautiful (as well as thought provoking) works of art and function, that would aid in improving the neighborhood of Olneyville, while at the same time elevating the public dialogue of what it means to be a community in transition.

(All photographs courtesy of Steelyard’s flickr gallery)

On one level, what the Steel Yard has done with this project, is demonstrate how a community of diverse populations, vocations, etc, can come together to essentially “unify” a city, even if one neighborhood at a time, and how this can be done through the installation of functional “street art”. If urban living does eventually become the norm, it is all the more reason to make our urban spaces more enjoyable and livable, and hopefully more cities will realize that something as simple as a trash can presents an accessible way to achieve that. And to do so through creative collaboration, is surely a testament to how strong a community like Olneyville has already become.

Reusing one Tree at a Time

Calling themselves “urban forestry pioneers”, Pittstown, NJ-based CitiLog saves trees (from both urban and non-urban sites) that would otherwise be burned as firewood, chipped to make mulch, or sent to a landfill, so they can be put to one of their many potential uses. To lower the footprint of tree removal even more, the company often employs a team of workhorses to move trees from a site! Whether it’s custom door frames as part of the restoration of a historic home, high design furniture and interiors for cafes, hotels, or even the Ivy League (Yale and Columbia), CitiLog has the staff of LEED accredited and FSC-knowledgable green building professionals and skilled craftspeople to work closely with clients to produce a range of products according to spec. As part of its CampusLog program, the company is currently working with RiderUniversity on a LEED certified dormitory to open next year, which will incorporate some of the actual 123 trees felled on the site. All of CitiLog’s wood is certified under Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program due to its low impact processing.

The nature of CitiLog’s approach injects a high level of environmental consciousness into a project that many potential clients will come to appreciate more and more, especially as current green building guidelines make their future transition from option to requirement for construction projects the world throughout. Maybe the next time you come upon a tree in a city or around a construction site, you might think about where it came from and where it’s going. CitiLog certainly does with its mission to preserve and reuse an often overlooked “commodity”.

A few informative links:

Rainforest Alliance

Forest Stewardship Council

U.S. Green Building Council

Making Greenburg Greener While Improving Their Community

Images from the National Geographic Society. Video from KTKA 49 ABC News.

Students at Kansas State University are taking the initiative to make Greenburg more sustainable while rebuilding their community. Their effort is being called Project Cubed and it aims to bring “pavilion cubes of sustainable living to Greenburg”. Every cube they are creating is eco-friendly. One might recycle rain water while another provides a place for gathering bottles and cans for recycling. Perhaps the best aspect of the project is that the students are focused on carefully designing and constructing each cube with the equally important purpose of being able to withstand severe tornado weather. The project was created in response to the massive F5 category tornado that ripped through Greensburg in 2007. It flattened the town and caused 8 deaths. With winds of 205 miles an hour (330 kilometers) the tornado was the first first recorded F5 storm since 1999 in the US.

Kansas State University Architecture student, Melody Meek mentioned that ”it’s one way to connect the world of architecture with people in our community. Design can really help improve lives. This could start to lay the groundwork of how we can respond to natural disasters such as tornadoes.” Their green initiative has been in the planning and development stages for 2 semesters. The students of Project Cubed are scheduled to deliver the finished product to the Greenburg community on the 4th of May 2008, the anniversary date of last year’s devastating tornado which destroyed so much of their local architecture and infrastructure.

Reclaiming Materials In a Remarkable Way

Bill Harding aka “Gene Pool” is a Brooklyn, New York based artist. For over a decade now he has been experimenting with reclaiming objects using the materials to make outfits. He has a series of suits, each fabricated to send a message about recycling or the environment. Through frequent appearances in the New York area he shows off his suits to the public. His work “Can Man” is a wearable suit created using 500 aluminum cans. Another piece of his work is called “The $uit”. It weighs 52 pounds and is covered with pennies.

New York e-waste Recycling Legislation

A study by the EPA estimates that New York City residents purchase about 12 million electronic devices each year amounting to 92,000 tons of product a year. When close to 25,000 tons of electronic waste is created each year in New York City (at the cities expense), it comes as no surprise that “The Big Apple” will be the first US city to enforce a electronic-recycling law. Come July 2009 all manufacturers of electronic goods will be required to start collecting old electronics for reuse and recycling, by July 2010 the Department of Sanitation will no longer collect certain electronic instruments, next by 2012 manufacturers will be required to collect 25% of their sold electronics (in weight), and finally by 2018 they will be required to collect 65% of their disposed product.

This requires electonic comanies to initiate a buy-back program. It also requires them to look at their overall manufacturing process and figure out where they can integrate reused parts and recycled materials. In addition, this law will encourage companies and manufacturers to take responsibility for the product they put on the market and design products to have a longer life.

The main concern presented by consumers on this topic is that this recycling initiative will take the cost right back out of the consumers pocket. In opposition, I say that if designed properly, companies could generate less waste, incorporate reused parts, have to source less raw material, and ultimately find themselves with more efficient manufacturing processes that will result in a lower cost.

Virtual Recycling?

Reuse and recycling is not just for bottles and cans anymore, one website has taken to the online realm. DeletedImages.com is a place were you can upload images that you might normally delete. In other words, they “bring unsharp, moved, blurry and unfocused pictures back to life.”

Looking for A Scrap Resource?

Material Scraps is a reseller. They add new listings frequently to their site. The scraps come from Mechmar and other manufacturers who don’t want their excess material to go to waste. You will find items such as… 7/16″ Thick x 60″ Wide Gray Wool Felt - $41.39. For more information or to visit their store, visit materialscraps.com.

Smart Compensation for Recycling

RecycleBank offers rewards for recycling. Their services are currently available in the metro areas of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Vermont and Delaware. In an interesting way, both businesses and residents benefit from this program. Points earned by residents are used to buy from participating stores and companies.

To sign up as a business or resident visit recyclebank.com