Psychedelic installation in NYC spotlights environmental issues with immersive art

The call for environmental awareness and action has been given a new voice in a visually stunning art installation that just opened its doors in New York City. Entitled Arcadia Earth, the temporary art exhibition immerses guests in a multi-sensory journey spotlighting pressing ecological issues — such as overfishing, plastic pollution, food waste, deforestation and climate change — with vivid artworks designed with upcycled and reusable materials. The 18-room exhibition is powered by augmented and virtual reality to create a large-scale interactive environment that encompasses a variety of landscapes, from underwater worlds to fantastical forests.

Founded and designed by experiential artist Valentino Vettori, Arcadia Earth is billed as the “first immersive augmented reality journey through Planet Earth.” The art installation was created in collaboration with 12 leading environmental artists, including Samuelle Green, Tamara Kotianovsky, Etty Yaniv, Cindy Pease Roe, Poramit Thantapalit, Jesse Harrod, Justin Bolognino/META, Katie Donahue, Katharina Hoerath, Charlotte Becket and Emmy Mikelson. The project has been presented in association with its educational and charity partner, Oceanic Global, which will receive part of the proceeds from ticket sales.

To highlight environmental issues, Arcadia Earth created a series of spectacular naturescapes afflicted by human-caused environmental problems that are accompanied with educational commentary. In the underwater ocean scene, for instance, guests can take in views of shrinking coral beds, plastic-coated jellyfish and life-size fishing nets representative of overfishing. One underwater cave is built from 44,000 recycled plastic bags to represent the number used in New York state per minute.

Related: Giant totems in Poland warn against climate change catastrophe

Fortunately, the hauntingly beautiful art exhibition doesn’t only project images of a doomed future. Arcadia Earth provides actionable suggestions that visitors can adopt to reduce their environmental impact. The visit also culminates in a “vow room,” where visitors can sign a petition and make personal vows to help the planet. Arcadia Earth is located at 718 Broadway and will be on display until January 2020. A tree will be planted for every ticket sold. 

+ Arcadia Earth

Images by David Mitchell for Arcadia Earth

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Plumen Hive shade is 3D-printed and biodegradable

Light bulbs and lamp shades go together like peanut butter and jelly so when Plumen had an idea for a natural looking shade, they turned to designer Luke Deering with very specific goals in mind: make it elegant and make it sustainable.

The Hive shade is the result of a vision to use biomorphic design to make a shade look like a natural honeycomb. Shadowing the design after well-sculpted art of the hive not only brings natural elements inside the living space, but also gives a nod to some of nature’s best architects — the bees. The woven material allows light to filter through while defusing the bright light of the bulb.

Related: Benjamin Spöth weaves leftover birch plywood into beautiful Upcycle lamps

While the design elements are striking as an idea and on paper, the finished product raises the bar above typical design with a unique production that is a result of the newest 3D printer technology. This process streamlines the manufacturing and supports the sustainability goals of the project too. That’s because the shade is printed from PLA bioplastic, a material that is made up of 90 percent recycled plastic and plant products.

The U.K.-based company wanted to create a closed loop with the Hive shade and began by sourcing the manufacturing nearby to alleviate transport emissions. In addition, the shades are printed on demand to avoid unnecessary waste. To complete the circle, the Hive shade is commercially compostable and will biodegrade in about six months at the end of its usable life cycle.

Like any good home decor, the Hive shade comes in a variety of options to suit your needs. The two available sizes fit over two of the most common bulb options from Plumen. There’s a choice of six colors: White, Black, Moss Green, Gold, Orange and Blue. Plus, you can submit special color requests. The shades fit neatly into the neck of the Plumen pendant, available in black or copper so you can make your selections and put together your desired look without worrying about the effect on the planet. It’s a bright idea!

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Images via Plumen

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Architecture students build temporary music festival venue using 160 repurposed apple bins

On Friday, August 2, the Pickathon Music Festival in Happy Valley, Oregon featured a temporary performance venue designed by the Portland State University School of Architecture. The project is another in a line of “diversion design-build” concept stages, known fondly as the “Treeline Stage,” built by the school for the festival since 2014. The very first Treeline Stage was made using wooden shipping pallets. Since then it has also featured cardboard tubes, dimensional lumber and wooden trusses as building material.

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The 2019 repurposed stage was inspired by images of apple blossoms. The temporary venues holds a total of 160 wooden bins that were previously used to harvest apples by a Pacific Northwest fruit producer. The structure towers are 40 feet at its tallest point, allowing ample space for everything from audio equipment, a backstage area, food vendors and room for audience seating.

The natural background of the stage, an area where the meadow meets the woods, only adds to the organic yet mystical ambiance of the structure.

This year, the musical festival hosted 18 different bands (all of various genres) on the six stages throughout the weekend. Some of the bands included Mereba, CAAMP, Julia Jacklin, JJUUJJUU, Bonny Light Horseman, Reptaliens, and Black Belt Eagle Scout. 

Each tower was made up of anywhere from 15-30 bins, strategically stacked to resemble pentagonal clusters of blossoms. The shadows cast by the apple bins during the day created a series of artistic shadows, while colored LED lights incorporated into the structure helped illuminate the stage after dark.

The student-faculty team used leftover lumber from the previous year’s Treeline Stage project to create the vertical elements supporting the towers. Following the festival, the apple bins were returned to the donating company to be used for transporting and holding harvested apples for the late Summer harvest — meaning no materials went to waste.

+ Portland State University School of Architecture

Images via PSU School of Architecture

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This rechargeable camping headlamp is made out of sustainable wood and recycled aluminum

Most adventurers do what they can to leave no trace when exploring, but sometimes it is nearly impossible to find sustainable hiking gear. In fact, the search for green gear got so frustrating for nature lover Doug Rieck that he invented his own camping headlamp that is made out of sustainable wood and recyclable aluminum. Recently launched on Kickstarter, the Origin Headlamp is not only a sustainable lamp, but it also boasts a powerful 300 lumen LED light that offers at least 10 hours of light and is guaranteed to lead you straight through your epic adventures.

Doug Rieck is the founder of Eukarya, an outdoor goods company that designs sustainable gear. Its products are made without chemically engineered plastics and synthetic materials that have been the standard in the outdoor industry.

Related: Get ready for an adventure with this ultimate checklist of backpacking essentials

Handcrafted from sustainable wood and recycled aluminum, the Origin Headlamp is a durable, reliable light for adventures. With a 300 lumen LED light, the headlamp features a rechargeable battery that guarantees 10+ hours of light. Adding to its convenient features, the battery fully recharges in two hours.

Additionally, the headlamp is incredibly useful in distinct settings, because it offers high/low and strobe modes. Of course, nobody wants to be lugging around a heavy light in their camping gear, so it is a good thing that the headlamp only weighs an astonishing 85 grams — substantially less than most standard headlamps.

In addition to finally offering nature lovers a variety of green options for their camping and adventure equipment, the company also gives back to the planet. According to the current Kickstarter campaign, Eukarya is promising to plant a tree for each pledge the headlamp receives in collaboration with One Tree Planted.

The headlamp has limited availability to early birds for just $99 with a December 2019 delivery or is available for regular pre-order for a March 2020 delivery.

+ Origin Headlamp

Images via Eukarya

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This biodegradable T-shirt is made from trees and algae

When it comes to your typical t-shirt, most people think of cotton, or perhaps a synthetic blend. But they probably don’t think about the all-natural Vollebak tee, made from wood and algae. The Vollebak Plant and Algae T-Shirt is an example of clothing that is produced with a vision for the end of the product life cycle when the shirt can be thrown in a landfill where it will biodegrade within a few months. 

Beginning at the source, the Algae T uses eucalyptus, spruce, and beech wood from sustainably-harvested forested that are certified by both the Forestry Sustainability Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The wood is converted into pulp and then thread, and then fabric.

Related: SAOLA offers sustainable sneakers sourced from algae and recycled plastic

Beginning at the source, the Algae T uses eucalyptus, spruce, and beech wood from sustainably-harvested forested that are certified by both the Forestry Sustainability Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). The wood is converted into pulp and then thread, and then fabric.

Separately, the algae is grown in bioreactors. To process the algae, water and algae are pressed through a filter, separating out a pasty component of the algae. The paste is then placed in the sun until it dries into a powder. Mixed with a water binder, the dried algae powder becomes ink used on the front of the tee. The natural components of the algae ink mean it varies in depth of color from one shirt to the next and changes color with washings. 

Because the ingredients are all natural, the Algae t-shirt can be composted after consumer use. The materials will break down organically, much faster than cotton and other materials, without adding chemicals to the soil and water.

“The only thing different about this t shirt is that it grew in soil and water, and that’s where it’s designed to end up too. All you need to do is remember to compost it at the end of its life. Here it will biodegrade with them, turn into soil, and help new plants to grow,” explains Vollebak co-founder, Steve Tidball.

We say that’s a much better way to think about fast fashion.

<big>+ Vollebak</big>

Via Core 77

<em>Images via Vollebak </em> 

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Recycling Identifying Device takes the guesswork out of figuring out what's recyclable

The ability to recycle materials has been around for generations, and as an increasing number of residential and commercial facilities take on the metal, plastic and glass, it has become a common task to put your recycling at the curb on garbage pick-up day. But as mainstream as recycling is, the rules are ever-changing, so the Recycling Identifying Device (R.I.D.) was created to streamline the process.

The R.I.D, designed by U.K.-based company Cohda, scans materials to let the user know whether an item is recyclable or not. It uses near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to identify what the item is. Software allows the R.I.D. to match the item with the parameters of accepted items at the local recycling plant. In other words, the software can tell you if the item is accepted locally.

Related: Renewlogy turns low-grade plastic into usable fuels

The simple-to-use, handheld device is intended for use by waste organizations; the goal is to have the waste facility provide the device to each household. The device will help keep recyclable items out of the landfills and the oceans. Almost as bad as misdirected recyclable items are the materials that end up in the recycling bin where they don’t belong. These disallowed containers can contaminate other items on the recycling line, causing them to be thrown out.

Most people have good intentions when it comes to recycling, but every township seems to have its own regulations regarding what is and what isn’t acceptable. Even at that, the list changes frequently. With this in mind, the R.I.D. accepts updates as they are released to keep the consumer informed. The device even has a system in place to release updated information in a way that anyone can access it easily. R.I.D. doesn’t require software, a computer or a smartphone; instead, when an update becomes available, a rewritable RFID card is attached to the household waste bin. Consumers then touch the R.I.D. to the RFID card to transfer the update automatically.

Because the entire project is focused on reducing waste and cleaning up waste systems, the R.I.D. can be disassembled and recycled at the end of its lifecycle.

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Images via Cohda

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