Urban Omnibus, a project of the Architectural League of New York, has a fantastic series of blog posts and videos out called City of Systems. The final chapter, Waste Removal, came out two months ago, though I hadn’t seen it until today. Thanks, Annie, for posting it to the the Facebook page. The video features an interview with trashie icon Elizabeth Royte, who gives a brief history of solid waste management in New York and shares what motivated her to write Garbage Land, a must-read for anyone interested in trash. Back in 2007, Royte was the first author in a week-long series of author interviews we featured here called Literary Trash. Check out that interview here. Might be time to revive the theme.
City of Systems: Waste Removal
Thursday, January 26, 2012Upcycled delight
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Photo credit: My friend Anna
Like many New Yorkers, I’ve been fighting off a nasty cold for what seems like forever. The other day I ventured out for soup at Born Thai where the food is actually spicy (unlike most places in my neighborhood) and where the menus are adorably upcycled CD ROM cases. Tom yummy in my tummy.
The Waste of the World
Tuesday, January 10, 2012What up, trashies?! Happy (belated) new year! Apologies for light posting in late 2011. Fear not, we’re back with some great stories about garbage and recycling in the works. First up: The Waste of the World is a five-year study funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council. Unlike most research projects, which culminate in sleepy peer-reviewed journal submissions, this crew is putting on a multimedia art show called Everything Must Go.
Here’s the flyer description:
Everything Must Go follows the journeys of worn clothing as it is sold for reuse and recycling across the world. This exhibition brings invisible global waste economies into public view, explores the people involved and the impact these businesses have upon their lives, and questions our ability to control, contain and curtail waste.
The exhibition will feature a film, photos, workshops and a textile installation. Londoners can check out the event at the Bargehouse Friday 20–Sunday 22 January, 11–6pm. Free admission.
Bobo-Dioulasso
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Le vieux quartier
Ouagadougou
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Nescafe cans and flip flops
Dakar
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Market, Centre Ville
Dakar
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Slave House at Gorée Island
San Man Legacy
Tuesday, November 8, 2011I got all excited when I downloaded the latest Moth podcast this morning and read the description: “A young man struggles with his role in the family sanitation business.” Luckily, this week’s installment lived fully up to those inflated expectations. It’s a sweet New York story and well worth a listen. Thank you, Terence Mickey, for brightening my morning commute. The outro references a novel in the works called The Gleaners. Trashtastic title, can’t wait!
Beirut the Fantastic
Monday, November 7, 2011Beirut-based architect Sandra Rishani keeps a blog of her visions of what the city could be. Beirut the Fantastic posts outline proposals for upgrading and greening forgotten and unused spaces or places that have not reached their full potential. Her latest post focuses on the rubble of the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel and how that rubble could be used to create a beautiful seaside memorial.
Before
After
What I love about the blog is that Rishani writes about what are ostensibly pipe dream projects, but breaks them down step by practical step. In this case, for example, she goes into the history of the rubble, who dumped it where, current legal ownership of the materials and examples from around the world of war rubble upcycled into public parks and memorials.
Thanks for the tip, Lucy!
Be Good or Be Gone
Thursday, November 3, 2011A gorgeous installation of faceted glass windows created by artist Duke Riley may now be seen at the Beach 98th Street A/S stop in the Rockaways.
Tugboat hauling a recycling barge.
Check out the full photoset on Facebook and the artist’s site for details on the symbolism, process and realization of this project.
The MTA drawings consist of several symbols local to the Rockaways. The left side of one diptych shows two images of a Piping Plover – an endangered bird that has chosen a section of beach at the Rockaways, just a few blocks south of the 90th Street station as one of its few remaining nesting grounds. The nautical flags spell out the popular phrase “Be Good or Be Gone” which can be seen behind the doors of several pubs and restaurants in the neighborhood. I am using the phrase as a reminder for visitors to take care and appreciate the fragile environment of the area.
This is a wonderful reminder of all the magical places the NYC Subway system can take you. Thanks for the tip, Gillian! Field trip anyone?
Newsworthy Trash Can
Friday, October 28, 2011A trashtastic example of a decorative dumpster sent in by long lost contributing editor. Tack, Victor!
Decorative Dumpster in Sweden
Upcycling in Kisumu, Kenya
Wednesday, October 26, 2011Deepest apologies for the long gap in posts. I’ve been traveling nonstop for the day job and barely have time to sleep, let alone brave slow internet connections to upload photos and information. That’s not to say I haven’t been collecting trashtastic content. For example, women who take part in income generating activities with the Kisumu Medical Education Trust (KMET) upcycle plastic water bottles as zero waste packaging for the liquid soap they make and sell.
Woman sifts base for bar soap, liquid soap bottles in the background
Woman with finished liquid soap product
Young women training at KMET’s empowerment center learn marketable skills like tailoring. To practice, they use flour sacks and cardboard for patterns and swaths.
Young women practice stitching on recycled paper
Young women practice tailoring using patterns upcylced from empty sacks
Thanks for your patience, trashies. I’m in Ethiopia this week. Stay tuned for additional updates from East Africa.
Low Waste Wedding: Librarian Edition
Wednesday, October 5, 2011Remember those card catalog cards the Brooklyn Museum was giving away? Well, my librarian friend, Jennie, also scored a batch and put them to excellent use. At her beautiful fall wedding last weekend, we looked up our names to find our table assignments.
Card Catalog
My friend Myra models our cards
The happy couple
Congratulations Jennie and Ben!
Compost Mobile
Wednesday, October 5, 2011Compost Mobile is a neat new project in Miami that matches people with food scraps to urban farmers in need of compost. The rallying call? “We want your scraps!” They are also the first ever recipient of an Awesome Food Grant. More here.
Thanks for the tip, Soraya!
The trashtastic journey
Saturday, October 1, 2011Remember that high tech tagging project to map waste streams called Trash Track? Well, this morning via Visible Trash, I discovered that they now have an amazing intro video featuring the award-winning data visualization to come out of the project.
Science follows art. Part of what I love about this project is that it reminds me of tagging butterflies, something my kindergarten class once did. We pressed tiny number stickers to the wings of Monarchs in the hopes that researchers down in Mexico would spot them and write them down. I wonder if anyone is using electronic tags to create magical animated infographics of butterfly migration. I shall investigate.
