Dedicated to clever and innovative trends of art and design in activism.

Metropolis recently set forth clear guidelines for planning to minimize the environmental impact of design work.

Since there is still no perfect product, think of these as seven pieces of a Platonic whole, a set of best practices, and a possible road map for a new model of twenty-first-century manufacturing.

Since creating inherently means making a thing which may create or become waste, the goal is to limit the extent to which designers leave a lasting impression/footprint.  The “seven pieces of a Platonic whole” are:

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The Urban Forest Project is coming to Denver in mid-October to plaster the streets with eco-friendly, tree-themed banners. The tree symbolizes sustainability, and in keeping with the project’s awareness-raising mission, the banners will be recycled (they are made of Ecophab, up-cycled from plastic bottles) into messenger bags sold by Alchemy Goods, who will donate proceeds to charity.

Last year, the Urban Forest Project took place in New York City, and was a resounding success. Now it’s on to Denver with 24 new couplings of students and professional designers creating for the installation.

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I have been hired to produce graphic materials for the Green Roundtable in downtown Boston, a task which includes designing their promotional materials and furthering their branding. NEXUS is their office space and showroom, with over 6,000 square feet of product and educational showcases that include print and online samples, and a resource library and networking space.

The center is staffed by green building experts and LEED accredited professionals. It is open to building owners, architects, engineers, designers, developers and the general public. Feel free to stop by and see what it’s all about!

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Scott Wayne Indiana’s public art project for the blind, Braille Graffiti, “is an attempt to create a unique moment for a blind person who might happen across one of these bits of braille graffiti.” The project was inspired by an interview with a blind person who chose to remain anonymous. 5 phrases were printed and scattered about the streets of Portland, Oregon, delivering messages like “You don’t have to be blind to see that the writing is on the wall” and “Tiny bubbles that randomly rose from the paper in this arrangement.”

Via Core77

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ScribeMedia recently recommended Lot-Ek to us. In the video on their website, which is from Postopolis, Lot-Ek founders Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano describe how Lot-Ek recycles industrial shipping containers, using them as raw materials for architecture.  As ScribeMedia notes, it’s important to recognize that while we at Groundswell find this process appealing for the reuse of old materials, Lot-Ek is in it for the creative process, not to save the earth.

The video covers three projects that Lot-Ek is currently working on, ranging from industrial to residential spaces, and the founders raise some interesting questions spurred by the nature of their work. Well worth the watch!

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