New in The Re-Source
In this issue, you’ll learn how one person, YOU, can do a few simple things to reduce oil consumption, conserve natural resources and energy, and save precious landfill space for the next generation. The practice is good for all of us and your country.
We’ll introduce you to an Alabama craftsman who made something good out of what Hurricane Katrina left behind after the August, 2005 storm, and we’ll feature two car enthusiasts who have turned their vehicles into art on wheels.
The world’s largest landfill is in Rio de Janeiro, and we’ll tell you about Waste Land, an inspirational film that documents the lives of those who live nearby. Called catadores, these people make a living picking and selling whatever recyclables they can find at the facility.
The kids are home for the summer, so you probably have piles of school papers and other items with which to deal. We have a creative suggestion that will keep the materials out of the landfill and provide a welcome resource for teachers.
Finally, we’ll provide some Trashy Trivia that may surprise you. Perhaps you can use the facts to impress your friends at the office or dazzle your family in after dinner conversation.
What's In This Issue
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Show Your Colors
- Storm Bowls
- Art Cars
- The Movie Waste Land
- Recycling Artwork
- Leftovers: Trashy Trivia
Summer 2011
Show Your Colors and Recycle
You probably don't associate recycling with being patriotic, but, in the long run, gathering newspapers, cardboard, cans, and bottles and taking them to the recycling center will do more good for our country than displaying the flag or attaching a "We Support Our Troops" magnet to the family car.
Since recycling can help save disposal costs, energy, natural resources, and land that otherwise might be used to bury solid waste, it has a direct effect on oil usage. In addition, making recycled goods takes less energy and resources than manufacturing products from new materials. All in all, recycling is good for the environment, and the practice can help lessen our dependence on foreign oil.
Americans who remember ration books and planting Victory Gardens during World War II know more than a little about patriotism and sacrifice. If they survived the Great Depression, they're also familiar with the saying “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” So, in addition to the benefits of recycling, our parents and grandparents knew the value of rethinking purchases, reducing consumption, and reusing items. These practices, too, are patriotic, and they can help us to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on oil from foreign sources.
Recycling solid waste, such as bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard, is an easy thing you can do to help save natural resources and to decrease oil usage. Besides helping to protect the environment, the practice improves our quality of life, and it strengthens our economy. Check with your local recycling centers for their hours of operation, and take your recyclables there or to drop-off boxes.
Now, while collecting solid waste is an important first step in recycling, to make the whole process successful, one must buy recycled products, too. Have you ever noticed those little green, "chasing arrows" on packaging? This is an internationally recognized symbol used to designate that something is recyclable. Variations of the design sometimes indicate that the product itself is made of recycled materials. When shopping, look for the chasing arrow symbol, and buy recycled.
Repurposing Materials to Create Wild Wheels
When you think of the word art, an image of a painting or a sculpture probably pops into your mind. You might envision a building designed by a famous architect, classic furniture, or even wearable art. But have you ever considered using an automobile as a canvas for your creative expression?
An art car is a vehicle that's had its appearance changed as a personal expression of its owner. We're not referring to refurbishing a classic car or turning one into a hot rod. Art cars are very different from those types of vehicles. When you see an art car, you'll know it!
While some famous people, such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, created art cars, most cartists (emphasis on the second syllable) have no formal training. In fact, their work is much akin to what you may be familiar with as American Folk Art or even Outsider Art.
Many cartists reuse materials, including the vehicles, to create their art. Armed with paint, silicone, and mounds of stuff most people would throw away, it's quite possible to turn a junker into a work of art. A good example of an art car is the one created by New Albany, Indiana's Sonny Fenwick.Sonny's colorful and fun Bubble Truck has musical instruments mounted all over the body, and when Sonny turns the crank on the side of the vehicle, beautiful bubbles float skyward. Click here to visit The Bubble Truck site, and watch a bubble demo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t37Bzq_HlQ.
Costas Schuler is another art car enthusiast. Also known as The Pen Guy, he collects dead pens and uses them to cover his 1981 Mercedes Benz. A graphic designer by day, Schuler has collected more than 10,000 pens to use in decorating his art car, the Mercedes Pens.
Although Schuler has racked up more than 270,000 miles on his pen car, it’s still his main set of wheels. His goal is to collect a million pens to keep them from going to the landfill. Learn more about Costas Schuler and how you can send used pens to him at The Pen Guy http://www.penguy.org/.
Maybe you’d like to try your hand at creating an art car! Art Cars in Cyberspace provides helpful instructions on how to make an art car, and there’s a special section just for children called art car kids. The Orange Show’s How To’s of Art Cars is a great section for classroom teachers who may want to try an art car lesson with their students. The site also features lots of wonderful photos of this fun and unusual art form.
In August, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed parts of the Gulf Coast, homes were demolished, cities flooded, and thousands of trees, including ancient live oaks, were downed. Most of the old trees were cut into firewood, but Alabama craftsman Robin Rollins was determined to make something beautiful from the wood.
The statue of Christ the Redeemer, which is located at the top of Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the world's most famous monuments. Facing the city with outstretched arms, the beautiful statue gives little clue as to what’s taking place behind it on Guanabara Bay. That's where the metropolitan landfill of Jardim Gramacho was built. Receiving more trash than any landfill in the world, 70% of the refuse produced by Rio de Janeiro arrives daily. This equals 7,000 tons of garbage!
The results of his efforts are stunning, with one of the "catadore turned artist" having his work on the auction block in London and receiving $50,000 for his portrait. Many others were sold, too. Finally, Muniz exhibited a solo show of photos of the catadores' works at the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro. Second only to a Picasso exhibit, the Pictures of Garbage Series broke all attendance records.