Her most exciting designs include furniture made from recycled industrial waste (polyurethane foam dust, which is a byproduct of 3D model making), which was made using molds from found objects. All materials and objects are highly crafted by hand with little or no waste and energy throughout the making process, making her work striking as well as ethical.

“It began with a curiosity into how I could transform general everyday waste plastic into a new material through alternative processing methods,” she recalled in an interview with Upcyclist. “I shifted from looking at everyday plastics and decided to focus on industrial waste streams, as I hoped for scalability and more unexpected material inputs.”

And so, she began visiting different industrial estates in the UK to see what by-products existed and to gather general research as to where this waste went. “It was surprising to find out a lot of companies hadn’t even thought about where their waste was going, once it was of no value to them it was out of sight out of mind,” she says.

Using a wide range of traditional techniques and processes, her materials are reengineered and revalued to reveal their future potential and use. “So far, I have created both sculptural and functional pieces,” says Kidger. “Each piece has a balance between form and function and can be perceived by the viewer as pieces of art or functional products.”

Take a closer look:

The post Charlotte Kidger Makes Unique Furniture Out of Plastic Waste appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“My goal is to employ art as a device for shifting values,” she further explained in an interview with Artnet. “As opposed to merely communicating, I am attempting to literally reprogram myself and my audience in terms of our relationship to matter, ourselves, and each other.”

“My dedication to intercepting the waste stream as a part of my practice has made it such that my process includes first, establishing a clean, organized, brightly lit, positively charged workspace,” she added. “I want my work to be an accurate reflection of reality, but waste is messy. I aim for precision in the work. In order to achieve that precision, my studio must be carefully prepared. I listen to news and information on various programs for a portion of the day so that I can stay informed. Then for the remainder of the day, I typically play energetic or meditative, innovative music to aid in processing information and maintaining creative momentum.”

A founding artist of Project Vortex, an international collective of artists, designers, and architects who also work extensively with plastic debris, Robson has also been developing a college course called “Sculpture + Intercepting the Waste Stream” designed to foster creative stewardship initiatives through academia.

Take a look at some of her inspiring (albeit alarming) art pieces:

The post Aurora Robson Turns Plastic Waste Into Works of Art appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Of course, for most activists this knowledge is commonplace. Scientists, politicians, and other alarmed citizens have been talking for years about the harmful effects of man-made pollution. Here are some of the lesser-known heroes helping raise awareness.

Willy Verginer

Italian artist, Willy Verginer, aims to raise awareness through his work about the role of mankind in the steady destruction of our natural environment. His striking wooden sculptures seem to beg the question: can man truly coexist with nature or is it too late? His artwork has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the globe. 

Angela Haseltine Pozzi

Angela Haseltine Pozzi took her role as an artist and activist one step further when she decided to create her sculptures from plastic waste. The waste is collected at beach cleanups, which serve to clean the environment. Over 10,000 volunteers have joined her Washed Ashore project, collecting over 20 tons of debris. This waste was later transformed into over 70 sculptures of the animals affected by plastic pollution. The end result is both striking and inspiring. 

Lauren Singer

Of course, you don’t need to be an artist to make a change. Blogger and activist Lauren Singer will teach you how to be a more mindful consumer. And according to her, making a change actually can be fun. Her blog Trash is for Tossers documents her zero-waste lifestyle as she passes on her tips and tricks. To Singer, zero-waste means that she does not produce any garbage whatsoever. “No sending anything to landfill, no throwing anything in a trash can, nothing. However, I do recycle and I do compost,” she explains.

The post These Activists Will Teach You How to Treat Your Environment With Kindness appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Or, at least, just how destructive all of that junk can be to turtles. You see, unlike other animals, turtles are quite unique in that their mouths are specifically built to keep things in but not out. This means they struggle when things like plastic get sucked in.

The photos by Kairo, an artist, as well as a biologist, explain in detail what happens when sea turtles and plastic meet. It’s a pretty harrowing series of photos that will have you seriously thinking about what you can do to help out the environment, even if it’s something as simple as learning how to segregate your trash and not throwing your plastic everywhere.

Take a look:

The post Artist Shows Just How Destructive Plastic Is For Turtles appeared first on PlayJunkie.

One Portland resident has had it. Known simply as Peter, he runs an Instagram account under the name @peterpicksuptrash, where he posts photos of trash he found on the streets with a short message describing how easy it is to pick up trash. Peter says that he developed a habit of trash picking around two years ago, when he began noticing that every day, during his lunch breaks, he walks past piles of trash just lying around. So one day he decided to start picking it up.

Here are some of his socially engaged Instagram posts that might inspire you to do the same thing! 

The post This Guy Picks Trash Off the Street to Show Just How Easy It Is appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Her most exciting designs include furniture made from recycled industrial waste (polyurethane foam dust, which is a byproduct of 3D model making), which was made using molds from found objects. All materials and objects are highly crafted by hand with little or no waste and energy throughout the making process, making her work striking as well as ethical.

“It began with a curiosity into how I could transform general everyday waste plastic into a new material through alternative processing methods,” she recalled in an interview with Upcyclist. “I shifted from looking at everyday plastics and decided to focus on industrial waste streams, as I hoped for scalability and more unexpected material inputs.”

And so, she began visiting different industrial estates in the UK to see what by-products existed and to gather general research as to where this waste went. “It was surprising to find out a lot of companies hadn’t even thought about where their waste was going, once it was of no value to them it was out of sight out of mind,” she says.

Using a wide range of traditional techniques and processes, her materials are reengineered and revalued to reveal their future potential and use. “So far, I have created both sculptural and functional pieces,” says Kidger. “Each piece has a balance between form and function and can be perceived by the viewer as pieces of art or functional products.”

Take a closer look:

The post Charlotte Kidger Makes Unique Furniture Out of Plastic Waste appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“My goal is to employ art as a device for shifting values,” she further explained in an interview with Artnet. “As opposed to merely communicating, I am attempting to literally reprogram myself and my audience in terms of our relationship to matter, ourselves, and each other.”

“My dedication to intercepting the waste stream as a part of my practice has made it such that my process includes first, establishing a clean, organized, brightly lit, positively charged workspace,” she added. “I want my work to be an accurate reflection of reality, but waste is messy. I aim for precision in the work. In order to achieve that precision, my studio must be carefully prepared. I listen to news and information on various programs for a portion of the day so that I can stay informed. Then for the remainder of the day, I typically play energetic or meditative, innovative music to aid in processing information and maintaining creative momentum.”

A founding artist of Project Vortex, an international collective of artists, designers, and architects who also work extensively with plastic debris, Robson has also been developing a college course called “Sculpture + Intercepting the Waste Stream” designed to foster creative stewardship initiatives through academia.

Take a look at some of her inspiring (albeit alarming) art pieces:

The post Aurora Robson Turns Plastic Waste Into Works of Art appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Of course, for most activists this knowledge is commonplace. Scientists, politicians, and other alarmed citizens have been talking for years about the harmful effects of man-made pollution. Here are some of the lesser-known heroes helping raise awareness.

Willy Verginer

Italian artist, Willy Verginer, aims to raise awareness through his work about the role of mankind in the steady destruction of our natural environment. His striking wooden sculptures seem to beg the question: can man truly coexist with nature or is it too late? His artwork has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the globe. 

Angela Haseltine Pozzi

Angela Haseltine Pozzi took her role as an artist and activist one step further when she decided to create her sculptures from plastic waste. The waste is collected at beach cleanups, which serve to clean the environment. Over 10,000 volunteers have joined her Washed Ashore project, collecting over 20 tons of debris. This waste was later transformed into over 70 sculptures of the animals affected by plastic pollution. The end result is both striking and inspiring. 

Lauren Singer

Of course, you don’t need to be an artist to make a change. Blogger and activist Lauren Singer will teach you how to be a more mindful consumer. And according to her, making a change actually can be fun. Her blog Trash is for Tossers documents her zero-waste lifestyle as she passes on her tips and tricks. To Singer, zero-waste means that she does not produce any garbage whatsoever. “No sending anything to landfill, no throwing anything in a trash can, nothing. However, I do recycle and I do compost,” she explains.

The post These Activists Will Teach You How to Treat Your Environment With Kindness appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Or, at least, just how destructive all of that junk can be to turtles. You see, unlike other animals, turtles are quite unique in that their mouths are specifically built to keep things in but not out. This means they struggle when things like plastic get sucked in.

The photos by Kairo, an artist, as well as a biologist, explain in detail what happens when sea turtles and plastic meet. It’s a pretty harrowing series of photos that will have you seriously thinking about what you can do to help out the environment, even if it’s something as simple as learning how to segregate your trash and not throwing your plastic everywhere.

Take a look:

The post Artist Shows Just How Destructive Plastic Is For Turtles appeared first on PlayJunkie.

One Portland resident has had it. Known simply as Peter, he runs an Instagram account under the name @peterpicksuptrash, where he posts photos of trash he found on the streets with a short message describing how easy it is to pick up trash. Peter says that he developed a habit of trash picking around two years ago, when he began noticing that every day, during his lunch breaks, he walks past piles of trash just lying around. So one day he decided to start picking it up.

Here are some of his socially engaged Instagram posts that might inspire you to do the same thing! 

The post This Guy Picks Trash Off the Street to Show Just How Easy It Is appeared first on PlayJunkie.