Eco Columbia

Check out ZERØ Waste at the A+D Gallery from March 3rd - April 16th.

Have you noticed the new donation bin in the lobby of 623 S Wabash? Well, it’s the first stage of ZERØ Waste, an art exhibit that will open in Columbia’s A + D gallery next month.

Any items collected from the bin will be used in an installation put together by artist Derick Meleander and then donated through USAgain for reuse.

As explained by the press release: “The essence of fashion is change – making it directly opposed to the principles of sustainability and sustainable design processes. This reliance on constant change, in tandem with its never-ending search for seasonal novelty, means that besides being an immensely dynamic cultural phenomenon, fashion is also extremely wasteful. ZERØ Waste attempts to find solutions for dealing with fashion’s waste, as well as challenge fashion systems through their conceptual framework.”

Clothing and household items can be donated to the bin until February 28th. The actual exhibit will open on March 3rd and be available for viewing until April 16th. Check out the poster for more details about what items can and can’t be donated.

Check out HOBOartlab online at facebook.com/HOBOartlab

With an angle focused on sustainability and community, HOBOartlab is a small art collective with a big idea.

“We love to paint and we also love to share it with the community.” Said Claudia Smalley, one of the artists currently in HOBOartlab. Magda Smolenska makes up the other half of the group.

Each art showing HOBOartlab has supports a specific charity. Most charities they choose are local efforts with a community aspect. For example, in the past they have supported the Humane Society and the World Wildlife Foundation.

Their current show, Signs of Sustainability, is up at the Elephant Room Gallery at 704 S Wabash Ave. until January 8. (more…)

Walt Schaffeld is a junior majoring in Illustration at Columbia. Click the thumbnail for a larger view of his work.

It’s no secret that the number of endangered species has continued to rise over the years. Due in large part to environmental issues such as overpopulation and pollution, animals all over the world have lost their natural habitat.

The conservation of such species, in part, has fallen to zoos-places where animals are only given a fraction of the space they would have in the wild. Because of our mistakes, some of them will spend their entire lives in captivity and will never experience life in the way that their free counterparts can.

Better act fast-entries are due Nov. 16th!

Calling all designers! Campus Clothes Line, a division of Mac-Gray Campus Solutions that promotes green choices in the laundry room, is holding a design contest to find the look of their next t-shirt.

The subject matter is flexible. Anything that promotes “being clean and green in laundry room” is acceptable. You can even find tips and suggestions on their website.

All entries are due on November 16th.  The top ten designs will be published online. The winner will take home $500 and have their entry printed on the company’s t-shirts.

If you’re interested in participating, you can check out this page for more details. If you end up entering, let us know! We’d love to see your design.

Entries are due November 30th.

For those of you who have already submitted your entry for H2Overlooked but are still itching to work those design chops, we’ve got something for ya! The US Composting Council has begun their fourth annual poster contest in preparation for International Compost Awareness Week (May 1-May 7).

This is a nationwide contest for any designer who feels they’re up to the challenge. The winner will have his or her poster printed and distributed all over the country. Plus, the $500 prize can’t hurt.

Entries are due November 30th. The winner will be announced at the USCC Annual Conference and Trade Show in January.

Visit their website for more info about this year’s theme, “Reconnecting with Nature,” and additional details.