Thanks to Mary, Breaking Ground's passionate-for-sustainability-President, for informing me of the Cool Globes Project happening in Chicago over the next few months. I think Jacksonville is the perfect location for something like this:
- From June-September 2007, the City of Chicago is
hosting “CoolGlobes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet,” an innovative project that
uses the medium of public art to inspire individuals and organizations to take
action against global warming.
The exhibit features over 100 painted
globes, each five feet in diameter, displayed along
Chicago’s lakefront from The Field Museum north and at Navy Pier. Artists from
around the world, including Jim Dine, Yair Engel, Tom Van Sant and Juame Plensa,
designed the globes, using a variety of materials to transform their plain white
sphere to create awareness and provoke discussion about potential solutions to
global warming.
Leading by example, CoolGlobes is a carbon neutral
project. To offset the carbon emitted from the
energy needed to create and maintain the exhibit and related events, CoolGlobes
has developed a diversified strategy that includes donated “green tags”
(renewable energy certificates), investments to plant trees and foster
environmentally friendly agricultural practices, and in-kind donations from
alternative energy companies.
CoolGlobes was launched in Chicago because of the
City’s leadership and dedication to promoting environmentally sound policies.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s goal is to make our city the greenest in the
nation through the promotion of environmental programs and practices, including
a bike initiative, adding hybrid buses to the city’s mass transit system, and
building “green” libraries, public schools and police stations. Mayor Daley is
serving as honorary co-chair of the CoolGlobes project.
CoolGlobes also features 200 mini-globes displayed
around the city throughout the summer; again, each mini-globe depicts a solution
to global warming. Mini-globes were designed by some of the same artists who are
working on the full-size globes, as well as by celebrities, including actor
Chris O’Donnell, U.S. Senator Barack Obama and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
Students participating in Chicago’s After School Matters Gallery 37 after-school
arts program for teens designed 40 of the mini-globes.
The CoolGlobes project has been underwritten by a
variety of corporate and individual sponsors, including Exelon, Pepsi, Medline, Abbott, Toyota and
Hyatt.
FOCUSING ON SOLUTIONS
The popularity of Al Gore’s documentary “An
Inconvenient Truth” has led to growing public concern about the issue of global
warming. CoolGlobes leverages this heightened awareness by using the medium of
public art to unite corporate, government and nonprofit organizations in issuing
a call-to-action to encourage changes in day-to-day lifestyle and business
operations that will reduce adverse environmental impact.
Throughout the summer, Chicagoans and other exhibit
visitors will be challenged to implement five changes in their daily lives or
business operations to combat global warming. Pledges can be made at the CoolGlobes and Chicago
Sun-Times Web sites. At the end of the summer, a
raffle will be held to award a Toyota Prius to one of the pledge
participants.
Jacksonville already has so much in place to promote something like this... First Wednesday ArtWalk... Museums like MOCA... Tony? Heather? Any ideas on how we can make this happen?
How about our business owners that promote sustainability? Sponsorship opportunities?
To learn more about it and spark ideas on how we can do it, visit their website at CoolGlobes.org.
6 comments:
Ellen...may I submit another link to an organization that is a force in the fight against climate change and defending the earth's resources in many forms. The NRDC of which I am proud member has strength in membership and is cited as an expert source by many other organizations including the USGBC. www.nrdc.org
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Hi Mary,
They've got a wonderful website, filled with good information. I was especially pleased with their "Green your Business" plan and, of course, their "Green Building" tools.
It again drives home the fact that any and all businesses can be environmentally conscious.
My name is Dave Siebert and I soon will announce my intention to run for state house district 16 I personally don't buy into all the global warming philosophy or feel that is is important that I do to embrace all the good things that have come from people who do. I would like to know if you have ever anticipated anyone asking you about expenses/learning/better air quality, plan, should be that would involve putting plants in every classroom statewide (any plant that one nursery could produce plants for several schools)
I like the Cool Globes idea. Public art, especially something short-term and highly-visible, really gets peoples' attention. I was around for the startup of the Precipice Alliance, a group based in New York that's working on climate-based art projects.
I'd love to do something like this in Jacksonville--public art to raise awareness of climate change. Not neccessarily something that's been done elsewhere, but something particular to this place.
I wonder what that could be...
I imagine our planned community gardens to be along these lines, but they push the envelope of "art" in a typical meaning of the word.
Hi Jennifer,
I think many landscape artists and architects would agree with you that community gardens can be viewed as "art".
In our office, we've talked about using the construction samples we accumulate over the course of a job and turning them into a "Cool Globe" for display.
I've also spoken with Heather Sams at MOCA about future opportunities to promote sustainability through the museum. Keep an ear out for upcoming Green events at the museum... There's definitely excitement on the horizon.
I think there are some brainstorming opportunities for incorporating local art into the promotion of environmental consciousness. There's definite potential.
Let's start talking about it and move forward...
Ellen
Dave...I appreciate your comments on 'global warming' and the many meanings held by those on both sides of the issue. However, I would guess that we may all be in agreement in that we are all concerned with the very real fact of the depletion of necessary resources, air and water quality and security,specifically as it relates to energy. I look forward to following your run for the House. I certainly hope these issues,as well as continuing to protect our shorline here is Florida, will be raised during the campaign.
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