Joel Spivak, one of the founders of Philly's Dumpster Divers artists group, is at it again, spreading the favorite message that "trash is just a failure of the imagination." He's combining his trash-related artistic/architectural skills with one of his three thousand other passionate interests in a project on Independence Mall to create a Lincoln Memorial out of trash.
Wait, isn't Independence Day about 1776? Where's the Lincoln connection? Actually, Independence Mall is the site for the Lincoln Bicentennial Festival, celebrating the 200th anniversary of our 16th president's birth. Today in the Daily News Spivak shared some of the rationale behind the sculpture, which will be there on the Mall throughout the holiday weekend for spectators and passers-by to add to and collaborate on.
I stopped by this afternoon and found a lot of people engaged in the project, including a handful of Dumpster Divers, a lot of kids and a couple soldiers (modern-day types - meanwhile Civil War-era ones were marching by a few feet away). When I asked Spivak how things had been going so far he enthused that a lot of people were having a lot of fun contributing to the sculpture. Noting the area where people can post their Letters to Abraham Lincoln, he chuckled that the first one they got was "Dear Mr. Lincoln, I'm sorry that you are dead."
The Dumpster Divers have, in the course of the last year or so, stepped up their public profile and found new ways to promote the idea that creativity is a greater force than consumerism. If you agree, stop by Independence Mall (between 5th and 6th, Market and Arch) sometime this weekend to help build the "gleaming art sculpture" celebrating Lincoln and, in the process, our national ingenuity.
The experts at Philadelphia's Energy Coordinating Agency answer your energy questions in our regular feature Stay Warm, Stay Green. Send in your question or questions to energy@phillynews.com.
Look for Jenice Armstrong to supply tips on green living as well as occasional columns on the subject of Green. She also blogs at Hey Jen.
Becky Batcha stays tuned for the here-and-now practical side of conservation, alternative energy, organic foods, etc. - stuff you can do at home now. Plus odds and ends.
Flavia Colgan has been telling Citizen Hunters how to "go green" since back before everyone got tired of that phrase. She brings her knowledge of the worlds of politics and of entertainment to the table and point you to the most useful ideas she finds on the Web.
Laurie Conrad recycles from her ever-growing e-mailbag to pass along the latest travel deals, fashion statements, household strategies, gadgets, cool local events and other nuggets of interest to those who appreciate a clean, green world.
Vance Lehmkuhl looks at topics like eco-conscious eating, public transportation and fuel-efficient driving from his perspective as a vegetarian, a daily SEPTA bus rider and a hybrid driver, as well as noting the occasional wacky trend or product.
Ronnie Polaneczky sees the green movement through the eyes of her 12-year-old daughter, who calls her on every scrap of paper or glass bottle that Ronnie neglects to toss into the house recycling bins. Ronnie will blog about new or unexpected ways to go green. She also blogs at So, What Happened Was...
Sandra Shea and the DN editorial board opine on any green-related legislation or policy. And we'll pass along some of the opeds on the subject that people send us.
Jonathan Takiff will be blogging mainly about consumer electronics - those things that we love to use and that suck too much energy. He'll spotlight green-conscious gizmos made in a responsible fashion, both in terms of materials used and the energy it takes to run them.
Signe Wilkinson draws the comic strip Family Tree, which follows the Tree family as they try to live green in the face of nattering neighbors, plastic-wrapped consumer products, and the primal teenage urge to spend vast quantities of money on hair care products of dubious organic quality.
In addition to these updates from our newsroom bloggers, watch for an occasional feature, Dumpster Diver Dispatches, from Philadelphia's original "green" community of artists, the Dumpster Divers. You'll learn about creative ways to reuse and recycle while you reduce, and about the artists who are making little masterpieces from what others throw out.
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