Sustainable Street Art

As a fan of street art, I am always looking for fresh ideas and creative expressions. I`m very interested in exploring alternative media. particularly less toxic options. In the last decade, we have slowly seen the emergence of small pockets of green graffiti and eco-taggers. Using biodegradable materials, plants and seeds, sustainable street art pushes conventional ideas of what it is to reclaim public space. In the aftermath, the pieces either become part of the landscape, fade, or are easily removed, making it difficult to criticize compared with more permanent or non-biodegradable projects.
Eco-taggers use phrases such as "Seed Bombing" to create an awareness to the pleasure of dropping art and flowers compared with the horror of dropping bombs. Sustainable street art is fun, creative, eco-chic and diverse. Who knows what we`ll do next!
 In the meantime, check out these amazing projects.

Seed Bombing

Seed bombing is the simple act of throwing handmade seed balls into otherwise open and devoid-of-life spaces. The balls, formed from clay and soil, crack open on soil, and after a few rains, will begin to sprout. You can choose seeds that easily grow large and voluminous, transforming sad outdoor spaces into green zones once more.

 Seed Bombs

Flower bombs are very similar to seed bombs, except that this version is delivered using biodegradable plastic balloons, painted with chalk based paint. The balloons can float along, or be placed directly on soil, depending on the weight and strength of helium.

Flower Bomb Balloons

Plant Bombing

Plant bombs are a beautiful combination of yarnbombing and plants. Simply knit a pocket, place soil and plant inside and hang up! Guaranteed to brighten up a space with a unique twist.

Plant Pockets

 

While not a great project for flyer boxes still in use but if you notice an old abandoned one along the road you can try out this project. Open box, and fill with soil. Next plant seeds, flowers or herbs within the open door. Voila! A new garden!

Abandoned Flyer Box Garden

 

For this project, clean out and cut old milk and juice jugs. Paint it up to make it more unique. Try painting a crazy face! Next, load with soil and plants, and hang it up!

Bottle Head Gardeners

Moss Graffiti

  Moss graffiti, also called eco-graffiti or green graffiti, replaces spray paint and other toxic chemical paints with a paintbrush and a moss "paint" that can grow on its own. As people become more eco-friendly and environmentally aware, the idea of making living, breathing graffiti has become a more green and creative outlet for graffiti artists. It can also be considered another form of guerrilla gardening.

Vegan Graffiti Moss Tutorial

Reverse Graffiti 

To create reverse graffiti, the idea is not to add paint to a surface, but to remove it. Of course you can paint and wall, and scratch it fresh, but a more interesting paint-free option is to find some abandoned wall (this project takes time) and scratch-off the preexisting paint.

Scratched Building Portraits Reverse Graffiti

Help clean up the city! Wash dirty walls to create an sweet reverse graffiti alternative.
Can`t get a ticket for cleaning up can you!

Cleaning Walls Reverse Graffiti

 

  
Mud Stenciling

Who needs paint when you`ve got mud! With a nice, dark and smooth mixture, you can create amazing free-hand paintings, or use a stencil for more precise pieces. Plus, when placed in open space, mud graffiti will eventually just fade away, offering another semi law-abiding method to post imagery and messages.

Mud Stencils

Yarn Bombing 

Yarnbombing (also known as Knit Graffiti or Knitta) has become a popular way for crafters to practice a new kind of street art. Instead of paint, pre-knit swatches are knitted into objects and sometime vehicles. Yarnbombing projects can be easily removed, and are more often than not embraced by the public.

Yarn Bombing in Montreal

 "Street Repairs"

Seeing a world full of cracks? Fill them in! In cities continuously mid-crumble,  street repairs offer an artistic alternative to long awaiting concrete cracks.
One options is knitting/gluing colourful yarn, such as the artist below!

 Knitting Repairs

Another great idea uses lego to build replacement walls and road pieces to cartoonishly liven up an otherwise drab cement corner.

Lego Repairs

Wallpapered Dumpsters

Wallpapering dumpsters is an act of environmental activism that seeks to highlight the issue, while having fun beautifying the actual problem: over consumption, waste and a complete lack of a functional re-distribution system.
Of course, all paper is reclaimed from leftover waste from design studios in the artists city.

Wallpapered Dumpsters

Eco Fur Graffiti

This artist proposes to repopulate urban areas with fur animals made from re-purposed used coats.
They create scenes of various animals creating consciousness of hunting, the fur industry and human influence on migration and ultimately extinction.

Fur Animals

Other Sustainable art projects around the world!

 Recycled Cd Hummingbird