Eco Art - Eco-Graffiti

When I first heard about eco-graffiti, I thought it was quite an oxymoron. After all, how does one reconcile the use of toxic spray paints while still claiming to be eco-friendly? Well...you can't, but as it turned out, it's a non-issue. The artists involved in creating these following pieces of urban art have all came up with their own creative alternatives to spray paint:

Jesse Graves, a student at the University of Wiscousin Milwaukee, found his creative voice by experimenting with one of nature's most abundant substances -- mud. Concerned about the toxicity of spray paints to living things, Graves started using mud and stencils to create his messages of eco-activism. Nontoxic and easy to wash off, it's certainly a much nicer alternative to paints. Plus, the symbolism is just perfect -- using earth to talk about the Earth? Bravo, Mr. Graves! Check out Groundswell Collective's interview with Graves and a how-to on his process here.

Playing with mud not your thing? Aspiring eco graffiti artists with green thumbs might wish to try moss graffiti instead. Using a mixture of sugar, beer and moss, Brooklyn's Edina Tokodi created these living works of art around Williamsburg. These moss creations are surprisingly resilient and some are still around. Keep an eye out for them if you're ever in NYC. Photos and videos of her most recent mossvertising work, a collaboration with Jozsef Valyi-Toth for Philly's SEPTA, can be found at Red Tettemer.

Also fusing art and activism in Brazil, Alexandre Orion's works have landed him in hot water with the local authorities more than once. When is cleaning up industrial pollution a potential crime? When you're doing it for eco-activism, of course. Orion's unique brand of art, dubbed reverse graffiti, simply involves a lot of elbow grease and patient scrubbing at grime encrusted surfaces. Check out the video that made him an internet phenomenon below: