Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers & Other Trash Talk

Chris Jordan is one of my favorite modern photographers. I am not good at visualizing large amounts (for instance, we use 2.2 million pounds of whatever a year). His series "Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption" is a stunning visual assessment of waste.

Chris Jordan, Crushed cars #2, Tacoma 2004 44x62"

Exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Oct 3rd - January 3rd.

More about Chris Jordan.

Part my passion for green building is driven by my fascination with trash and the waste stream. It is exciting for me to figure out how things can be re-used or re-purposed. My husband has had to endure me experimenting with this on a small scale, such as making shelves out of leftover wood floor boards and closet organizers built of tomato boxes (these are the most sturdy cardboard boxes, I have had them for years).

I have read some great books on the subject which I highly recommend. They are a great glimpse into the world that we don't often think about but is as prevalent a part of life as the items are before they become trash.

 
Garbage Land, Elizabeth Royte

Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage, Heather Rogers