Greater Goods Three concepts that reveal what air pollution actually looks like

Three disparate projects highlight the scourge of air pollution by encouraging new ways of seeing (and using) it

→ Smog Free Bicycle

Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde continues his efforts to make pollution visible. His latest idea is the Smog Free Bicycle, which hoovers up dirty air through a device mounted on the handlebars. As cyclists pedal, the device blows clean air around them. “Beijing used to be an iconic bicycle city,” says the eco-innovator. “We want to bring that culture back as a step toward smog-free cities.” Though it is still a concept, the bike would send highly visible reminders of smog-busting efforts and make the air a little bit more breathable in the process. studioroosegaarde.net

← Air-ink

Graviky Labs of Bangalore in India has turned air pollution into a material for art and writing. Stripped of its heavy metals and carcinogens, vehicle exhaust is the same carbon powder used to make India ink. Using proprietary technology, Graviky captures carbon from tailpipes, treats it and turns it into five grades of ink (for screen printing, markers and more). One pen reuses 45 minutes’ worth of driving emissions. This process won’t offset global emissions, but, as company co-founder Nikhil Kaushik says, “It’s about unlearning the man-made concept of ‘waste’.” graviky.com ↑ Pollution Popsicles As a creative way to ensure the problem of pollution is never out of mind, a team of students at National Taiwan University of Arts collected polluted samples from rivers, lakes and ports around Taiwan, then replaced the water with transparent resin. The resulting sludge was cast into unpalatable popsicles that invite the question, “Would you eat this?” The team released 100 decorative popsicles in all, each in a unique numbered wrapper. facebook.com/ Pollutedwat erpopsicles