Beehive Collective paints its way to cleaner air
Robin Krosinsky
Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: News
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The Beehive Design Collective, formed in 2000, is a non-profit, political arts organization.
The group travels throughout the country and sparks discussions based on large-scale murals that inform audiences on various social, political, and environmental issues.
The event in the Spa was focused on a mural depicting the history and effect of the coal industry in the U.S.
In the beginning of the event, pieces of paper were distributed to the audience, on which various sections of the mural were replicated. Groups of audience members were able to discuss together what the images they saw represented.
As each piece of the mural was addressed, audience participation was used to help explain the meanings behind the images.
The scenes depicted on the mural were filled with various animals and bugs, but none showed humans. This was done because, according to The Beehive Collective, these events are already completely focused on humans. Therefore, when people see the scenes, they pay attention to the story, as opposed to the characters.
One of the focal points of the event was how the coal industry pertains to the global energy crisis. "We're all connected to coal," said Emma Bee, one of the speakers of The Beehive Collective.
The discussion of the cost of coal was initially focused on the coal mining industry, which used to dominate much of the rural U.S. workforce. The mural described both the effects that the coal mining industry had while in use, as well as the long-lasting ramifications of the business that continue today.
The images moved from coalmines to large-scale factories that burn coal for energy. "To follow the story of coal, you have to follow the story of machines," Bee said.
The effects of the coal industry on the environment are directly correlated to coal's relationship with machinery and factories.
These factories, and the waste deposits left behind by coal, are very damaging to the environment, as they produce soil, air and water pollution.
One of the detrimental effects of coal discussed by the Beehive was the substance know as 'sludge'. As part of the Clean Air Act, it became mandatory to clean coal before it is burned to be released into the air.
This process involves pulverizing the coal with various chemicals. The materials that are removed form a dark, mud-like substance known as sludge. The companies then dispose of the substance by dumping it into large vats, held by poorly designed dams, set up throughout the various Mountains ranges.
Billions of gallons of sludge are dumped into these vats, causing toxins to be released into the air, and highly endangering surrounding towns. The Clean Air Act's attempts to reduce pollution, therefore, only serve to promote new means of environmental disaster.
One of the topics raised in the Beehive Collective event was the use of alternative energy besides coal.
"The real question is not, 'What do we replace coal with?' but 'Can we create a source of energy to produce enough recourses while being socially just?'" Bee said.
The Beehive mural addressed the fact that, while many people feel socially responsible for buying products that are commercialized as environmentally friendly, the consumption of recourses continues to produce waste.
"People must look deeper than just changing their products," Bee said. In a similar vein to the slow food movement, people must learn to gather energy from local resources.
While the Collective declared this idea to be much more feasible in rural areas, aiding the energy problem in cities was also discussed. "How do we reinvent cities to be construction centers, not destruction centers?" Bee said.
"We will not solve the energy crisis by creating new machines, but by reconnecting with natural sources of energy," Bee said.
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