TRASH: anycoloryoulike is a remarkable art intervention for urban beautification and environmental awareness.

The project is developed by the New York based artist Adrian Kondratowicz who created colorful trash-bags and distributed them to members of his local community.

By using the new bags instead of the traditional ones, the standard piles of trash on the streets were transformed into vivid sculptures of color.

The project has been a massive success and the community around it seems to be growing and spreading to other cities.

And naturally, the bags are 100% biodegradable.

• www.anycoloryoulike.biz

A documentary-like video showing how to create sustainable graffiti.
As it says: "Fuck Roundup. Grassfitti can't be stopped."

• Video on YouTube

"But what are we going to read?"

During Buy Nothing Day, adverts in a London tube train were replaced with white paper by The Space Hijackers - a group of anarchitects who oppose the way that public space is being eroded and replaced by corporate profit making space.

Related: Delete

• www.spacehijackers.org

The Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal is currently running the excellent looking exhibition Actions: What You Can Do With the City.

The exhibition documents and presents 99 actions - or 'urban interventions' - that instigate positive change in contemporary cities around the world.

Common activities such as walking, playing, recycling, and gardening are pushed beyond their usual definition by international architects, artists, and collectives featured in the exhibition.

Two of my favorite actions included in the exhibition are (P)LOT by Michael Rakowitz and Football Field by Maider López (see images). The exhibition also includes the brilliant Camera Surveillance Players and the excellent PARK(ing) project by Rebar.

If you can't make it to Montreal, you can view the 99 actions on the exhibition website. The site also contains a user-generated section which makes it possible for anyone to submit their own actions. The most popular ones will be featured in the physical exhibition later on.

• www.cca-actions.org

Simple DIY hack that solves a classic problem.

• anti-seat-back

www.aliensvote.org is a newly launched website that gives non-US Americans living in the US a chance to vote at the upcoming presidential election.

At least one out of every ten people living in the U.S. today is an alien. That’s approximately 29.1 million people; equal to the entire population of New York & New Jersey combined. But Despite contributing as much to society as most other Americans, they can’t voice their opinion in government elections.

In order to vote at aliensvote.org, you must live in the US and be able to verify your existence, which - like so many other things nowadays - is done via a cell phone number.

Related: Sell Your Vote A somewhat more conceptual and radical approach to the same topic.

• www.aliensvote.org

Conflux:2008 #1

Sit Projects by Paola Mojica and Daniel Clapp is a series of service-oriented installations inspired by the pressing need for seats at bus and subway stops in New York.

The installations are based on disposed chairs that are recycled and placed at selected bus and subway stops.

By adding something practical and at the same time unique to the otherwise generic world of public transportation systems, the idea is not just to meet commuter's practical needs but also to create a situation for surprise and social interaction between commuters.

• Sit Projects

Conflux:2008 #2

For the Conflux Festival Lucas Murgida will construct a cabinet on wheels and leave it on the sidewalk. The artist will hide inside and not reveal himself until someone assumes possession and brings the cabinet to their home.

The cabinet will be in place west of the Center for Architecture and south of Washington Square Park on Saturday, September 13th, from noon onward. While in the cabinet he will be loading live feeds from his cell phone to Twitter.

Following the happening live could be an interesting and potentially nail-biting experience!

Nb. The cryptic title 9/10 refers to a quote-phrase saying that possession is 9/10 of the US-culture. And so, the project plays with the notion of ownership in public space.

• 9/10

Conflux:2008 #3

They raised $100 each.
Together they had $1000 in cash.
Then they gave it all away in the park.

The Generosity Foundation is a project that aims to re-inspire creative thinking and action in everyday people by removing a small barrier and providing encouragement.

10 members of the Foundation met random people in a park and gave away small grants (10-60$) for creative projects thought up on the spot.

Instant grants were given to a merchant marine, two 10 year old girls, a US soldier on leave from Iraq, an accordion player from Alaska and around 40 others.

The grants helped people make paintings, drawings and other creative projects that may not have happened had they not accidentally bumped into the Generosity Foundation in a park.

• generosityfoundation.org