More stories by Chris

By Chris Ingham Brooke, Chief Graffiti Artist

Over the last two years, we have built one of the most successful environmental blogs on the internet, based on the premise that we could give you the most interesting stories that weren’t preachy and were fun to read. However, what you may not know is that the vision behind Environmental Graffiti was always to give you a platform; a voice to share the most fascinating experiences from all over the globe.

If you want to find out all the latest news on the environment, why not subscribe to our RSS feed? We'll even throw in a free album.

Environmental Graffiti doesn’t usually cover events about handbags, but this is no ordinary handbag. Apart from being two-bags-in-one, completely sustainable & hand-made using vegetable tanned leather, I have seen the bag from its inception. I have seen the drawings, I have seen the mock-ups and the final product. I have seen the MT Central handbag from conception to creation.

Written by Andy Boyd

Leather is one of the most versatile materials available to an artist. Normally the preserve of clothing or sofas, artists have been using it for centuries as a form of decoration and self expression.

From the elaborate saddle covers of the 5th century BC Nomads of the Altaic Region to modern day contemporary wall hangings, working with such an unforgiving medium as leather requires a truly masterful skill-set to produce a work of art from what is basically tanned animal hide.

As we search and scour the vast realms of the inter-tubes, we often find real photographic gems like this one. Entitled “Air Traffic Control” this incredible image was taken by Flickr user Pensiero. As far as we know the statue stands in Rome, however, we’re not exactly sure where.

The staggeringly detailed creations of American origami artists Robert Lang...

*UPDATE - we had originally hosted these images on a free image host. They  were subsequently removed for being pornographic. Obviously people can't tell the difference between art and sculpture and vulgarity*

Image (c) of Chris Jordan

When looking at this sculpture from a distance, one may be forgiven for thinking that Environmental Graffiti had gone down the route of becoming a soft porn site.

Image by Juria Yoshikawa

I know we haven’t published anything for a week or so, but that’s because we graffiti artists have been busy at work creating the brand new layout of Environmental Graffiti – we hope you like it! The design was created by Antonello Romano (graphic design) and implemented by Alfred Armstrong’s Likemind (web development company). They are both awesome and I’d highly recommend them. We’d also really appreciate your feedback.

Courtesy of the US Navy comes this amazing image. We have no idea what the story is behind it, so we are asking you to come up with an explanation.

If your guess is good enough or weird enough, our friends over at Neatorama will give you a free T-Shirt of your choice and we'll post your comment as a blogpost in its own right!

All you have to do is drop a guess in the comments section with your name and email. We'll then contact you if you win. Enjoy! (Emails will not be published).

In the third part of our "playable buildings" series, Environmental Graffiti reporter Jammie Nicholas, explores the Great Stalactite Organ of Luray Caverns, Virginia

Deep within the underground labyrinth of the Luray Caverns, Virginia, USA is what is likely to be the world's largest and awe inspiring musical instrument: The Great Stalactite Organ.

In the second part of our “playable buildings” series, Environmental Graffiti reporter Jammie Nicholas, explores the work of Sonic Artist Jodi Rose. All images courtesy of Jodi Rose.

Since the 20th of June 1994, Jodi Rose has been travelling the world in search of the unheard voices of the bridges that connect us together.

Beginning with the bridge that sparked her curiosity, Anzac Bridge in Sydney Australia, Jodi Rose attached contact microphones and recording equipment, to the cables of suspension bridges to see what they sounded like.

By Matthew Simpson

Image by Hoyasmeg

Last Tuesday, seemingly out of nowhere, a huge lump of cement hurtling from the sky crashed through a suburban Moscow home, creating a large hole. But what was the cause? Why, it was the Russian Air force attempting to change the weather of course!

Yes, the relatively common practice of cloud seeding ended in an unfortunate yet hilarious example of how sometimes we shouldn't mess with the weather.

Environmental Graffiti Reporter Matthew Simpson explores the past, present and future of an American icon in entropy.

Rusted Willys Jeep. Image via Extra Funky

The Sport Utility Vehicle has been an American icon ever since it was born into mass popularity during the days of World War II when the American Willys Jeep repelled the Fascist quest for world domination in the 1940s.

In the first part of our "playable buildings" series, Environmental Graffiti reporter Jammie Nicholas, explores the BATTERY MARITIME BUILDING, NY

image (c) Creative Time

In the cavernous, 9,000 square foot Great Hall of the former lower Manhattan ferry terminal, sits the man who once sang about *Burning down the House.* David Byrne, who from behind a retrofitted, antique organ that acts as the control station for the musical instrument, is no longer speaking in tongues.

Image by Waytoocrowded

In 1874, one man; an inventor of considerable genius, was reported to have completely reversed the effect of the sun. In the scorching heat of the mid-summer Nevada desert, he was found frozen stiff by Indians - his beard covered in frost and an icicle over a foot in length hanging from his nose. That man was Jonathon Newhouse, the genius inventor of solar armor.

Yet, is the fate of our curious inventor, that of being frozen to death at the height of summer?

Image by Wili Hybrid

Passenger Rail service was once a booming industry in the United States and was the main revenue source that spurred the rapid growth of rail transport throughout the late 18th Century and early 19th Century. However, as the price of cheap fuel and the birth of the automobile arrived, the use of passenger rail slowly faded away.

By Matthew Simpson

Before and After picture of the Big Dig, Source: Spacing Toronto

Traffic congestion grows every year in some cities and the usual plan to alleviate it is to build wider highways or in some extreme circumstances to build more. However, cities are perhaps learning that this is not the best way to solve traffic problems. After all, if you build more highways you are only going to encourage more drivers.