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Bizarre way of highlighting pollution issues: Taiwanese students made popsicles from polluted water
Polluted water is a huge problem nowadays. Look at how a couple of Taiwanese university studets pointed to this problem in an original but also alarming way.
Three students of National Taiwan University of Arts in Taipei addressed water issues in a good, imaginative, yet awful and deterrent way. For their project, Polluted Water Popsicles, they collected water from 100 different contaminated water sources in Taipei, froze them in popsicle moulds and introduced to the world to highlight the pollution of Taiwan’s waterways.
Source: facebook.com/pg/PollutedWaterPopsicles
The project was initiated by three students from Taiwan, Hong I-chen, Guo Yi-hui and Chen Yu-ti. Their goal is clear: to call attention to the (mostly ignored) contamination of local waters.
This project went viral in June which is an indisputable sign of success.
Motivation driven by ignorance of wastewater treatment
“Through observation, we found that people did not attach great importance to water resources around but often ignored [them],” Hong Yi-chen, one of the students leading the project told.
Being a great motivation, they collected water samples from 100 contaminated sources across the city such as filthy drains, polluted rivers and the se. Here, they found large amounts of natural waste, ranging from cigarette butts to plastic waste.
After collecting the samples, students poured them into popsicle moulds and put them in the freezer. But what came as next? Did they really sell popsicles made of pollution?
Don’t worry; they did not intend the people to actually taste the pollution. Their goal was to show the world the contamination of local waters in a different form.
Just looking, no eating
The samples were first frozen in moulds then preserved in long-lasting polyester resin for display. They might seem appetising, but if you took a closer look, you wouldn’t want to take a bite.
As far as you realise what are they made of, you would immediately lose your appetite.
Source: facebook.com/pg/PollutedWaterPopsicles
Design as an instrument of raising public’s attention
Team of students leading the project designed special packages for each popsicle, labelled with particular water source number.
Source: facebook.com/pg/PollutedWaterPopsicles
Popsicles themselves are unique in many respects: every one of them has unique colour and design. Colour shades may even resemble the colour of water melon or grapes. But do not let yourself be confused.
No food colouring was used to colour the popsicles. The colour is due to real pollution, emphasizing the importance of this matter.
Following video speaks for itself:
Neglected wastewater treatment threatens us all
Improper wastewater treatment is not only Taiwan’s problem.
As we mentioned in our blog about wastewater, 1.8 billion people use contaminated water and up to 80% of used water is not treated at all. Such irresponsible human actions jeopardise not only the men and women, but the animals and all living creatures as well.
Besides, drinking and service water sources are falling! We should thus stop closing our eyes to the crushing reality, but rather face it.
After all, using modern hi-tech wastewater treatment units, we can benefit from used polluted water by reusing it.
Here you can browse our modern wastewater treatment solutions!
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