Illinois Institute of Technology's CoolGlobe revises the Constitution
"We the People of the Planet Earth, in Order to form a more perfect Environment, establish ecological Balance, insure sustainable Habits, provide for intelligent dialogue, promote the Well-Being of all, and secure the Blessings of the natural World to ourselves, and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this promise for Global Responsibility."
So reads the equator of Illinois Institute of Technology's (IIT) globe, one of 124 five-foot globes exhibited on Chicago's lakefront designed by artists participating in CoolGlobes.
Formally called CoolGlobes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet, this project, aiming to increase awareness about global climate change and inspire action, opened June 1 and will continue through September 30, 2007.
IIT's globe was designed by College of Architecture professors Catherine Wetzel and Richard Nelson and was created by graduate architecture students John Castro, Katie Hart, Bridget O'Connell, Tyler Waldorf, Andrew Widman, and Camille Yu.
The globe, titled "Oath of Office, features continents listing the variety of possible "green" professions, from senators to engineers and beauticians to stock brokers. "Much of today’s focus on global action is spread between industry-based technological advancements and individual applications of simple strategies for reducing, reusing and recycling,” said Wetzel. “We chose to look for an overall strategy of thinking about everyone being involved in global practices regardless of what career one pursued.”
The oceans are covered in a heat sensitive paint that responds to the sun and reveal icons indicating trade routes linking the people of the world in work and play. "Ultimately, how one works and lives, can not be separated. It is the responsibility of every profession to consider its impact on the planet," added Wetzel.
Organized by the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, the Field Museum and Exelon Corporation, each globe is underwritten by an individual, organizational or corporate sponsor. All the CoolGlobes will be auctioned off in October to help fund environmental education.
Photos of IIT’s globe available upon request.
IIT’s CoolGlobe is #75 near Monroe Harbor.
See http://www.coolglobes.org/
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.
