The beauty of poo glass

Craft & Design Energy & Sustainability
The beauty of poo glass
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Afrigadget had a piece about this art colony near Nairobi National Park, called Kitengela Glass. They use local artisans (and train new ones) to make and sell items from recycled glass, metal, and other materials. From the Kitengela website:

They try to help their locale as much as possible – over fifty people have been trained and work in the various disciplines, a local orphanage is being supported, scholarships awarded, school fees loaned, roads repaired and security improved, a thousand trees planted, raw materials and fuel recycled, and all the packaging is second hand.

To create the energy they need to melt the glass, run their forges and kilns, etc. they use methane gas from animal waste, including human waste that they collect from special art outhouses on the property (designed to be especially inviting, so users will stick around as long as they like). Arfrigadget’s dubbed it “art from fart.”


Kitengela Glas
s [via Afrigadget]

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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