Raincoat made from algae offers a message of hope

From Algae World News: https://news.algaeworld.org/2019/08/this-raincoat-made-from-algae-offers-a-message-of-hope/

“In a shadowy corner of the Cooper Hewitt Museum on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, visitors may come across a mannequin wearing a clear plastic raincoat. At first glance, the coat looks like any other raincoat found at Walgreens or Target. But the exhibit label reveals that this is no ordinary shield against the elements.

The raincoat, featured in the exhibit Nature — Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, is actually a carbon-negative artwork created from a plastic made from algae. And while stylish and functional, it won’t be hitting stores anytime soon.

Charlotte McCurdy, a computational economist and industrial designer, created the coat for her graduate thesis, “After Ancient Sunlight,” at the Rhode Island School of Design. The goal? To spark a dialogue about how our fashion choices could actively combat climate change. In other words, McCurdy wants to offer people hope…“