Two-part Banana Theory installation takes sustainability to Chelsea College parade green

Installation: The Banana Theory, Chelsea College, London, until May 27 2012

There’s an important meeting of minds taking place at Chelsea College today (May 21 2012) when four environment experts chew over the pressing issue of sustainability.

In response to this, students from the college have linked up with peers from University College London and the University of the Arts to turn a 12-metre grass square outside the institution’s building into a giant soil QR code.

The idea is to symbolise the deluge of information about how to live a greener life, and accompanying QR stickers dotted around the canvas allow visitors to scan cups, bicycles, bus stops and sandwiches to reveal their carbon footprint.

“Nearly everything we do has an impact on our environment,” says David Stefan, a hardened Sustainability and Resilience student from UCL.

“It can be turning on a light bulb, washing our hands, eating a banana, event searching on Google or walking up the stairs.

“But knowing how good or bad the impact is doesn’t necessarily make the decision about how to change our behaviour any easier, especially when there’s so much information which is often contradictory.”

Natalia Heredia, a Chelsea College participant in the project, says the installation points to issues of increasing resonance.

“In the past people were worried about the price of food,” she suggests. “Years later, we ask about the price and the calorie information in order to make our decisions.

“In the future, people will also make choices depending on the CO2 factor."

• Visit www.bananatheory.org for more. Launch runs 5.30pm-7.30pm tonight, register here.

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