JB’s Bites: Turning food waste into paint

Fun Fact: Michigan is the number one producer of dry, small black and red beans in the country. 

Hey, it’s JB! 

Dried banana stems, hibiscus flowers, and grapefruit peels are food scraps that might typically be thrown away but are instead being used to make art for a Detroit Month of Design event on September 24. 

Traditional paints often contain heavy metals like cadmium, lead, and arsenic that can be environmentally harmful to mine for and pose health risks to artists using the paint. 

But using materials like hibiscus to make red for example, can be a more environmentally sustainable and healthy alternative. 

The September event will bring together artists, community members, and sustainability advocates and follow up with a workshop where attendees will turn food waste into sustainable raw materials themselves, which can be used for art or functionally. 

The event will be held at Newlab, by Ecosphere Organics, a Detroit-based company that turns food waste into materials for different industries, in partnership with Make Food Not Waste, a Detroit nonprofit that aims to keep food waste out of landfills where it decomposes and creates harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. 

RSVP to register here.

Dig In, 

JB 

• The Detroit Institute of Arts will soon present a new exhibit: The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World. 
• The 27th annual Detroit Farms & Gardens Tour is next Saturday, with four different route options that feature a number of Detroit farms. The evening concludes with food made with local produce. 
• Street Beet is back at Third Street Bar. 

Pop-ups: 

Thurs., Aug. 29: 

• Pink Flamingo, 2746 Vermont St. 6-10 p.m. 
• Nepantla at Brewery Faisan, 1087 Beaufait St. 5-9 p.m.  

Fri., Aug. 30:  

• Konjo Me at The Congregation, 9321 Rosa Parks Blvd. 5-9 p.m. 
• Food Truck Fridays at E. Warren Farmers Market, 16835 E. Warren. 12-8 p.m.
• Randos Sandos at Brewery Faisan, 1087 Beaufait St. 5-8 p.m. 

Sat., Aug. 31:

• Savor Red at Two Birds, 8130 Kercheval. Noon to 4 p.m. 

Sun., Sept. 1: 

• The Egg Hunt at Two Birds, 8130 Kercheval. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
• Marksie’s Cooking at Red Hook, 2761 E. Jefferson. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mon., Sept. 2: 

• Kusina at Motor City Wine, 1949 Michigan Ave. 

Tues., Sept 3: 

• Martes Market at The Congregation, 9321 Rosa Parks Blvd. 4-8 p.m. 

Wed., Sept 4: 

• Nepantla at Brewery Faisan, 1087 Beaufait St. 5-9 p.m.