Even with all the groaning over the often exorbitant costs of purchasing a new eco-ride, there are still more than a handful of people excited about eco-friendly alternatives in transportation. So what better way to channel all this passion than with a city-wide celebration? That’s exactly what the SJ01 San Jose Biennial was all about. Held last weekend, this awesome parade was a Green Prix of DIY eco-friendly vehicles, featuring everything from giant bikes to reconstructed toys to even a replica of the Trojan Horse – all of it built to eco-friendly and low-impact, of course. Read on to discover some of the green-wheelin’ contraptions that invaded downtown San Jose, California.
Though the hand-trucked Trojan horse gets some cred for it’s serious elbow-grease, we were especially enthralled by San Jose resident Tiffany Holmes’ Solar Circus, a hand-trucked float of hacked solar-powered toys. Pioneering the event, over the course of the SJ01 weekend Holmes led workshops about photovoltaic panels and guided participants through the process of making their own solar-powered gizmos. Other fun parade participants included a LiveOnBike performance by Fossil Fool and a seemingly endless series of wacky bikes barreling down the street.
Not just constrained to a side street, SJ01 took over whole sections of the city for its four-day art and technology festival, and the Green Prix was part of a long series of workshops, conferences, performances, installations and screenings.
+ SJ01
