Converse City Forests Combines Street Art with Air-Purifying Photocatalytic Paint

The global Converse City Forests project deploys street murals painted with photocatalytic paint, a material that uses light energy to break down harmful atmospheric pollutants. This initiative aims to create active air-purifying surfaces in urban areas where trees cannot grow, with each mural estimated to have an environmental impact equivalent to hundreds of trees. In 2020, Brazil received its first ecological mural, 'Pindorama,' by artist Rimon Guimarães on a wall adjacent to the Minhocão in São Paulo, with an estimated effect equal to 750 trees. The project has expanded across Latin America with murals in Santiago, Lima, and Mexico City, and globally to Johannesburg, Sydney, Warsaw, Belgrade, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, Ratchaburi, and Chiang Mai. A São Paulo-based extension called City Attack, led by artist Pina, created 60 stencil-based murals across the city in collaboration with three All Stars from Converse's creative community: Lucas Fidelis (anti-racist struggle), Vitória Leona (indigenous peoples), and Lucy Eclipsa (trans non-binary struggle). The project involves approximately 3,000 All Stars members across 30 countries, with about 120 young members in São Paulo aged 18-23. The murals address themes of pride, ancestry, local roots, and identity struggles, aiming to democratize access to art and information in streets and challenge the exclusivity of traditional cultural spaces like museums and galleries.