C'mon man. It's like planting a tree.

Actually, if you take a closer look at the text to the right above the bird, you'll see it stated that this mural equals 182 trees. A regular forest. Wow!  

This is the mural that I heard about not long ago. It was produced, I was told, with paint that  absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That's amazing, right?  And they're telling us very clearly that it absorbs as much as 182 trees do. Oh. Really?  That's a lot of CO2. 

Let's think about this for a moment. Trees live a long time. They start out small but grow and live for many years. To say that this layer of paint on a wall is the same as 182 trees is quite a claim. Hmm, I wonder how much carbon dioxide the average tree absorbs?  

Well, I looked it up. According to a site that Viessmann Heating maintains and I copied from:

How much CO2 can a tree absorb?

A typical tree can absorb around 21 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, however this figure is only achieved when the tree is fully grown - saplings will absorb significantly less than this. Over a lifetime of 100 years, one tree could absorb around a tonne of CO2   

So, they're telling us that this paint absorbs as much as 182 trees do, huh? I'm assuming they mean fully grown trees, (they don't say saplings) so that means that in one year, they're saying that this mural could absorb 21 kilograms (46.2 pounds) times 182, or 3,822 kilos (8,408.4 pounds) of carbon dioxide. Somehow, I find that a bit hard to believe.  

I did a little more research on this and found this news article I have attached below.  You may read it yourself but my guess is that you're not quite interested enough at this point to do that. 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/446350/converse-mural-claims-disingenuous-scientist-says

Let me summarize the article for you then. In it, the writer says that the paint does indeed absorb carbon dioxide; while it dries. 

Oh, so that means that actually, this paint absorbs CO2 like 182 trees would, for what, half and hour; maybe only 15 minutes with direct sun and good air flow?  Gee, that doesn't sound all that impressive, does it?  Or you could say that it would absorb the same amount that one tree absorbs in 45 to 50 hours. Again, not so monumental.   

Furthermore, the writer of the article also tells us that more CO2 is produced while making this paint than it absorbs as it dries.  Hmmm. Bummer. (We don't want that bit of news anywhere near the mural, do we?)

It would take just about 5 minutes for you to read this article. I would suggest that if you haven't read it, you go back now and at least skim through it.  It's got lots of other interesting stuff in it as well. The writer of the article finishes by saying that Converse, the manufacturer of the paint, could not be reached for comment. 

You know, I'm all for minimizing the amount of CO2 we humans produce.  And I'm all for research and products that help achieve that goal.  But I don't like being lied to. Or mislead. To me, exaggerating what this paint does is counterproductive.  

The writer of the article at one point calls the claims 'disingenuous.' He is being much more polite than I have been in my previous paragraph. But I think that this is a good learning opportunity for us all. 

It is an example of how the truth can be and is being twisted. I think this is happening more today than ever before. People are being manipulated. Led by the nose. It's a shame. And I'm not just talking about paint sales here. I'm very close to a rant about politics. Heaven help our world.  

This is section of motorway that passes the mural.  

The following picture is another mural located on the other side of the motorway. I assume that it was painted with regular paint.  Fortunately though, it has some bushy looking trees nearby that are busily absorbing, and they're doing it continuously. And, they're not just absorbing CO2; they're producing oxygen, something that the mural across the motorway can't claim.    

Okay, let's review what I learned today, 

mural = 182 trees?  Give me a break.  

mural = 1 tree for a couple of days, but with no O2?  Maybe.  But it's still a stretch.

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BTW, you might like to know a little more about this mural. If you can zoom in on it, you will find that it is entitled, Vegan To'ona'i".  It was painted by a New Zealand artist known as Askew One. ( aka/ Elliot O'Donnell.)

I read that the painting shows some of Askew's favorite things to eat during a Sunday Samoan feast. There are taro leaves, coconut, brown onion and green banana shown.  

I like it.                                 -djf