FOGwaste is a public art installation and community outreach effort commissioned by the City of San Jose, Office of Cultural Affairs. The project seeks to engage community members with a greater understanding of their wastewater infrastructure and improve household practices that impact the system. The design process included coordination with the entities that manage the infrastructure (Department of Transportation and Environmental Service Department) and the communities with which it serves; this included maintenance crew shadowing, treatment plant tour, and multiple outreach meetings with local community groups. The resultant design represents an effort to draw connections between the home, the neighbourhood, and the environment and includes a range of installations at each scale. 

FOGwaste addresses an issue that plagues many cities: the collective impact of FOG residue. Fog stands for fat, oil, and grease. This cooking waste, when improperly disposed down the drain, can have severe negative impacts on city water infrastructure, creating catastrophic sanitary sewer overflows. Our project is an environmental graphic and educational initiative to spread awareness and build on existing communities’ sense of civic stewardship. This project was a semi-finalist in the SXSW Eco Places Awards, 2014.