The eco artists turning trash into treasure

In the "Waving Wall," designers and water crisis campaigners Bloo Nation highlight the considerable water footprint linked to the production of day-to-day goods like coffee, jeans and paper.

Artist and photographer Mandy Barker has created a series of images, dubbed "SOUP," that highlight the mass accumulation of discarded plastic and debris in an area of The North Pacific Ocean known as The Garbage Patch.

"The Ice Typography series consists of three-dimensional words fabricated in ice that speak to our relationship with the environment," says Canadian artits Nicole Dextras. "These frozen words absorb light, melt and eventually leave no trace ... They are signs with nothing to sell, hoping to gain your attention for only a brief moment of reflection on the natural world around us."

These ethereal "Frozen Trees," installed at a plaza in downtown Lisbon, Portugal, are made from thousands of IKEA plastic bag dispensers. Designers "LIKE Architects" turned the prosaic objects into 30 LED-illuminated street lights.

British artist and designer Steve Wheen creates tranquil miniature outdoor scenes in potholes in London roads. "The Pothole Gardener is a project that challenges people's perception of the urban environment around them," he explains. "The point was never to highlight the issues around climate change, rather to bring greenery and beauty into an urban setting. However, if the project brings up these issues, that's great too. I know it's a cliche, but small changes can make a big difference."

Bruce Munro's striking light gardens are glowing landscapes of low-energy LED lights and fiber optics that sparkle in the night. "Creatiing these pieces allows me to (hopefully) communicate some of my thoughts and feelings about the importance of cherishing the environment," he says.

Pinsky's artwork imagines a future when the effects of runaway climate change have transformed London. A string of low-energy blue LED lights wrapped around monuments marks a time, 1,000 years in the future, when sea level rises have changed the city beyond recognition.

"This hand-made stool is a way to freeze in time and extract from our garbage what we don't use any more, giving it life again in our home," says Argentinian designer Rodrigo Alonso, who created this piece of furniture from discarded electrical goods.

Belgian graphic designer Strook used a moss-covered wall in his home city of Leuven as a canvas -- employing a power-washer to create what he calls "reverse graffiti." He created this bird mural by cleaning moss off, rather than spraying paint on. "A filthy wall became something attractive," he says. I hope some people will look at the wall in a different way and discover the beauty of nature."

Spanish art collective Luzinterruptus recently created a temporary installation of recycled glass containers streaming from dismantled public fountains in the streets of Madrid. They say the luminous works of art is are interventions -- designed not only to look beautiful, but to bring attention to the lack of water facilities in public spaces in Spain's capital.

Ethiopian artist Kebreab Demeke says the jerry can -- known locally as a "jerekina" -- has become a ubiquitous part of his nation's landscape. In this work he shows the making of a man-made tree from a collection of jerekina, now a source of inspiration for his much of his work.

Recycled computer motherboards and electrical parts have been transformed into an entire continent in Susan Stockwell's remarkble map of America, while discarded monitors flood from the ceiling as part of this installation for the American Art League in Houston.

Sculptor Stacy Levy has created a dynamic installation in the city of Philadelphia that responds to temperature rises and changes in air quality in the local environment. The glass globes contain different types of vegetable oils that cloud and clear depending on the atmosphere outside.

French sculptor TieRi compresses waste products into familiar urban forms in a series called "Incompressions." The handmade sculptures "breath life into useless objects," he says "reminding us that everyday things can be more than their original function."

"Fundamentally my installation is a sculptural catalyst for our perception of the environment while intrinsically revealing the sublime energy of wind," says American artist and photographer Patrick Marold. "The extraordinary role of art in these debates is that it affects the individual, inspiring and reinforcing their own personal relationship with the environment."

HIDE CAPTION

'The Waving Wall,' Bloo Nation

'SOUP,' Mandy Barker

'Ice Typography,' Nicole Dextras

'Frozen Trees,' LIKE Architects

'Pothole Gardener,' Steve Wheen

'Field of Light,' Bruno Munro

'Plunge', Michael Pinsky

'N+ew Seats,' Rodrigo Alonso

'Reverse Graffiti,' Strook

'Drinking water running through the streets,' Luzinterruptus eco art water

'Climate + - ,' Kebreab Demeke

'Flood,' Susan Stockwell

'Melting Point,' Stacy Levy

'Incompressions,' TieRi

'The Windmill Project,' Patrick Marold

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(CNN) -- "The Waving Wall" is a street art installation that highlights the issue of embedded water -- the hidden quantities of water used to produce the products we buy.

Created by designers and self-styled water crisis campaigners "Bloo Nation," the vast undulating wave is made up of 1,200 19-liter water bottles. This, they say, is the amount of water needed to produce just two pairs of jeans.

The installation is one of many in recent years that examine the modern problems affecting our environment. But what good can they do? Does art have a meaningful role to play in the discussions surrounding climate change?

Six artists from around the world tell us why they think art can make a difference.

Mandy Barker's thoughtful still-life photos, dubbed "SOUP" depict waste debris suspended in water, inspired by the Pacific ocean "Garbage Patch"

Mandy Barker

"Art is a form of communication that has the ability to promote the challenges concerning climate change. Providing an aesthetic message can often convey awareness or understanding against sometimes over-complicated statistics or articles. Visual art also transcends the barrier of language, making both the work and message able to be viewed by a global audience.

If art has the power to encourage the public to act, to move them emotionally, or at the very least take notice, then this surely must mean art is a vital element in creating impact regarding climate change."

LIKE Architects

"Art is getting closer to the public and its role is increasingly influential. In a time of financial crisis and major environmental concerns, it makes sense that public art reflects these issues by bringing their discussion into the public domain. We believe that art has the power to change people and raise their interest in a greater cause.

We have always been faithful to the concept of re-utilization and recycling (both of materials and urban spaces). We want to contribute to the reinvention of the city and to the possible ways of inhabiting it. We believe that in the future cities will be more fun but also more environmentally aware and, once again, art will play a fundamental role."

'Field of Light' encourages onlookers to cherish the landscape says British lighting designer Bruce Munro

Bruce Munro

"I am drawn more and more to the idea of creating an experience that is gentle on the landscape. This is not environmental flag waving. For me, art that is specifically made to last often has a gravestone spirit about it. It leaves me cold and I love the idea that yesterday's rubbish is momentarily morphed into today's art. It captures the idea that reality is simply a beautiful improvised dance.

Creating these pieces allows me to (hopefully) communicate some of my thoughts and feelings about the importance of cherishing the environment. At its best, an installation is a four-dimensional soap box that can change the world."

Read more from Road to Rio: Ancient 'air-conditioning' cools building sustainably

Michael Pinsky

"If one looks at an average street it can be occupied by cars worth millions of pounds, but try and invest a fraction of this improving the public realm with culture and there are often huge objections.

Art has the ability to bring people together, outside a purely financially driven model to share ideas, spending time -- not money -- and returning home richer in mind without having to worry about finding a place for another newly purchased product."

"N+ew Seats" by designer Rodrigo Alonso are made from recycled electronic waste dipped in epoxy resin

Rodrigo Alonso

"Today we waste a big quantity of electronic material: Computers, plastic cases, electronic cards, hard disks, speakers, kilometers of cables, etc. Here in Latin America, the chance of recycling this 'e-waste' is nearly impossible or a very difficult task: Sooner or later, all these end up in trash.

Its consistent contamination makes it extremely important we think of using this garbage as a new material or raw material, to generate new objects that can be reinserted between us in a useful and aesthetic way."

Stacy Levy

"Nature does not end in the city -- it is all around us in the gritty wind, the flow of urban rivers, even in puddles. Art can make us aware of nature's presence, but it can also show nature's processes. I make art to show how nature works: The schedule of the tides, the currents of the rivers, the heating up of the atmosphere.

And art can also do some work around the planet. The next big step for environmental art is to be part of the toolkit for solving simple environmental issues. I have made several works that allow rainwater to soak into the ground slowly as it should, not rush off to erode the embankments of streams. My works take what the site engineers consider a problem and make it into an asset."