Major
History
Anticipated Graduation Year
2023
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
HOPE IS IN THE SOAP
Melina Testin
American
Class of 2023
BioSoap and acrylic on paper
HOPE IS IN THE SOAP is a revolutionary art piece that utilizes the viscosity and unique color of Loyola’s homemade liquid BioSoap to pigment acrylic paint. BioSoap, the scent and composition of which have become synonymous with Loyola, was created in 2008 as a student initiative to utilize the glycerin byproducts of biodiesel production. It was soon acknowledged as an EPA Design for the Environment (DfE) project, healthy for both humans and the environment. In 2019, BioSoap was used for the first time by Testin as a sustainable tint for acrylic paint, part of an experiment for UCSF 137, a course on environmental issues required for Loyola students. BioSoap-paint became a sensation in Loyola’s Studio Art Club, and HOPE IS IN THE SOAP was painted out of the desire to draw awareness to the positive impacts of BioSoap on Loyola, Chicago, and the natural world. The BioSoap project expanded into a foaming hand soap in early 2020, which eliminated its signature brown color, but the zero waste goal remains the same. The Searle Biodiesel Lab at Loyola continues to repurpose used vegetable oil in the production of more than 30,000 gallons of biofuel, and 1000 gallons of BioSoap, annually.
While much of the scientific fuss is rightfully made over the unique sustainable materials used in the painting, the subject matter of HOPE IS IN THE SOAP is equally important. The painting depicts the cohabitation of nature and manmade structures. The building in the foreground is Loyola’s own Madonna della Strada chapel, as integral a part of campus as the mountains and trees in the background are to nature. The presence of the chapel signifies that all creation is a gift from God. As a Jesuit institution, Loyola has a mission to see God in all things, with a global acknowledgement that all creation is interdependent. In this spirit, HOPE IS IN THE SOAP raises awareness that the Loyola campus is part of something bigger; it is shared with the world. From the heart of Loyola University Chicago at Madonna della Strada, to the livestock and fields of rural Illinois, and the forests and mountains thousands of miles away, humans have a responsibility to share their home with nature. BioSoap is just one step Ramblers take daily toward a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future. Hope truly is in the soap.
https://www.luc.edu/sustainability/initiatives/biodiesel/biosoap/
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
HOPE IS IN THE SOAP
HOPE IS IN THE SOAP
Melina Testin
American
Class of 2023
BioSoap and acrylic on paper
HOPE IS IN THE SOAP is a revolutionary art piece that utilizes the viscosity and unique color of Loyola’s homemade liquid BioSoap to pigment acrylic paint. BioSoap, the scent and composition of which have become synonymous with Loyola, was created in 2008 as a student initiative to utilize the glycerin byproducts of biodiesel production. It was soon acknowledged as an EPA Design for the Environment (DfE) project, healthy for both humans and the environment. In 2019, BioSoap was used for the first time by Testin as a sustainable tint for acrylic paint, part of an experiment for UCSF 137, a course on environmental issues required for Loyola students. BioSoap-paint became a sensation in Loyola’s Studio Art Club, and HOPE IS IN THE SOAP was painted out of the desire to draw awareness to the positive impacts of BioSoap on Loyola, Chicago, and the natural world. The BioSoap project expanded into a foaming hand soap in early 2020, which eliminated its signature brown color, but the zero waste goal remains the same. The Searle Biodiesel Lab at Loyola continues to repurpose used vegetable oil in the production of more than 30,000 gallons of biofuel, and 1000 gallons of BioSoap, annually.
While much of the scientific fuss is rightfully made over the unique sustainable materials used in the painting, the subject matter of HOPE IS IN THE SOAP is equally important. The painting depicts the cohabitation of nature and manmade structures. The building in the foreground is Loyola’s own Madonna della Strada chapel, as integral a part of campus as the mountains and trees in the background are to nature. The presence of the chapel signifies that all creation is a gift from God. As a Jesuit institution, Loyola has a mission to see God in all things, with a global acknowledgement that all creation is interdependent. In this spirit, HOPE IS IN THE SOAP raises awareness that the Loyola campus is part of something bigger; it is shared with the world. From the heart of Loyola University Chicago at Madonna della Strada, to the livestock and fields of rural Illinois, and the forests and mountains thousands of miles away, humans have a responsibility to share their home with nature. BioSoap is just one step Ramblers take daily toward a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future. Hope truly is in the soap.
https://www.luc.edu/sustainability/initiatives/biodiesel/biosoap/