The Legacies of Coal in Pittsburgh
Past to Future: The Legacy of Coal in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has some of the worst air quality in the United States. Unlike most other cities, over 50% of the air pollution here is industrial. This exhibit provides an opportunity to learn about the past, present, and future of coal in Pittsburgh through an immersive experience.
Experience
The first thing you see when you enter is how Pittsburgh might have been 300 million years ago, when it was a tropical rainforest. The space is fully surrounded by screens and real plants to immerse you, and the text fades in as you approach. As you walk through, you learn how plants become coal over millions of years.
As you approach the outside of the coal mine, you look down by the plant debris, through the floor down 360 meters to the Pittsburgh coal seam.
Inside the coal mine, you learn about how humans have used and exploited coal and fossil fuels both in Pittsburgh and in general.
The final space provides visitors with additional data visualizations and opportunities to better understand the issue and its impact.
Physical Model
Created to help understand the space. Constructed out of foam core, paper mache, and paper.
More info: https://zeqeg.com/museum/