When we started Chalk Riot back in 2013, we were just a few friends with some sidewalk chalk and a big love for color. Our goal was simple: spread a little joy and creativity on the streets where we lived. But as our projects grew and our art reached more communities, something bigger started to happen. The sidewalk wasn’t just a surface anymore—it became a stage for conversations, a place to ask questions, and a canvas for ideas that matter. One of the most powerful ideas we’ve seen emerge from our work is how street art—especially the kind rooted in public and natural spaces—can be a gateway to meaningful conversations about climate, sustainability, and our relationship with the environment.

The Street as a Reflection of the Natural World

Most people don’t associate asphalt with nature. But we do. When you spend as much time working on the ground as we do, you start to notice the details—the heat radiating off the pavement, the sudden gusts of wind that scatter chalk dust, the leaves blowing across a freshly painted mural. Every sidewalk, every intersection, every parking lot we create on is part of a much bigger story about land use, climate, and the environment.

We’re always conscious that the ground we’re working on was once wild. Before roads and buildings and cities, these were forests, rivers, meadows, marshes. That history doesn’t go away just because there’s a curb and a crosswalk. In fact, we believe that remembering that history—honoring it—can help us build more thoughtful, sustainable urban spaces moving forward.

That’s why nature shows up so often in our work. Not because it’s pretty (though it is!), but because it’s grounding. It reminds us where we came from and asks us to think about where we’re going.

Art as a Doorway to Dialogue

We’ve seen again and again how public art can open doors that words alone can’t. It creates a shared moment, a visual conversation starter, something that catches your eye and makes you pause. And in that pause, there’s potential—for learning, for empathy, for connection.

We often hear from people who walk by one of our murals and say things like, “I never thought about how this intersection affects how hot it feels here,” or “I didn’t realize how few trees we have on this block until I saw them painted underfoot.” That’s the magic. Art doesn’t need to hit you over the head with a message. It simply invites you to look, feel, and ask questions.

In our climate-focused murals, we use imagery from the natural world—pollinators, rivers, native plants, birds in flight—not just to beautify space but to gently introduce ideas about ecology and sustainability. When kids walk to school over a painting of bees and flowers, they start asking why those bees matter. When a business district paints a sunburst and a stream across a dead heat island of asphalt, people start to wonder how the built environment contributes to the rising temperatures they’re feeling every summer.

Creating in the Elements Creates Respect for Them

Working outdoors means we’re constantly at the mercy of the weather. Rain delays a project. Wind picks up our supplies. Heatwaves mean shorter workdays. Cold snaps mean numb fingers. It’s inconvenient, sure—but it also keeps us deeply connected to the environment we’re in.

That connection shows up in our art. It also shapes how we talk about our work. We know firsthand that the elements are not just abstract parts of the climate conversation—they’re real, immediate, and impactful. And that gives us a unique position in the climate space: we’re not scientists or politicians, but we are storytellers. And we’re storytellers who work directly on the land that’s being affected.

In this way, we hope our art reminds people that climate change isn’t just something happening on the news—it’s happening here, in your neighborhood, on your street, in the cracks of your sidewalk. That immediacy matters.

Building Streets That Honor the Planet

At Chalk Riot, we’ve always said that the pavement is the world’s greatest canvas. It’s public, it’s accessible, and it’s full of possibility. But we also believe it’s a place where we can advocate for change. That’s why we care so much about the kind of streets we help create—not just colorful ones, but safer, greener, more human ones.

Sustainability shows up in our process, in our materials, and in our partnerships. It shows up in how we design with shade in mind, how we highlight public transportation and bike lanes in our murals, and how we use art to reimagine streets as spaces for people, not just cars.

This kind of work naturally overlaps with climate action. Because when we build walkable, bike-friendly, shaded, and green public spaces, we’re not just making beautiful streets—we’re building resilient ones. And we’re sending a message: that cities can be places where people and nature coexist, where art and infrastructure meet, and where creativity helps point the way forward.

Keeping the Conversation Going

Street art is ephemeral. A rainstorm, a snowplow, a new construction project—any of these can wipe our murals away. But that’s okay. In fact, we love that about our work. It reminds us that nothing is permanent, and that every moment we create something is a chance to spark something bigger.

We may only be on the ground for a few days, but the conversations that follow can last much longer. If our art helps someone see their city differently, or think about their impact on the planet, or speak up for safer, greener streets, then we’ve done our job.

Because at the end of the day, chalk may wash away, but ideas don’t. And in a world facing enormous environmental challenges, we believe that even the simplest sidewalk doodle can help plant a seed of change.

Let’s keep drawing. Let’s keep asking questions. Let’s keep building from the ground up.