Shortly after World War Two, a statue to honor the memories of the dead was erected in the Ukraine. The gas torch in its palm symbolized eternal memory. Years later, the Soviet Union fell and infrastructures crumbled. Natural gas shortages led to the flame being turned off and for years the statue stood dark and unmaintained. Now, a new use for it has been found.

The defunct gas flame has been replaced with a pixelized version that consumes less than 400w of power. Inside the display sits a cell phone transmitter. I think this is a perfect example of the ideas behind GreenPunk. Take existing infrastructure and repurpose it. Not only is it functional, it’s also aesthetically pleasing.

This goes onto my list of places I’d like to visit. The spirit, ingenuity and vision of the people behind this should be celebrated. They’ve found a way to continue the monuments original purpose along with providing a useful and, I suspect, critical service.

See English Russia for more picture and the original article.