In New York, Scape Studio has proposed to use the oyster's natural cleaning ability to help clean up the contaminated waters of the Gowanus Canal.

ENGADGET: Inhabitat's Week in Green: fluorescent bulb moon, fuel-efficient supersonic jet and a toxin-eating oyster park

The actors sport hand-sewn satin gowns and rugged leather coats against a realistic backdrop of swampy, methane stench-ridden Five Points and the clean-swept cream-colored sidewalks of Fifth Avenue on a 212, 500 square-foot studio lot.

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Cynics might regard the studio glass that is now being produced in Seattle as the decaf latte of glassblowing a clean-cut, healthy and lucrative adaptation of Italian traditions for American taste.

ECONOMIST: Glass on show