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Mt. Trashmore

Tommy Griffiths and Katie Webb (Virginia Beach Parks and Rec)

Mt. Trashmore has the distinction of being the first landfill converted into a park. And for many years, it was a popular spot for locals to hangout in Virginia Beach. Until it exploded on April 1st 1992… Well, not exactly. It was an April Fools prank that went wrong. VERY wrong. Producer, Matt Darroch has the story.

8 mins

White Trash

Nancy Isenberg (Louisiana State University)

In grade school, many of us learn that America was founded as an exceptional society – a land of religious freedom and boundless opportunity. But Nancy Isenberg says Britain saw colonial America as a wasteland where they could get rid of their underclass of poor whites, otherwise known as “waste people.”

10 mins

Trash Talking Robot

Aaron Roth (University of Maryland)

Some of the most iconic athletes, like Muhammad Ali, used trash-talk to get into the head of their opponents and gain the upper hand. But does trash talk hit the same if it’s coming from a robot? Aaron Roth set up an experiment to see how humans were influenced by a trash talking robot.

10 mins

Trashy TV

Roscoe Scarborough (College of Coastal Georgia)

From reality shows to b-list rom coms, we’ve all found ourselves vegging out on the couch watching trashy or bad TV. And it’s not like we’re unaware that shows like Love Island are bad. We KNOW they’re bad. So why do we watch? Roscoe Scarborough says there are four categories of people who watch “trashy” TV.

12 mins

Trash Rainbow

Corin Hewitt (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Corin Hewitt gives new meaning to the phrase one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. He’s been making art from trash for decades. Now he’s shifting his work to Adventure Playgrounds. He says these playgrounds are filled with junk and other discarded material so kids can build their own little worlds under minimal supervision.

12 mins

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