Landscaped Crusaders

It may sound like an obscure office of the United States government, but the Center for Land Use Interpretation is in fact far more colorful. Founded in 1994, CLUI is a research and arts organization that produces stunning work exploring the ways in which we use and abuse the land we live on. Its exhibits blend art and research with an environmental bent. One recent one took a topographical look at how Texas's petrochemical industry-its major players, processing plants, pipelines, and refineries-has affected the state's landscape. Perhaps the best thing about the center, though, is its online database, an exhaustive catalogue of the coolest-and most curious-uses of land across the United States.