# Endangered Animal Sculptures Ryo Shimura Uses Art to Teach Children About the Enviornment By Ana Lopez | Published 2012-01-16 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ryo-shimura References: [mymodernmet](http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/creative-sculptures-raise-endangered-species-awareness) & [shimura-ryo.blogspot](http://shimura-ryo.blogspot.com/) Artist and environmentalist Ryo Shimura believes that the best way to raise awareness about the environment is by teaching kids about this issue from an early age. This idea led him to create a series of projects that consist of sculptures of endangered species like pandas, hippos and meerkats. Since he was a kid, the Japan-based artist has been interested about the ecosystem, which explains his strong desire to protect the animals. One of my favorite pieces is the meerkat project, where he created colorful miniature replicas of the cute African creature. The best part about it is that he let children play with the coloring utensils, making the piece fun and interactive. Adorable with a green purpose, the Ryo Shimura sculptures are worth checking out to learn more about this sad reality. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.4/10 - Popularity: 63% | Activity: 30% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Interactive Art for Education:** Creating interactive sculptures of endangered animals can be a disruptive innovation opportunity in the education sector, engaging children in learning about environmental issues. - **Environmental Awareness Through Art:** Using art as a medium to raise awareness about the environment presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for artists and activists in promoting conservation efforts. - **Childhood Environmental Education:** Focusing on teaching kids about environmental issues at an early age can be a disruptive innovation opportunity for organizations and educators to create a more sustainable future. ### Who This Affects Most - **Education:** Interactive art projects like Ryo Shimura's endangered animal sculptures can disrupt the education industry by providing engaging and hands-on learning experiences. - **Art and Design:** The use of art as a tool to raise awareness about the environment offers disruptive innovation opportunities for artists and designers to advocate for conservation and sustainability. - **Environmental Conservation:** Integrating childhood environmental education initiatives, such as Ryo Shimura's projects, into conservation efforts presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for organizations working in the environmental conservation sector. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Interactive Marine Ecosystem Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marine-ecosystem-sculptures.md) - [Climate-Awareness Soft Art Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dreamstones.md) - [Animal-Inspired Habitat Lip Balms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/endangered-animal-lip-balm.md) - [Starry-Eyed Dichroic Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/starryeyed-dichroic-sculpture.md) - [Outdoor Wildlife Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-great-elephant-migration.md) - [Collaborative Sculptural Art Sets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/neojomon-biomorphic-fantme.md) - [Educational Climate Change Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/toy-brick-sets.md) - [Biology-Inspired Porcelain Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shiyuan-xu.md) - [Environmental Awareness NFTs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burly-bears.md)