COVID-19 totally shook up our world, it obliterated life as we know it, forcing us to rethink our way of living. Life in a pandemic is a unique adventure (let’s be positive) that unfolds new lessons and experiences every day, life after pandemic? – I wonder what that will be like. Designer Nicolas Abdelkader envisions what the post-pandemic world could be like, and he has proposed an innovative project for it – “The Urgency To Slow Down”. The Urgency To Slow Down is basically a collection of photos featuring “augmented planters”, wherein our means of transportation such as planes, ships, cars and etc double up as planters, and are able to hold trees, plants, shrubs, and basically greenery of any sort! He imagines a world wherein walking and bicycles are our preferred means for traveling from one location to another, and in such a world these Automotives are rendered useless! Hence, he aimed to transform these pollution-creating objects into designs that would benefit the environment. For example, the above-showcased image is probably one of my favorite renderings from the collection, where Nicolas created an airplane with beautiful gardens growing and rising from open fuselages. This collection of digitally-edited photos is his personal plea to slow down energy consumption, and his vision for the new world that we could create once this pandemic ends – a world that is healthy, green, and well taken care of, and a world that only we can build with our conscious efforts and precautions! In Nicholas’ vision for the future, these fossil-fuel consuming machines become unused (as moving vehicles), and in fact function as augmented planters, as little havens of greenery and nature! Almost everyone uses cabs, they’re an easy and convenient form of transportation, and of course a major contributor to air pollution. However, in Abdelkader’s imagined post-pandemic world, cabs are now obsolete. So, he placed green shrubs and bushes with delicate little flowers growing from them, on the roof and at the front of the cab. Motorbikes and scooters are no exception to Abdelkader’s predicted fate for automotives. He designed a motorbike with little plants and a flower bush, right in between the seating section and the handles. Personal cars are another major source of air pollution. However, hopefully, in the future, we will prefer our own personal feet for moving from one place to another! And for such a scenario, Abdelkader designed a very green car. The roof and front section of the car are adorned with a mini garden complete with some pretty flowers! Military tanks, trucks, or any other army issued vehicles can be included in this project as well. The designer added some mini trees, sunflower plants, and other shrubs to the already brown and green machines! Abdelkader has taken into consideration all means of transport, whether it’s air, land…or even water! Shrubs and plants sprouting from this imposing container ship is surely a jaw-dropping sight! Abdelkader integrated tall trees into the backside of trucks, transforming these intimidating pollution-causing monsters into sweet miniature gardens! Okay, hats off to Abdelkader, because this photo is pretty innovative and unique! He created a SpaceX rocket with little trees and grass erupting from it. Because, apparently I guess space travel is off the list as well, in the new post-pandemic world!