Eco-Friendly Nursery: Christmas Trees Made From 16,000 Recycled Drink Cartons

By  Amanda Froelich Truth Theory

Who says you can’t be eco-friendly and festive? Thanks to AaaM Architects, folks in Hong Kong, China, are doing both this Christmas.

To raise awareness about the environment and promote recycling, the local studio transformed 16,000 recycled drink cartons into a Christmas tree nursery. The ‘Jungle All the Way’ features 36 festive trees made with the help of over 1,600 primary school students. To ensure the exhibition is easily accessible to all, it is located in the courtyard of a revitalized heritage building.

The same primary students who volunteered to help with the project were responsible for recycling 16,000 drink carton. The task took a few years, but they succeeded! After the cartons were accumulated, architects with the firm flattened and refolded the recyclable goods. They then combined the cartons with plastic and aluminum to create three-dimensional Christmas trees.

All in all, eight different “species” of trees of varying heights were made. Reportedly, visitors were invited to take part by adding their own recycled products to the installation. Wrote one of the architects:  “The reality and necessity for public participation in order to bring true changes and awareness laid the root for the concept of a nursery forest, where it was spatialized for social interactions and engaging experience to take place.”

The architect added: “[We] rethought the temporary installations not as a decorative end product, but as a catalytic instrument in both material and ideological terms among the waste recycling process and its education to achieve true sustainability.”

Because architects specialize in design, they laid the 36 trees out into the shape of a giant Christmas tree which is visible from above. Visitors who dared trek an experiential path could see the glorious sight, which was punctuated by key messages, benches, and engagement areas for the public.

After the exhibition ends, all materials will go back into the recycling process. As a result, there is minimal waste from the project. What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!

Read more: Sweden Is Now Recycling 99 Percent Of Its Trash. Here’s How They Do It

Source: Inhabitat