Recycled Trees

Laurie Mura and Joan Mace, engineering 302I students, shared their class art project with students last Thursday December 7, 2007. Their class deals with energy and environmental issues, so their goal was to encourage other students to recycle.

The paper placed next to the trees was their statement, it reads:

Recycled Trees

by Laurie Mura and Joan Mace

An Art Project for ENG302I Energy & Environmental Global Perspective

Instructor: Reza Toosi

Our purpose for creating these trees was to encourage people to recycle instead of waste. We made our trees by stacking tree stumps, from Christmas trees centers at Home Depot and created new trunks. For two months we collected recycled can and shaped them into arrows. The arrow shape symbolizes the recycled sign and we painted the arrows green to look like leaves. The trees are invading the side walk on the CSULB campus near FA4 where the students walk, forcing them to interact with them. We would like to believe that the trees are seeking revenge for the way we invade their space. They are Christmas trees because we felt the timing was perfect and to discourage people to support the destruction of millions of trees for one holiday. Our core belief is that if we can recycle through an art project then everyone should be able to find ways to recycle in their everyday life.