According to Elizabeth Demaray, an assistant professor of art at Rutgers–Camden, who organized the site-specific piece, implemented by current and former students, trash can be quite colorful and even beautiful. “There is so much creative energy going on in Camden and these are the materials of this post-industrial landscape,” she notes of the installation, which will be on view for the week. “You really can make art out of anything. In fact, what we have most of at our disposal are these non-biodegradable items.”
An effort to decrease the quantity of this type of waste generated at Rutgers–Camden is also something to celebrate during Earth Day. Thanks to a campus waste minimization campaign, first implemented this September at the Rutgers School of Business—Camden and planned for a campus-wide implementation, trash cans are being removed from private offices to encourage more earth-conscious decision making. Offices in compliance so far have yielded a 15% jump in recycling, when individuals must walk to a community trash can to throw out garbage, instead of simply tossing waste unthinkingly in a bucket by their feet.
“We want that first choice to be recycle and not create waste,” says Nathan Levinson, co-chair of the Rutgers–Camden sustainability cabinet. “Earth Day reminds us that we need to make the Earth a cleaner and more sustainable place by giving back to the Earth what is has given to us.”
More green progress has been made at Rutgers–Camden with a single-stream recycling campaign that positions the facilities crew as front-line communicators for improving recycling on campus. The janitorial staff will wear pins that read “If it’s blue, then yes, we do,” about the blue bags they use for recycled materials only.
On Thursday, April 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., live music, fresh food, dialogues on renewable energy sources, and opportunities to make “trashy art” will be part of Rutgers–Camden’s Earth Day celebration. Rutgers–Camden students, faculty, and staff can also sign a pledge to help Rutgers–Camden be a carbon neutral campus by 2050.
“This year is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day which started as an effort to bring environmental efforts to the forefront of the minds of the public. The public, like Rutgers-Camden and all its students, faculty and staff; are the ones who can make a difference to save the earth not just from the perspective of climate change, but also from the viewpoint of our excess creation of waste and destruction of our natural resources,” adds Levinson.
Media Contact: Cathy K. Donovan
(856) 225-6627
E-mail: catkarm@camden.rutgers.edu