CAZENOVIA — As part of its Earth Week 2022 celebration (April 18-24), the United Climate Action Network (UCAN) is inviting local inventors, tinkerers, artists, and other interested individuals to participate in a “Trash to Treasure” up-cycling/repurposing competition.
Competitors will be challenged to transform household items that might otherwise end up in the garbage or recycling bin into useful tools, toys, works of art, or treasures.
The “reinvented junk” submissions can be delivered to Carpenters Barn at Lakeland Park on April 21 at 7 p.m. or April 22 at 1 p.m. All the creations will be displayed in the barn on Friday April 22, from 1 to 7 p.m. They will also be featured on the UCAN website.
According to event coordinator Nancy Paolozzi, who sits on the UCAN Plastics and Recycling Task force, the purpose of the competition is to bring awareness to the amount of trash that winds up in landfills, on roadways, and in streams.
“Ideally, it would be best if we could reduce the amount of trash we create,” she said. “We thought it would be a fun activity for people to think about ways they could actually re-purpose their refuse [to] replace another item that would otherwise be [purchased].”
A panel of three judges will award first, second, and third place prizes — $100, $75, and $50 in Caz Bucks — based on functionality, creativity, and percentage of re-purposed items.
On March 30, Paolozzi reported that Cazenovia College Biology and Environmental Biology Program Director Thad Yorks and Nazareth College graphic artist Annika Goeller had already committed to serving on the panel.
“We are hoping the third [judge] will be one of the high school teachers,” she added.
There are no age restrictions or limitations on the number of submissions. However, all entries must include repurposed objects, trash, and/or recyclables.
To participate, send an email to [email protected] with “Competition” in the subject line and your name, contact information, and a brief description of your submission (including size for display purposes) in the text. If the entry is too large to display, provide a photo.
UCAN is a grassroots organization that advocates for environmentally sustainable policies and actions in New York’s 22nd Congressional District. The group also engages with businesses, schools, and other local community organizations to advance environmental literacy and sustainable practices.
This year, UCAN will be celebrating Earth Week with more than two dozen other local groups, including Scout Troop 18, Cazenovia Heritage, Cazenovia Garden Club, Cazenovia Lake Association, Cazenovia Preservation Foundation, Cazenovia Public Library, Cazenovia Rotary Club, Village of Cazenovia Tree Commission, Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce, Madison County Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Madison County Department of Solid Waste, New Woodstock Free Library, Project Café, Town of Cazenovia, Town of Nelson, Village of Cazenovia, CNY Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, and USDA Forest Service, and Cazenovia College.
The schedule of Earth Week 2022 events is available at unitedclimateaction.org/earth-week-2022.