HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 7_2022_Recycled Art Installation
Recycling Education Art Installation, Vail, Colorado
Project Overview:
The Town of Vail’s Environmental Sustainability Department is working with Boulder, CO artist Jessica
Moon Bernstein to design and create a temporary art installation in town to educate the public about
the importance of waste diversion, especially reduction of single use plastic, as it relates to climate
change and impacts on the mountain ecosystem. Jessica’s work uses different artistic mediums, such as
discarded plastic bags, used bike tubes and more to raise awareness about environmental impacts,
including climate change, the waste stream issues and endangered species. Her work increases
awareness of our natural assets and inspires a sense of action to protect them. Examples of Jessica’s
work include a sea turtle and inflated rabbit stuck in a tree, both made of repurposed plastic bags:
In 2020, the Environmental Sustainability Department in collaboration with Art in Public Places (AIPP)
commissioned local artist and Town of Vail employee, Jenna Oppenheimer to create the first recycled
art installation, which was a trout composed of aluminum cans, plastic bottles and soft plastics. The
installation was on display for about 8 months and received positive community feedback. This project
will be the second recycled art installation and will promote the enhancement of public places by
integrating the creative work of artists improves the pedestrian experience and promotes vibrancy,
creativity, and livelihood in the community. The presence of and access to public art enlivens the public
areas of buildings and their grounds and makes them more welcoming. It creates a deeper interaction
with the places where we live, work, and visit. Public art illuminates the diversity and history of a
community, and points to its aspirations for the future.
Town of Vail Page 2
Recycled Art Concept:
Upon recommendation, environmental staff contacted Jessica Moon Bernstein to discuss project ideas
composed primarily of repurposed or recycled materials to illustrate the message of reduce, reuse and
recycle while depicting an aspect of our local mountain ecosystem and climate impacts. The purpose of
this art installation will be to highlight the connection between waste reduction and diversion in
greenhouse gas emissions and inspire residents and visitors alike to do their part to reduce, reuse, and
recycle and lessen their impact.
Given the impacts of microplastics and climate change, including increasing temperatures and declining
snowpack, on high alpine ecosystems staff selected a lynx sculpture to be designed and installed. The
lynx is a high alpine mammal found in Colorado and preys upon the snowshoe hare. It is well adapted
for success in the deep snow found in the subalpine and alpine ecosystems in Colorado’s mountains. In
the 1800’s and 1900’s the lynx population declined dramatically due to logging, development, illegal
trapping, poisoning and predation. It was put on the endangered species list in 1973 and the last known
lynx in Colorado was illegally trapped in 1974. The lynx was reintroduced in 1999 on Vail Pass and since
over 200 lynx have been brought to the area. There is now a self-sustaining lynx population; however,
climate change and loss of snowpack once again threatens the lynx survival. Microplastics have also
been detected in high alpine ecosystems around the world, which also impact wildlife when consumed
entering the food chain, becoming a persistent problem.
While the message an inflated animal made of plastic bags sends a strong message about litter and
plastics in the environment, the logistics and power requirements to inflate made that option
complicated. The concept proposed by the artist is to create a large lynx (dimensions still to be
determined) made from a patchwork of plastic bags, positioned on a large rock or branch, which would
need to be sourced. The lynx will either be sitting, standing or lying down. The weighted animal would
be secured with a wooden or wire armature and/or using sandbags inside the stuffed animal. The art
will be roped off and educational signage will be present with messaging about the impacts of climate
change and single use plastics on the ecosystem with a message to take action.
Town of Vail Page 3
Site description:
The art installation will be displayed in the island between Dobson Ice Arena and the Vail Public Library
on W. Meadow Drive. This area is highly visible and receives a lot of foot traffic. Please note, the artist
can choose to incorporate the existing tree stump into art installation if the stump in not physically
altered in anyway.
Artwork Criteria & Requirements:
• The installation must educate the public about the importance of waste diversion (Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle) as it relates to climate change and impacts on the mountain ecosystem.
• The art installation should depict an aspect of our local mountain ecosystem, community,
and/or way of life in the Vail Valley.
• The installation must be a free standing, physical structure and primarily created out of
repurposed or recycled materials.
• The installation must be large enough to attract attention and fit within a 10 ft x 10 ft footprint
and not exceed 15 feet in height.
• The installation must be secured so that it does not fall over.
• The installation must include an educational sign to interpret the message of the art.
• The installation must be durable enough to withstand cold, snow, ice, rain, sun, high winds, and
all other elements for one year.
• The installation must be illuminated at night, ideally with LED and/or solar powered lights.
• The work should enhance the beauty of the Vail’s streetscape design and the Vail community.
The works will be in highly visible locations for residents and guests to enjoy. The selected artist
will work closely with the town’s Art in Public Places Board and town staff to ensure the highest
quality of art is represented.
• As a public space, the art should be engaging and pleasing for all ages and audiences.
• The town will have the right to remove the artwork if it is offensive in any manner or does not
adhere to Town of Vail standards.
Budget:
• The total budget is $10,000 with up to $8,000 for the artist and the remaining $2,000 to support
educational signage and installation requirements. The stipend covers the cost of creation,
installation, and removal of the art installation.
Anticipated Timeline:
• Present concept to AIPP Monday, February 7, 2022.
• Commissioned art deadline submitted for final approval: March 1, 2022
• Installation completed by May 27, 2022
Town of Vail Page 4
• Installation in place through the 2022-23 ski season
Inspiration for Art Installation: Climate Change and Solid Waste Management
Climate change is a global challenge that is disrupting the basic operating system of the planet with local
implications. Climate change is caused by rising and excessive levels of greenhouse gases (GHG), such as
CO2 and methane, in the Earth’s atmosphere. Mountain regions are especially vulnerable due to
economies based on hydrology, ecology, and recreation. According to the Eagle County Climate Action
Plan, the annual average temperature in Colorado has increased by 2.0°F. Winters are getting warmer
and shorter with 23 fewer days with freezing temperatures than prior to the 1980’s. These fewer days of
freezing temperatures impact the water storage in our snow pack, alter the timing and amount of river
runoff, hamper the ability to make snow for skiing, debilitate the health of our forests and wildlife,
increase the threat of forest fires and flooding, and subsequently, put at risk the very basis of our
recreational economy and daily lifestyles. The Eagle County Climate Action Plan, supported by Town of
Vail, calls for a 25% reduction of GHG emissions by 2025 and 80% by 2050, which aligns with the
recommendation from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
One contributor to climate change and GHG emissions is traced to municipal solid waste (trash). The
manufacture, distribution, and use of goods and products in combination with the disposal of the
resulting waste all contribute to GHG emissions. In the U.S. the average person creates 4.4 pounds of
trash per day. In Eagle County that number is closer to 7 pounds of trash per person per day. Most of
that ends up in the landfill, where it is buried in the earth. Reducing, Reusing and Recycling of waste are
a few solutions to help mitigate climate change. The average recycling rate in the U.S. is 34%. In
Colorado, that number is only 16%. Here in Vail we have achieved a 33% waste diversion rate, but strive
to improve that number dramatically to exceed the national average.
Reducing consumption and the amount of waste produced is the best solution. By purchasing only
items that are necessary, purchasing durable products, purchasing products with minimal to no
packaging, purchasing from second hand stores, and reusing or repurposing items that would otherwise
become trash rather than purchasing new requires less energy and created less waste. Less energy is
needed to extract, transport, and process raw materials to manufacture new products. Creating goods
and products from recycled materials also uses less energy than making goods from virgin natural
resources. With the lessened energy demands, fewer fossil fuels are burned and less CO2 is emitted into
the atmosphere. In addition, less waste entering the landfill produces less GHG’s. As organic materials
degrade in the anaerobic environment of a landfill, methane is released which is a GHG, that is about 80
times more potent than CO2. 37% of waste entering the Eagle County landfill is organic waste that could
be recycled or composted.
Single use plastics are another major challenge as they are petroleum based, require a lot of energy to
produce, and can be difficult to recycle. Over 34.5 million tons of plastic is produced in the US annually
and only 9% of that is recycled. Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year which require 12 million
barrels of oil to manufacture. 500 billion disposable cups are consumed every year. Often disposable
cups and disposable silverware are single use plastics that cannot easily be recycled. In the United
States, we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour – about 42,000 per minute, or about 695
per second. It takes 500 years for average sized plastic water bottle to fully decompose. As plastics
degrade, they often become microplastics that continue to litter and pollute the environment. Plastics
easily blow away as litter and enter rivers and oceans where they are often mistaken for food and
consumed by wildlife.
Town of Vail Page 5
Each of us has a responsibility to take action to reduce GHG emissions, prevent increasing negative
impacts of climate change, and protect our mountain ecosystem. We can be proactive and embrace the
challenge of climate change. One easy behavior change relates to reducing landfill bound waste. Town
of Vail provides a free recycling drop site, implemented a Recycling ordinance requiring all businesses
and residents recycle in 2014, banned the use of plastic bags in the grocery stores in 2015, offers two
hard to recycle events per year where we accept electronic waste, household hazardous wastes, other
hard to recycle materials like bike tubes, and offer paper shredding and recycling services. In addition,
events held in Town of Vail are required to follow Celebrate Green guidelines, which require most to be
Zero Waste events, recycling and composting all waste. In 2021, Town of Vail implemented a curbside
compost pilot program in West Vail. The State of Colorado passed the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act
which will ban plastic bags in most grocery and retail stores as well as polystyrene takeout containers
and cups from restaurants and schools starting in 2024. This act also removed a plastics preemption that
prohibited local municipalities from establishing policy banning single use plastics. Reducing the amount
of waste produced, reusing and repurposing items over again, purchasing durable items rather than
single use items, and recycling and composting as much as possible are great ways produce less waste
and divert more of it from the landfill.