In the absence of all the trees burnt during the recent Carmel fire in Israel, a Christmas tree made from 5,480 plastic bottles stands tall in Haifa.
The city of Haifa, in northern Israel, has Jewish, Christian, Baha’i and Muslim residents, and so many religious holidays are celebrated there. In honor of the upcoming Christmas holiday, the Haifa Municipality approached local artist Hadas Itzcovitch about creating a Christmas tree for the city. Unfortunately (and perhaps symbolically) the tree went up the day the catastrophic Carmel fires began in the region. And so as 5000 hectares of natural trees were burning in the area, Itzcovitch’s tree made of recycled plastic bottles stood tall – reminding onlookers to think a little bit more about their environmental impact.
The tree itself is made of 5,480 recycled plastic bottles collected by the Municipality and energy-efficient LED lights. Itzcovitch created it together with her father, artist Ernest Itzcovitch, with the objective of raising awareness for environmental issues.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hswd9wT190&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]Standing at around 10 meters tall, the Christmas tree stands in the remnants of Haifa’s German Colony and has the terraced Baha’i Gardens as a backdrop.
Maybe Haifa’s tree will inspire other cities to be more eco-conscious in their holiday celebrations.
Read more about recycled design::
Amir Zinaburg’s Recycled Designs Can-Can
Bagir’s Recycled Plastic Bottle Suit Gives New Meaning to Euro-Trash
Krooom Makes Recycled and Recyclable Cardboard Furniture for Kids of all Ages
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
