'From Waste to Art' carried out by IDEA Public Union and YARAT Contemporary Art Space in Baku

A joint project called 'From Waste to Art' carried out by International Dialogue for Environmental Action IDEA Public Union and "YARAT!" Contemporary Art Space in Baku. Under the project presented on December 16, some 3,000 plastic bottles were collected and used for making a decorative New Year's tree in the Samad Vurgun Street in Baku.

The plastic tree was made by English artists, Nicholas Blake Sayers and Glendon Michael Casey, who are well-known in the U.S., Scotland, Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan for their works and handicrafts made of waste materials. A large number of volunteers also took part in the project. The seven-meter high decorative tree which is 4.2 meters in diameter highlights the possibility of having alternatives in getting artificial trees for the New Year without cutting down pine trees in the parks and forests and harming the environment.

Utilized bottles for the project were collected by "Pepsi Azerbaijan" in Baku. The IDEA is implementing large-scale local and international projects to protect the environment. IDEA has been promoting innovative approaches to solving environmental problems since its inception on July 12, 2011, by Vice President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva. The campaign is based on the principles of dialogue, action, leadership, and education - all the essential components for equipping a generation with means of fostering positive and sustainable environmental change. It is mainly focusing on the power of youth, considering it an important tool in changing the way we behave and consume our surrounding natural world.