Bangkok--7 May--Brand Now
The Baan Sillapin Artists Village in Hua Hin was buzzing on last month as local school children and university students showed off their artistic flare to a big crowd in the inaugural Trash to Treasure art contest organized by Webster University Thailand’s Cha-Am campus.
A collaboration between the Preserve Hua Hin Group and Webster University Thailand’s School of Communications’ Special Events students – a volunteer group comprised of international students from 10 different countries – Trash to Treasure was designed to build on the success of the Bye Bye Plastic event organized by the School of Communication from Webster University Thailand’s Hua Hin Campus in 2014.
Intended as a green communication campaign, Trash to Treasure was established to support the rehabilitation, preservation and development of the Mangrove Ecosystem Preservation & Science Education Center (MEPSEC) Hua Hin. The event aims to express the need for sustainable development in the last remaining urban mangrove ecosystem in Hua Hin at Khao Klai Lart by influencing the perception of waste materials and promoting responsible disposal behavior among the local community including schools and businesses.
Local Hua Hin schools as well as art students from Webster University Thailand’s Cha-am campus showcased artwork created solely from waste materials, discarded items, and trash in a community exhibition and competition.
The artwork was judged by professional artists with prizes for the winners including cash and complimentary entries to the Vana Nava Water Jungle.
Chairman of the judge’s, local artist Elizabeth Jorn, observed, “The creativity on display here was exceptional and the contestants really got the spirit of the brief. We were especially impressed by the work from the local schools which had clearly put a lot of thought and effort into their work.”
The schools section was won by students from Halio School with a complex piece called ‘Recycle City’, while the university section was won by Webster University’s group “Art Department” for their piece called ‘Recycled Tank’.
In parallel with the main event, the audience was entertained by a music festival called “Trashstock” featuring several local artists including singer/song-writer Nicole Bonura, singer/guitarist Lobsang Dhundup Sherpa Subirana, guitarist Woo, and Saxophonist Daniel Stefani.
Representing one of the event’s main sponsors, Chiva-Som’s Sustainable Development Manager, Brian Anderson, stated, “I really cannot speak highly enough about what this event is achieving in terms of sustainable development, a concept we are totally committed to at Chiva-Som and the Preserve Hua Hin Group. It is all about getting people engaged in preserving the natural environment in a constructive way that includes and educates our community stakeholders about the need to live in harmony with nature. If we can do that in a fun and creative way, then all the better.”
Standing next to one of the many gourmet street food vendors participating at the event, Manop Sujaritpinij (Victor), a Thai native and media communications professor at Webster University Cha-Am said, “What has been the most impressive thing for me about this event has been the enthusiasm and hard work of the schools and the students in really involving themselves in the contest and the guiding principles of the event. They have really understood that environmental awareness is something important for our future that can also be fun”.
Commenting on the organization and planning that went into making the event happen, Anita Ørskov Larsen, an international exchange media communications student from Denmark, added, “When you plan something like this, it seems difficult to imagine that it will actually come off. For me the way that the whole class came together and really bought in to the concept is as important as the event itself. You have to take responsibility for everything when you organize something like this, right down to the smallest details like making sure we have the right ice cream.”
For many, the success of the event was not only in helping to preserve Hua-Hin’s mangrove ecosystem but also the international collaboration involved in achieving this goal. Arin Wiriya-Aporn, one of several Thai communication students’ working on the project, made the following points, “We are a very diverse group drawn from different countries and cultures from around the globe and yet we all pulled together on an event that highlights an issue that really unites us in our concern for the survival of the planet. To do it in such a fun way made it even more relevant.”
The event attracted an impressive list of sponsors including:
- Chiva-Som International Health Resorts Co., Ltd.
- Centara Grand Hotel
- Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin
- SKAL Hua Hin & Cha-am Club
- Vana Nava Water Jungle
- Rotoract Club of Webster University Thailand
- Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin
- Preserve Hua Hin Group