The Waste to Art 2023 event brought together creativity, passion, and advocacy. Motivated by reducing waste and highlighting its excess, artists created extraordinary pieces from clinical, electronic, common recyclables and landfill waste.
"We hosted the Waste to Art competition in the hopes of inspiring creativity in both an artistic realm as well the sustainability sphere. The obstacles we face in mitigating our impact on the environment require dynamic and imaginative solutions, as well as the engagement of the whole community. I believe this event demonstrates that the UCSF community is up for the challenge," Charlotte Young, School of Medicine student, Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow recipient.
Spearheaded by the Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellows Young and Isabella Auchus, School of Medicine student, the challenge harnessed 15 artworks, about 50 event attendees, and 705 votes. The Waste to Art event is the brainchild of passionate and committed Seema Gandhi, MD, professor in Anesthesia and medical director of sustainability, and the UCSF Office of Sustainability.
The three winners were selected by the judges:
Rosie Williams is the Major Gifts Officer at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Rita Ogden is Chief of Staff for the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Office of UCSF Health
Cecile Puretz is the Assistant Director of Disability Access and Inclusion in the UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach
The Winning Pieces
All the pieces this year demonstrated exceptional creativity and played an instrumental role in advocating for sustainability via waste reduction.
The judges identified the following three pieces at the top:
Plastiquarium
We are creating a representation of a beautiful, diverse, and wondrous underwater world using medical waste that we produce on units (PACU) as our materials.
In this project we want to show the utility of objects that are considered to be useless waste and how by stepping out if this “use and discard" paradigm and into a creative “everything is useful” mindset, beautiful art is born!
By Valentina Rozenso and Patty Malladi
Ward Waste to Water Wonder
Zeina (7yo), Zoe (5yo), and Sami (3yo), with the help of their mother, had a goal of spreading joy by making a "huge beautiful swimming koi fish made totally out of hospital waste." The fins and whiskers were made from woven Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms with embellishment from the ear loops and nasal bridge wire of disposable masks. The scales were created from disposable medical masks. The face and tail were crafted from a combination of medical paper tape, medical biohazard bags, EKG rhythm strips, IV tubing, and sterile swabs. The backing was cut from a repurposed piece of discarded plywood and suspended with disposable hospital-grade breast pump tubing. We hope we succeeded in the goals of spreading joy, highlighting the some of the concerns around waste production, and creating wonder out of waste.
By Danielle Chammas
New Beginnings: Waste Not Wasted
As we cycle into the spring of 2023, the UCSF Nursing and Professional Development Team welcomes 67 new nurses into our New Nurse Residency Program across Pediatric and Adult Divisions. The transformation from a Clinical Nurse I to a Clinical Nurse II takes time, energy, and supplies for hands-on training. There is an environmental impact to what makes a nurse that we do not usually consider.
While there is harm in producing this waste, the process also contributes to the creation and sustenance of our profession. It enables us to provide quality care for patients and contribute to the improvement of our community. Our greatest hope is that the positive impact of each nurse we train will collectively outweigh the negative impact to our environment.
By Meghan Sharron
See all submissions.
The Waste to Art 2023 event brought together creativity, passion, and advocacy. Motivated by reducing waste and highlighting its excess, artists created extraordinary pieces from clinical, electronic, common recyclables and landfill waste.
