Untitled Document
 The
average person produces about 2 kg of trash
every day. In one year, that’s about 730 kg of it! Multiply that by 7 billion,
the world’s population, and that’s a lot of garbage. In fact, last
year, the World Bank estimated that the amount of trash generated by cities will
increase in the next two decades from the current 1.3 billion tons
a year to 2.2 billion by 2025.
It’s no surprise, then, that solid waste disposal is one of the world’s
biggest environmental concerns. Fortunately, however, many
people are aware of this problem and are coming up with creative ways
to deal with their country’s waste.
Take, for example, Ruganzu Bruno. He is a talented Ugandan artist
who turns trash into art. Four years ago, Mr. Bruno and his group
of eco-artists created “The
Hand That Speaks,” a huge structure made out of more than 20,000 bottles
that they collected in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. “We were
trying to bring out the message that the hand is one which is throwing
this trash into the environment and at the same time it could be used
to collect it and save the environment,” Mr. Bruno said.
 In
2010, Mr. Bruno founded Eco Art Uganda. The
organization promotes environmental
awareness by creating art
from recycled material, such as bottles, metal, and broken TVs and
computers. “I [look] for materials that are not expensive and easily
available,” he said. Last year, Mr. Bruno’s organization created a
playground for children living in Kampala’s overcrowded slums . The group transformed
a schoolyard into a fun, safe place where children can play and learn.
 The
eco-park features a colorful model
of a helicopter and life-sized board games made of bottles. There
are also recycled swings and obstacle courses made from old tires.
For his efforts, Mr. Bruno won the $10,000 City 2.0 Award at the TEDx
summit in Doha, Qatar. In fact, he has won several awards, such as
the 2011 Ugandan Young Achievers award, for his work and contribution to his community.
 Mr. Bruno
says his goal is to create “as many as 100” similar amusement parks
in other parts of Uganda. He wants to continue to serve his community
and is looking to support business
projects for women. “I think a man will always be remembered by his
work,” he said. “I’m an advocate now of the environment.
I’m an advocate for play for children. I’m an artist who wants his
work to have an effect on the people.” |
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