“An Earth Worth Saving” Mural Celebrated During Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and 1000 Words Dalton Art Project celebrated the completion of the mural “An Earth Worth Saving” by local artist Henry Green. The mural is located downtown at the intersection of Thornton Ave. and Waugh St.

Local artist Henry Green was selected to design a mural with a recycling and sustainability theme for Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful. The selection process was facilitated by 1000 Words Dalton Art Project.

(Dalton, GA, April 14, 2016) –  The completion of the mural “An Earth Worth Saving” by local artist Henry Green was celebrated on Tuesday, April 12 with a ribbon cutting ceremony organized by the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce. The recycling and sustainability themed mural is sponsored by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful in partnership with 1000 Words Dalton Public Art Project. The new mural is located at the corner of Thornton Ave. and Waugh St. on the side of the MAPCO gas station across the street from the Dalton Green Park.

Last fall Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s recycling committee requested artist submissions through 1000 Words for a recycling and sustainability themed mural. Green’s design which included a view of planet Earth from space was ultimately chosen out of six different designs.

While the painting of the mural was done by Green, volunteers helped to prepare the wall for the new artwork during three work days. Teens from The City of Refuge who volunteered also helped Green select different animals to add to his design.

In the mural the Earth is is covered with plastic bottles bringing attention to the amount of plastic being used but not recycled. By not recycling we produce more waste, litter, and fill up landfills with materials that could be used again. Circling the planet is an astronaut with a recycling bin reaching for a paper airplane that says, “What we save, saves us.” What we recycle and reuse saves the Earth by conserving limited natural resources.

The large trees on either side of the Earth are an homage to the Tree of Life. When we recycle paper we help conserve trees which provide oxygen, shade, and a habitat for living things. Some of the animals represented in the trees are the red panda, chameleon, horse, snake, dolphin, and elephant. As we save the Earth we in turn benefit ourselves because we are all interconnected, making this an Earth worth saving.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is the local Keep America Beautiful affiliate striving to create a more vibrant, beautiful community. The non-profit focuses on initiatives for litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling, and community greening and beautification. They recently released an educational campaign about preventing litter called “Love it, don’t trash it!” #LiveLitterFree. Learn more at www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

1000 Words is a new initiative to promote and accelerate the growth of public art in Dalton. The initiative partners with local artist with the funding, location and community volunteers to create murals and sculptures around town. Program organizers want to give Dalton a voice through public art, accelerate beautification, instill pride in our community and inspire the next generation.

For more information about the mural and additional photos visit the Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful on Facebook or call 706-278-5001.

 

 

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful

-               Website: www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org

-               Facebook: www.facebook.com/keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful

 

 

 

Recycle & Reuse: Show your love with a newspaper rose

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To celebrate Valentine’s Day (which is tomorrow!), let’s make an upcycled single stem rose from today’s newspaper. Once you know how to make a basic flower shape you may want to go beyond a single stemmed rose and make a whole bouquet, make bigger flowers, or go stemless and use only roses to decorate a gift box or photo frame. Read on for three simple flower-making techniques that are ideal for newspaper but can also be used for other types of paper.

You’ll need newspaper from your recycling bin, a pen or pencil, a pair of scissors, a ruler and an adhesive such as glue, glue dots, hot glue gun, glue stick or tape. For the stem you’ll need a twig from the backyard, a pencil or a tightly rolled sheet of newspaper. Optional is a stapler and a set of markers or paints to color the rose once you’re finished making it. Even adding a little bit of color to the edges will make the flower pop. Also optional is a flower vase, depending on how you want to present the rose to your loved one.

Newspaper rose technique No. 1, The Spiral:

Using your ruler and a pen or pencil, measure a 7 by 7 inch square on your sheet of newspaper. Fold the newspaper or add more sheets to cut out multiple squares at once. You can use any size square you want, however, the smaller the square, the smaller your rose will be.

On one of the squares draw a spiral shape with a pen or pencil. Start at the center of the square and continue until you reach the edges. The spiral doesn’t have to be perfect, but do try to leave an even amount of space between each line. Cut out the spiral shape by starting at the outer edge and cutting along the line that you drew until you reach the center. Cut off the excess paper, like the corner edges of the square-shaped paper. If you have stacked several sheets and cut them together, be extra cautious. The spirals will get tangled up.

Place the end of your stem at the outer edge of one of the spirals and tightly roll up the strip of paper, following the spiral shape until you get to the center. Lift up the stem and flower and let the paper unwind slightly. Pinch the bottom of the flower and adjust the width of the petals. When it’s the size you like, add glue to the bottom and any loose edges that may cause the flower to fall apart. To give it a more natural feel, gently push back the edges of the petals. Once you’re comfortable making a rose from one spiral shape, try making one with three or four stacked spiral cutouts for a thicker flower.

Bonus tip, leaves: Make leaves for your flowers by cutting out a diamond shape from leftover pieces of newspaper. Curl back the edges of the diamond cutouts and squeeze one end together to give it a more natural shape. Glue to the stem or just underneath your new newspaper rose.

Newspaper rose technique No. 2, The Circles:

Start with about eight newspaper squares that are 4 by 4 inches stacked on top of each other. Trim the edges to make a circle shape, or fold in half and cut out a u-shape. Once the circles are ready, stack them neatly and staple the center. You can also glue these together at the center but the flower may fall apart as you’re shaping it.

Squeeze and crinkle the newspaper to add texture, folding it in half several times. Open up the flower petals and curl back the edges. If you want to add color, this is a good time to do so. Glue or tape the flower to your stem, covering the staple, and adding newspaper leaves as desired.

Newspaper rose technique No. 3, The Strip:

Open and spread out a newspaper section that’s about two to four pages thick. Starting on the far left, vertically fold the newspaper towards the right for a four-inch fold. Continue folding over every four inches until you end up with a thick strip of newspaper.

Now you need to tightly roll the strip of paper from the bottom of the newspaper to the top. You’ll end up with a four-inch wide roll. Insert the stem into the center of the roll and adjust the shape and look of the rose. Once you find a shape you like, add glue to the bottom and in between several of the layers of paper. This flower is usually thick and will require more glue to stay on the stem. Add leaves and color to finish up.

These three techniques are simple and don’t require a lot of time to master. It may take you one or two tries before you make a rose that you’re pleased with. But no matter what technique you use to make your roses, I’m sure your loved ones will appreciate a hand-made gift that will last longer than a real rose.





Liz Swafford is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or at lswafford@dwswa.org.

This article was published in The Daily Citizen on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 and is also available here:  http://daltondailycitizen.com/opinion/x2056613398/Liz-Swafford-Show-your-love-with-a-newspaper-rose