Tree of Life
At the heart of our exhibition is a monumental Tree of Life, made entirely out of repurposed materials. The Tree of Life towers over the museum with 1,970 plastic bags as its leaves—to commemorate the first Earth Day in 1970.
It is also approximately how many plastic bags the average American family takes home in one year!
Each year…
- 4 trillion plastic bags are consumed around the world
- Americans consume over 100 billion plastic bags
- The average American family takes home around 1,500 plastic bags (and more during the pandemic!)
- Over 100,000 marine animals are killed by plastic bags
- 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce plastic bags in America
By reducing your use of single-use plastic bags, you can help decrease plastic pollution worldwide!
Designed and created by museum designer, Thomas Haughey MFA, and student designer Anissa Kunchick.
Take a tour with student co-curator and exhibition co-designer Anissa Kunchick.
