Mixed media, plastic bottle caps, wood, acrylic paint, plastic and cellophane!

An amazing mural was made out of plastic bottle caps — collected by Keep Chicago Beautiful — were constructed by the student’s in Melissa’s Garritano’s class at Chicago’s Southside Occupational Academy. The students hand-washed each bottle cap, sorted them by color, and helped adhere the caps to four wooden boards. Students selected the placement of each cap to make a beautiful mosaic of the Chicago sky.

The choice of medium highlights the beauty in plastic caps, and shows there is life after its main use. Dow engineers created the Chicago skyline using a 3D printer, and the lake is made of clear caps with a blue cellophane overlay to capture the beauty of Lake Michigan. The project was sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company in partnership with Keep Chicago Beautiful and Golin, Dow’s public relations firm.

The Dow Chemical Company will receive Keep Chicago Beautiful’s 2016 Sustainability Vision Award at the Oct, 14, 2016, Vision Awards Luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago.

_{(Photo, from left to right: Nate Kerns, The Dow Chemical Company; Joyce, Kagan Charmatz, Keep Chicago Beautiful; Tony Garritano; Kay Brungs, Golin; Melissa Garritano, Southside Occupational Academy)}