MCKINGTORCH AFRICA’S CHRISTMAS TREES GO GLOBAL – 12/24/2024

This year, Mckingtorch Africa waste plastic bottle Christams trees made it to 4 contires over 2 contienets with trees in Ghana, Texas USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Mckingtorch Africa started making Plastic Waste Bottles Christmas Trees in 2017 when our Founder and CEO Makafui Awuku got frustrated by the plastic pollution problem and wanted to do something about it himself. He figured as an artist but also an innovator, he could use art as a powerful tool to appeal to the emotions of people to change behaviour while using design thinking to create sustainable solutions that will benefit his community. And so came the Plastic Waste Bottles Christmas Tree which we have been teaching communities and people to make since then! Mckingtorch Africa LLC was birthed from that tree and we are now in Zambia and Zimbabwe too with Mckingtorch Zimbabwe and Mckingtorch Zambia.

This year Charlene Muguti and her volunteers made our first bottle tree in Zimbabwe which was installed for the Mayor’s Christmas Party, marking the thrid country to have Mckingtorch bottle trees.

Also this year, some students from IL Texas-Grand Prairie in the United States of America took interest in Mckingtorch Africa’s bottles trees. Aside from the in-person sessions we host at our facility each year in Accra on how to make the trees, we also have a YouTube video tutorial online about how to make one. We were excited when we received photos from these American high schoolers of them successfully making their first bottle tree in Texas and hope they can go on to train others to make them and make bigger ones in 2025.

Even though we have other innovations and more longer term ones, the bottle tree has come to be that one installation that stirs up interest in plastic waste upcycling and recycling amongst people. Many organizations and households begin to segregate their waste after they experience the tree. 

Sometimes we underestimate the power of small steps and how they can explode into something impactful. Mckingtorch Africa encourages you today to take that small step. Your dreams are valid. Art is a powerful tool we can always use to evoke interest and get people to act. We will go again in 2025. Merry Christmas to you all.

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