“The Awakening” is an art installation in recognition of Circular Economy Month. The art installation is made from 12,240 upcycled disposable cups recovered from Yonge Eglinton Centre’s waste stream over a 30-day period and repurposed to look like a large, immersive chandelier. The focus of the installation is to drive individuals to rethink their reliance on single-use and to reprioritize durable, long-lasting items and circular vendors by depicting how many cups are being thrown out.
Based on the amount of disposable cups thrown out onsite in 30 days, this would equate to roughly 3.7 million disposable cups thrown out in the next 25 years. Laid out, this number of cups would cover the block of Yonge Street, Orchard View Boulevard, Duplex Avenue, and Eglinton Avenue West over 1.5 times.
If disposable cup usage was eliminated at Yonge Eglinton Centre, the amount of cups saved per year would equal:
- The height of 39 CN Towers!
- 3 times the distance between Lake Ontario and Yonge and Eglinton!
- The length of 352 hockey rinks!
The installation includes an accompanying art board and website developed in partnership with CD SONTER, and a corresponding trivia contest which includes a $200 Yonge Eglinton Centre gift card. As a key part of how the site walks the talk, Yonge Eglinton Centre’s coffee retailers (Aroma, A&W, Pickle Barrel, Tim Hortons, and Zaza) provide a $0.10 discount for all customers who provide them with a reusable cup when purchasing coffee.
