It might not seem like an obvious medium for art, but for Genevieve Andre, she sees plastic bottles as much more than trash.

“My passion for the environment is what really brought this on I think. It’s just something that I’ve always taken really seriously,” said Andre.

Andre was constantly disappointed by the trash that littered the street corners in her neighborhood. And as an artist, she wondered what she could do to make a change. So with scissors in hand, she turned her first plastic bottle into a flower.

What You Need To Know

  • Genevieve Andre's adventure in repurposing recyclable goods was cutting out a flower from a water bottle. Now she makes all kinds of Christmas ornaments

  • Andre uses the skill to teach students and seniors and loves how excited they get once they see the final product

  • After facing a tough struggle during the pandemic, Andre is grateful to once again have the chance to decorate the tree as a beacon of hope and a symbol of renewal

“I want to see people pay more attention to that little bottle in their hand. I would like to see that change. I would like to be part of the solution to that problem,” said Andre.

Andre engages seniors and students alike in teaching them about recycling. Members of the community donate their plastic goods and help turn some into Christmas ornaments.

“Kids love being creative. They take a pair of scissors and see that you can cut this and they’re like wow from the get go. It’s wonderful,” said Andre.

Now her recycled art is on full display, adorning the holiday tree in East Harlem for the past eight years. She hopes it will help in spreading her message.

“There’s beauty in everything. This could have been, trash but now it’s going into making an ornament on a tree, beautifying a neighborhood, and giving hope to a community,” said Andre.

After her neighborhood of East Harlem was hit hard by the pandemic she hopes the tree’s double message will bring joy to the community while getting them in the holiday spirit.

“Hopefully after this COVID scare is over, we can gather together again and have a different message on the tree, but for now it’s about renewal and recycling is part of that message,” said Andre.

For showing there is beauty in everything, Genevieve Andre is our New Yorker of the Week.