Our Power, Our Planet is Earth Day 2026’s theme, highlighting a simple but powerful idea—lasting environmental progress is sustained by everyday choices made by communities, educators, workers, and families who care deeply for the places they live and work.
These choices matter more now than ever:
- 3 billion metric tons of plastic has been produced since its introduction in the 1950s
- 79% of plastic that has ever been made still sits in landfills or the natural environment
- 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide
- Recycling rates are around 30% in Europe, 25% in China, and just 9% in the United States.
*Facts provided by EARTHDAY.org
TDS’ Green Associate Resource Group (ARG) believes that creativity can be part of the solution. Art isn’t just a form of expression—it’s also a powerful way to tell a story about environmental stewardship and inspire others.
Now celebrating its sixth anniversary at TDS, the Green ARG’s Recycled Art Show invited associates to compete for prizes and reimagine discarded materials as meaningful works of art. Here are some of the standout submissions from this year’s contest:
Liz, associate manager of Field Marketing
Wisconsin
Title: “Summer Sun”
Inspiration: “Summer Sun” reflects on how we all—flowers, trees, plants, animals, and humans alike—naturally lean into the sun. We rest in its warmth, soak in its brightness, and feel ourselves soften and open. For me, creativity brings me straight to this feeling, even on rainy days. Through creating, my inner being is transformed, warmed from within, as if the sun is shining through me. This painting captures that shared sense of peace, happiness, and aliveness. The gentle reminder that light is always present.
-Liz
Recycled materials used:
- An old canvas once started but never finished
- Broken necklace pieces
- Leftover seashells
- Handcrafted frame from leftover bubinga wood trim strips discovered in a bin
Wanida, manager of Application Development & Management
Michigan
Title: “Da Yooper”
Inspiration: After moving to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 2021, I began collecting stones from the shores of Lake Superior. When I found a $5 wooden barn window at an antique store, I arranged and glued the stones onto the window to create a rendering of the shape of my home—Michigan’s UP.
-Wanida
Recycled materials used:
- Wooden barn window
- Glue
- Stones from the shores of Lake Superior
Lucia, Tech Intern
Illinois
Title: “3D Planar Self-Portraiture”
Inspiration: I made “3D Planar Self-Portraiture” in a college sculpture art class. The second photo shows under the hat, where I created a miniature diorama of the music video for the song “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai. This song is about the risks of modern technology. I double majored in environmental studies and economics, and this song was stuck in my head all the time during undergrad.
-Lucia
Recycled materials used:
- Cardboard from old shipping boxes
- Used party streamers for the hair
- Grape stems for the legs of the miniature animals
- A hat I made out of fabric from an old coat
Andrew, Broadband Technician III
Utah
Title: “Pedal Board”
Inspiration: This pedal board was inspired by having too many spare pedals (says my wife) and needing a way to organize them, making them easier to use and store.
-Andrew
Recycled materials used:
- Flooring scraps leftover from previous carpet replacement
- Corrugated mild steel drop cuts from an industrial battery rack
