Sculptor strikes gold with Eco-Champion

Sculptor Scheed Cole unveilled a breathtaking 10-foot sculpture titled 'The Eco-Champion' at last Sunday's Sagicor SIGMA Corporate Run, leaving runners and spectators awe-struck. The larger-than-life masterpiece, made entirely of recycled plastic bottles, brought attention to the event's ambitious sustainability goals in a visually stunning way.

For five days, Cole meticulously sculpted the figure, using plastic bottles collected from the corporate recycling efforts of Recycling Partners of Jamaica, Sagicor Group and the C. B. Facey Foundation. And in an extraordinary feat of artistry, Cole crafted the head and facial features of the 'Eco-Champion' using threads spun from plastic bottles, even adding lifelike details like eyes, eyebrows, and lips.

"Growing up in the inner city, not having much, I learnt to see the potential in what others discarded," Cole revealed. "Waste materials became raw materials for my art projects, and that experience taught me that everything has value if we look at it differently."

Gayon Douglas, executive director of the C. B. Facey Foundation, representing Pan Jamaica Group, commented on Cole's creative brilliance.

"It's incredibly rewarding to see something destined for the landfill transformed into a piece of art that sparks interest and conversation," she said.

Pan Jamaica Group was a sustainability partner for the Sagicor SIGMA Corporate Run, which raised a staggering $128m for critical causes.

Douglas stressed the symbolism of 'The Eco-Champion'.

"We recognised that plastic bottles almost become invisible and are often discarded thoughtlessly at events of this size, so with this larger-than-life statue our hope was to use art to jolt participants into awareness and promote mindful disposal in an eye-catching way," she said.

Jamaica Environment Trust notes that plastic waste accounts for about 17 per cent of the total waste collected in Jamaica, but often dominates the garbage found along coastlines, rivers, gullies and roadsides.