Project Proposal
“Trash Castle” created by San Geronimo Valley artists Richard and Judith Lang was presented on Huntington Beach as part of the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) Stormwater education campaign for Coastal Clean Up Day on September 17, 2022. The Langs are thrilled to present “Trash Castle” closer to home, on the corner of Sir Francis Drake and Lagunitas School Road, April 20-24 in conjunction with the Greenstitch Climate Action's Climate Fest. Each pole of the castle has a distinctive theme representing categories of items they have collected from Kehoe Beach in the Point Reyes National Seashore: water bottles, straws, caps, drink cups, food wrappers, cutlery, balloons, toothbrushes, and foam.
Caltrans has committed to a three-year project designed to raise awareness about the sources and pathways of California stormwater pollution with the message of connecting-the-dots from street to the tideline; from the gutter to beach.
It is estimated that 15 million metric tons of plastic flood into the world’s oceans every year. That’s the equivalent of two garbage trucks filled with plastic entering the water every minute. The Lang’s hope that visitors to their “Trash Castle” will marvel at the variety and amount of plastic on their castle towers and will be moved to take action to help stem the tide of plastic pollution.
We've said it before and we will say it again, as an artist one of the great rewards is to have a vision then be able to realize it. For years we have driven by the mound of the hill on Sir Francisco Drake Blvd. that fronts the grounds of the Lagunitas School and the San Geronimo Valley Community Center. We've looked longingly at that grassy slope, imagining how great it would be to mount a sculpture there. Finally, this dream has come true.
For Earth Day 2023, we've been working with Cory Van Gelder and her Next Gen Greenstich Climate Action Interns (high schoolers) that helped with the planning and the install. They pitched in and got 'er done and who doesn't love a gal with a sledge hammer?!?
On Friday we hosted field trips for the middle schoolers. After a day of it, we were sure tuckered out and marveled at the dedicated teachers who, five days a week, deal with the raging hormones and inexhaustible energy of teenagers and agreed that you could not pay us enough to teach 7-8th graders and hey, you couldn't pay us enough to be a 7-8th graders again!!!
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