Deck the halls with boughs of eco-art!
On Tuesday, the snow outside may have been frightful, but it provided a festive backdrop for Data Management and Reporting’s first do-it-yourself, recycled materials holiday decorating contest.
Although Data Management and Reporting decorate their office for the holiday season every year, this year they promoted the use of recycled materials for decorations as a way for staff to connect with their co-workers and be green in their celebrations.
“The work of Decision Support does require a fair amount of problem solving, so this is an opportunity to express their creativity differently,” said Jat Sandhu, Executive Director, Data Analytics and Decision Support.Team members were encouraged to decorate their office sections or “pods” using recycled items that were around the office. Pods were judged by the creativity, completeness, overall design, and their verbal presentation to the judges.
“At first, no one decorated,” said Pat Chung, Director, Data Management and Reports. “But once one pod started, their competitive spirit took over and everyone began decorating.”
Entrants
Click on the photos in the gallery below to see the festivities and read the captions in a larger format.
-
- A wreath made of coffee cups and a Christmas tree with presents made by (left to right): Vijay, Karen, Kwong, Francis, Dustin. Missing: Amanda.
-
- Frosty the Agile snowman made by (left to right): Amelia, Dianne, Jasmine, Paul, and Alan.
-
- O keyboard tree! O keyboard tree! Left to right: Brian, Victoria, Mehdi.
-
- A Christmas tree and presents made from the paper from the workload of one staff member on the CST project. Left to right: Alex, Cynthia, Shaz, Lily.
-
- Rudolph and his reindeer friends stand on an office divider.
-
- What star is this? Tis of popsicles and elements from a dimension table.
Second place winner
Adrian, Riley, Deepu, and Emilie won second place for their pod decorations. Their theme was “Don’t mess with Jeff.” Jeff is the technical lead for the team. Decorations were added to make the pod more enjoyable and homey for Jeff.
-
- Left to right: Adrian, Riley, Deepu, and Emilie stand by their handiwork including a fireplace, a Christmas tree, and a reindeer bust.
-
- Every snowflake is unique.
-
- The formerly Purolator Express is now the Polar Express. Note photos of the team members as passengers.
First place winner
Dylan, Goli, Lauren, Sukhpal, and Ziyi won first place for their elaborate, multi-stage decorations. Their theme was “MTV Cribs.”
-
- Kitchen – cookies in the oven.
-
- Lounge area – Santa takes a break in his living room.
-
- Activity area.
-
- A yoga room with the snowman to relax.
In conclusion
“The contest is really a festive team building activity that challenges the creativity of staff to recycle paper and other materials,” said Jat.
“Also, it has the added benefit of being an opportunity to clear out the clutter that has accumulated over the past year.”