A shared vision for community, business and art

March 01, 2019

Successful business partnerships are shaped from a shared vision, trust and a recognition of the cultural and operational values that each organization brings to the relationship. Often they are difficult to forge but when they do come together, great things can be accomplished. An example of one such successful partnership is the collaboration between Emterra Environmental and Cosmopolitan Industries in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Cosmo is a local organization that employs adults with intellectual disabilities in its Multi-Unit Residential Recycling program. The Cosmo recycling plant sorts and processes the recyclable material collected by Emterra from residents and businesses. In the past year, the two organizations celebrated two similar milestones; a 40th anniversary for Emterra and 45 years for Cosmo - an opportunistic time to partner again.

To commemorate the anniversaries, Emterra commissioned a piece of art, made entirely of recyclable materials collected through Cosmo’s recycling program. The piece was conceived and created by artists, Quinn Gryschuk and Adam Nahachewsky who melted 1,111 aluminum cans and poured the molten liquid into a disk shape and then cut out Cosmo’s logo. They covered the aluminum logo with shattered blue recovered glass and embedded it in epoxy to complete the artwork. A video showing how the piece was crafted can be viewed here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzIcOJHZxDk)

Entitled “A Shared Vision”, the artwork was unveiled as the focal point of the grand opening of Cosmo’s new Recycling Education Centre in Saskatoon.

“Emterra is proud to be a partner with Cosmo to promote recycling as a community endeavour and to recognize and honour diversity as part of our shared values. It is our honour to commission the creation of this unique and exceptional artwork as a lasting symbol of our partnership, and to unveil it as part of our anniversary celebrations,” said Emterra Group’s Founder and CEO, Emmie Leung.

The artwork is on display in the Education Centre along with the following dedication:

In achieving a milestones of longevity “A Shared Vision” celebrates Cosmo and Emterra’s joint efforts as stewards of the environment and our mutual shared values in promoting inclusivity and respect for those who may be viewed differently.

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