National Formosa University's Office of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility held the "Agricultural Waste Reborn: A Handmade Legacy" art initiative on 8/19 (Tuesday), using garlic — a local specialty crop of Yunlin — as the creative material, with its outer protective skin serving as the medium. Through creative design and artistry, the agricultural waste of garlic skin was transformed into "Garlic-Free Everlasting Flowers," combining aesthetic beauty with a message of sustainability.
The event was promoted by NFU's Office of Sustainable Development in partnership with the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and guided by Assistant Professor Chen Feng-Chueh of the General Education Center, drawing inspiration from the art of preserved (everlasting) flowers. After being disinfected, dried, and hand-cut, the garlic skins were rewoven into layered, delicate petal-like forms, paired with glass vessels and string lights to create warm, atmospheric floral art pieces.
This initiative emphasized a spirit of "hands-on participation," inviting local mothers, faculty, staff, and students to take part together in upcycling agricultural waste into high-quality art pieces, reconnecting emotional ties to the land with everyday aesthetics. The project not only extends the life cycle of garlic, but also echoes core principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including "Responsible Consumption and Production," "Promoting Local Economies," and "Cross-Generational Co-Learning."
Assistant Professor Chen Feng-Chueh of NFU's General Education Center stated that this event was not only an artistic creation, but also a journey of beauty co-created by the community and the campus — from the source of production to the heart — bearing witness to how agricultural waste can be reborn into works imbued with heritage and blessing. She also expressed hope that the project could eventually be developed into a commercial product, becoming a representative cultural and creative item for Yunlin, and driving local revitalization and community economic development.
Note:
The "Garlic-Free Everlasting Flowers" exhibition is on display at: NFU's Office of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility and the General Education Center.
Concurrently on display and for sale at: Kouhu Visitor Center.
Article and photos provided by: Office of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility
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| The event transformed agricultural waste garlic skins into "Garlic-Free Everlasting Flowers," combining aesthetic beauty with a message of sustainability | |
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| Community mothers joined together with NFU faculty, staff, and students in the activity, becoming future seed instructors for promoting Yunlin's garlic flowers | |