# Urban Dumpster Gardening Michael Bernstein's '10 Yard Forest' Uses Trash Cans By Jordy E | Published 2012-09-19 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/10-yard-forest References: [michael-bernstein](http://michael-bernstein.com/section/228105_10_Yards_of.html) & [nyfa.org](http://www.nyfa.org/nyfa_artists_detail.asp?pid=5512) Artist Michael Bernstein's '10 Yard Forest' located in New York's Sculpture Center is staged within a series of metal dumpsters. The miniature gardens and forests are meant to be installed in the corners of any city with hopes of their eventual spread throughout America. Bernstein places a great deal of emphasis upon the value of transiency. The 10 Yard Forest model can be picked up and moved with ease, bringing beautiful green units to neighborhoods that may be dominated by sky scrapers or construction. This lesson in recycling can also be interpreted and adapted in a variety of ways. His use of trash bins brings new purpose to the often sullied bins, making way for the unusual use of other public materials. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.9/10 - Popularity: 56% | Activity: 84% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) > [Eco Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/ecoarchitecture) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Mobile Urban Gardens:** Opportunity to develop mobile gardens that can be easily moved and placed in urban areas with limited green spaces. - **Recycling Innovation:** Opportunity to repurpose seemingly unusable materials and transform them into functional structures, such as trash cans used as planters. - **Vertical Gardening:** Opportunity to create micro-forests and gardens in urban areas by utilizing vertical spaces like walls and fences. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Architecture and Design:** Architects and designers can revolutionize how structures such as public trash cans are repurposed to create functional and aesthetically pleasing green spaces. - **Environmental Sustainability:** Environmental sustainability firms can explore ways to create green spaces in urban areas with limited resources and limited available land. - **Urban Planning:** Urban planning firms can use this idea to develop strategies for utilizing available space in cities for green spaces, enhancing the quality of life for city dwellers. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Rodent-Preventative Trash Bins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/group-project.md) - [Mountainous Repurposed Crate Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crate-installation.md) - [Urban Roofscape Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/central-yards.md) - [Mangrove Forest-Inspired Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/once-upon-a-forest.md) - [Sustainable Wooden Natural Materials](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/forestbank.md) - [Junkyard-Inspired Art Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/junkyard-diving.md) - [Recycled Bar Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bar-installation.md) - [Nature-Connecting Design Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vert-installation.md) - [Nature-Inspired Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/humannature-1.md)