On November 27, the Tapatón took place—the main activity of the Alquimia Plástica sustainability project, an initiative launched by the FADCOM community to promote responsible and collaborative practices related to recycling and reusing materials. The event established itself as a sustainable initiative that demonstrates that environmental transformation begins with small collective decisions.
The school’s inner courtyard was transformed into a gathering space where students and faculty participated in an exchange program: collected plastic bottle caps could be traded for items crafted by community members. Highlights included recycled keychains sponsored by the company Eco-Home, crocheted items from Patico Crochet, acrylic pieces, cell phone holders, food options, and engravings by professor Daniel Castelo.
The fair featured games created from reused materials and designed by Club D-Pro to promote environmental learning through entertainment. In addition, the Tweening Club contributed by creating illustrated stickers; the Breik Club handled logistics and facilitated activities; and AEFADCOM and the Faculty’s Communications team provided support by implementing a promotional strategy that amplified the message and encouraged high participation.
The day continued with a community bingo game organized by students Rudy Borja and Karla Valverde, an activity that fostered camaraderie among students, faculty, and attendees. At the end of the afternoon, the “PreguntArte” academic trivia contest took place, pitting the faculty teams Led Zepelin (Daniel Castelo and Jorge Lombeida) and Los Robles (Carlos Lema and Mónica Robles) against each other in a lively competition featuring questions related to their respective degree programs.
The most eagerly awaited moment came with the official weigh-in, which totaled 113.56 kg of collected plastic bottle caps.
The classes with the largest contributions were recognized:
🥇 The Product Design 1 class, led by Karla Caicedo, made the largest contribution with 32.7 kg.
🥈 In second place, teacher Jacqueline Mejía collected 14.2 kg from her students.
🥉 Finally, teacher Da Hee Park managed to collect 7.05 kg from the classes she teaches.
The Tapatón was created with the goal of strengthening a culture of sustainability within FADCOM, raising awareness about creative reuse, and demonstrating that community collaboration can yield measurable and meaningful results. Beyond the number of kilos collected, the event reflected the organization’s commitment and the community’s leadership in driving responsible change, promoting environmental education, and building a culture of sustainability through collective action.
© Photography: Isabela Villón / Alejandro Núñez Text: José Luis Castro
