Homer High School’s prom on Saturday will be bedecked with sustainable decorations from the Homer community. 

In collaboration with Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, the prom committee is using marine debris art made by Homer artists from items collected during beach cleanups, said Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies Outreach and Marketing Director Melanie Dufour.

“Many of the kids in the Homer community have participated in the workshops that have completed the art. So they’ve seen it from the beach to the finished product,” Dufour said. “It sounds really weird but when you see them with the lights on them, they’re going to be really beautiful.”

Homer High School counselor Lin Hampson devised the idea after growing tired of the wastefulness caused by prom decorations each year. The juniors planning prom usually order decorations based on the theme from catalogues. However the expensive decorations often are not well made and end up in the trash after the big night, Hampson said.

“So I was thinking of all the great stuff I’ve seen around town,” Hampson said. “I just thought it would be a great way to capture the Homer spirit and to keep from having to throw away stuff every year. It would be truly sustainable.”

Anna Frost can be reached at anna.frost@homernews.com.