![Cardboard Record Player by Grey Group Canada for GGRP Sound
Another awesome turntable find! Grey Group Canada designed this promo package for sound engineering firm GGRP. The concept? “A record player created from a piece of [recyclable] corrugated cardboard that folds into an envelope. Once assembled, a record can be spun on the player with a pencil. The vibrations go through the needle and are amplified in the cardboard material.” Pure genius!
[related: recyclable cardboard + kraft paper designs]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l3u1j9HonK1qz81plo1_500.jpg)
Cardboard Record Player by Grey Group Canada for GGRP Sound
Another awesome turntable find! Grey Group Canada designed this promo package for sound engineering firm GGRP. The concept? “A record player created from a piece of [recyclable] corrugated cardboard that folds into an envelope. Once assembled, a record can be spun on the player with a pencil. The vibrations go through the needle and are amplified in the cardboard material.” Pure genius!
[related: recyclable cardboard + kraft paper designs]
Synapse Side Chair by Teknion at IIDEX/NeoCon 2008.
I recently touched upon the Canadian green loving folks at Teknion when I wrote about my meeting with their team and the Green Solutions crew at IIDEX/NeoCon.
If you’re an Interior Designer and/or Architect actively working the field, you’re undoubtedly familiar with Teknion’s solid reputation as one of the leading international designers, manufacturers and marketers of office systems and related furniture products. However, are you aware of how fiercely green these folks are? And that they’ve been upping their sustainable status for a long time [way before “green” became a buzz word]?
Well, I was actually in the dark about how committed they are to their eco-conscious philosophy, so I was thrilled to hear all about it first hand during my meeting with their amazing PR team [a finely tuned marketing machine if I ever saw one; and hey, I worked in Public Relations for years, so I know good PR!]. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Teknion’s Loraine Buyar, Cynthia Kirkland Odell and Christine Krokker — all of them super friendly and passionate about green design and sustainable solutions. It was quite inspiring to hear about Teknion’s green efforts and to be introduced to their amazing Synapse creation, which made its Canadian debut at this Toronto edition of IIDEX/NeoCon. I was also extremely pleased to hear that Teknion is the first furniture manufacturer to partner with Green Solutions.
Of course, I also won’t soon forget the experience of sitting in their mind-blowing, award-winning booth for our meeting, or attending one of their annual legendary trade only bashes later that evening [they’re green AND they know who to throw a fabulous party, thus scoring them even bigger points with me!]. Sadly, my camera’s flash wasn’t enough to illuminate the festivities, but trust me, it was unforgettable. Complete with a live band and Teknion’s very own President, David Feldberg, belting out some great tunes on stage [and deservedly so, as the company is celebrating its 25 year anniversary!]. People danced their design loving booties off ‘till the wee hours and I was thrilled to be a part of it.
Teknion’s eco-friendly Synapse side chair made quite the splash at the trade show, not only with its sleek and modern look, but also with its strong sustainable story. Industrial Designer Carl Gustav Magnusson explains: “My design inspiration was a conflux of the 1960s work of the Danish architect Borge Mogensen and today’s advanced metal-to-wood connection techniques, [resulting in] a modern wooden side chair that combines traditional wood joinery and unique construction to meet today’s increasingly demanding seating sustainability requirements.”
Synapse’s minimal frame is made with sustainably sourced solid Solid Beech or Maple, but what skyrockets its eco-status in my books, is the responsible thought put into its design aimed at low-impact transport and quick installation. Since it can be shipped flat in a carton, the chair requires only one-third the space, thus maximizing shipping and installation efficiencies and ensuring that it assembles on site in less than five minutes. For a detailed diagram of Synapse in its dismantled state, check out the vivid images in their brochure here.
Synapse also minimizes its use of materials by being comprised of only five parts, all of which are replaceable or interchangeable, thus allowing quick replacements in the field, or the option of having independent pieces recycled. From an aesthetic point of view, it also gives one the opportunity to combine different finishes on the same chair if desired. To top it all off, the chair’s non-anodized aluminum seat frame can easily be removed for reuse or recycling.
Smart, flexible and super green. What’s not to love? I’m already looking forward to what they’ll wow us with next year.
Revive by Green Solutions @ IIDEX/NeoCon ‘08
Revive: A Green Solutions Program @ IIDEX/NeoCon Canada 2008
I had an opportunity to meet and discover many progressive companies, manufacturers and organizations at this year’s IIDEX/NeoCon, but I can safely say that the folks from Green Solutions were the ones that inspired me the most on the socially responsible front.
Thanks to the eco-loving people at Teknion [more on their green products soon], I had the honour of sitting down with Teknion members, as well as Jim Reid, Steve Seidl and Sherry Prenevost, the passionate team behind Green Solutions and their brilliant Revive program. We spent a good part of the afternoon in Teknion’s magnificent booth, discussing the extensive green efforts of both companies, exchanging stories and recommending good green reads while being videotaped by Sherry of GS. I was also pleased to partake in the Revive draw, selecting the name of the winner of a donation of 5 tons of furniture/product to the charity of their choice in the winner’s name.
So what makes their Revive program so inspiring to me? Green Solutions provides the socially responsible service of taking a corporation’s redundant assets [furniture + IT equipment that is no longer needed but still functional], and redistributes it to deserving and needy organizations, keeping those products out of landfills. 97% of the assets are actually redistributed locally to wherever the donating corporation is based, which of course makes the program even more green by keeping transport emissions down.
According to the Revive video, an astonishing 200 million tons of corporate assets go to landfills each year, which is equal to 12,000,000 truck loads, or even more mind-boggling — enough to fill the Atlanta Olympic Stadium at an alarming rate of every hour, every day, every year! What kills me even more? Over 90% of those discarded products are still perfectly usable and functional.
So yes, I’m excited about the Revive program. It’s a stroke of green genius and long overdue. I encourage any of my readers who work in a corporation to forward the Revive link and brochure to management at your office. I’m willing to bet that they’ve got a a room full of old computers, telephones and furniture pieces that will otherwise end up at the curb and in a landfill. Thankfully there’s no excuse for that anymore, and by just telling the right people at your firm, you can do your part to help.
Revive builds “green bridges” by connecting corporations with needy and deserving causes…
…with the added green bonus of keeping tons of reusable products out of landfills.
Valcucine: Hability Kitchen
Given my Summer hiatus, it’s been a while since I’ve written about my fierce love for Valcucine, the hot Italian pioneers of modern eco kitchen design. They’re one of my favourite kitchen manufacturers and definitely satisfy my need for what I like to call “kitchen porn.” You think I’m exaggerating? Seriously. If you’re a design fetishist and have a special place in your modern heart for cutting edge kitchens, you could literally spend hours drooling over the eco beauties on the Valcucine site.
Furthering my love for their clean designs is the fact that they rank highly on all eco fronts, from production to post consumer use. Most of their pieces are designed with end of life recycling in mind. They’ve even been known to encourage the return of some models when customers are ready to make a switch, just so Valcucine can recycle the units themselves. You can read more about their eco philosophy and practices here or in my first Valcucine post here.
This time Valcucine’s sleek Hability Kitchen has caught my eye, a brilliantly designed space that is universally accessible and created with the wheelchair user in mind. As with the kitchen featured in the canühome exhibit at this year’s Green Living Show in Toronto, I am doubly excited when both eco responsibility and universal access are the priorities. Triple if it’s beautifully done — and this is definitely the case with Hability.
Of course, this smart kitchen can be used by anyone, but Valcucine’s site explains that Hability “provides freedom and ease to the differently-abled cook” and that the winning secret is “Easy Food, a work top cast in a single stainless steel die that allows the wheelchair user to wash, drain, chop and cook at one east-to-clean workstation.”
The clever work top is equipped with removable dish drainers and transportable sinks, along with a self-cleaning system that conveys water to the service sink. This thoughtfully allows the cook to have both hands free to fully enjoy cooking. Valcucine touts Hability as not only sustainable and universally accessible, but also “ergonomically accurate.”
So are ya hooked yet? Uh huh. I knew you would be.
Liquid Cardboard Series: No.5
During a recent shopping stint at Chapters [the Canadian equivalent of Borders in the U.S.], I couldn’t help but be impressed by the massive display of eco-friendly back-to-school products, which included the modern Liquid Cardboard No.5 by cardboardesign. I had to snatch it immediately. I may not be heading back to school, but I’m definitely back to work here on GDG — and I just can’t resist cool eco trinkets for my home office. It’s futile.
First off, let me just say that Chapters must have a visual merchandising army, as their product displays are constantly evolving throughout the week, and from a Set Stylist’s point of view, they are quite current and make a strong impact. I’m impressed with the amount of planning and work that I know is going into their displays — particularly in their gifts section, which is always packed with unique items from all over the globe.
Back to the eco.friendly No. 5, which I picked up as part of the Liquid Cardboard series. It’s basically a free flowing “shape shifting” piece that reminds me of the classic Slinky, except that it’s made from totally recycled [and recyclable] honeycomb cardboard. The creative possibilities are endless, allowing you to fashion the object into a vase, bowl, decorative sculpture, business card and/or office supplies holder, etc. You can even mesh two different pieces from their Liquid Cardboard series together to form completely new shapes.
I must say, however, that I had a WTF moment when I got home and opened the box, only to find what appeared to be the antithesis of eco-friendly packaging inside — styrofoam peanuts[?!]. This would have prompted me to return No.5., as it would have just been too disappointing, and frankly, so wrong. Thankfully, I was greeted with a small card floating above the peanuts which read: “Our peanuts are made with cornstarch”, making them totally biodegradable. How cool is that?! No.5’s eco.points immediately soared in my books.
I also love the fact that their glues contain no harsh chemicals or animal products, along with their other green statements, which include: “Not one tree was cut down to produce our furniture and packaging” and “Not one person or country was exploited in making this product. It is 100% made in America.”
Fun, modern, creative, socially responsible and super eco-friendly — right down to the packaging! These cardboard peeps are brilliant.
No.5 sporting my new eco-friendly business cards [a post on them soon].
Um, yeah, I’ve still got a penguin fetish. Those who know me are not surprised.
Possibly my fave configuration. I like the cylindrical shape for inserting biz cards, photos, etc.
The fully recycled + recyclable box.
The “cornstarch biodegradable peanuts” used in the packaging of No.5.
Starlightz by Earth Friendly @ Artecnica and various international retailers.
I’ve gone star-crazy at the sight of these eco.friendly beauties, so please bear with me while I post a gazillion of them for you to enjoy. Of course, I just had to start off by showing you the black one — it’s so bold and dramatic.
You may have seen various knock offs of these lighting fixtures around the globe, but apparently, these are the “original” Starlightz by Earth Friendly, which are available at L.A.’s Artecnica and several international retailers. Starlightz is yet another eco.chic line carried by Artecnica, who are hosting their Design With A Conscience exhibit at the New York International Gift Fair this week.
Each of these eco.super.stars is made from 100% wood-free and chlor-free bleached paper, in addition to being completely handcrafted — printed, punched and glued by hand. The Earth Friendly folks add that the handmade paper is a merging of “cotton fibres and flower petals, combined with manual silkscreen printing.”
Starlightz by Earth Friendly @ Artecnica and various international retailers.
This black, white and gold combination is crisp and elegant and would work well in a variety of settings.
