Scandinavian company Tikkurila debuts new paint collection to protect endangered species

Headquartered in the Finnish city of Vantaa, Tikkurila has been producing paints since 1862 but its latest paint collection, Endangered Colors, shines the light on endangered animals and will donate one euro of each package sold to protect endangered species.

The paint manufacturer has long been in the business of creating products that stand the test of both time and weather. Now, Tikkurila seeks to cross-apply this stewardly value set to the global crisis facing vulnerable and endangered species.

Related: Microplastics accelerate cell death at 3 times the normal rate, study says

“The goal of Tikkurila’s paints has always been to protect buildings and furniture, thus increasing their lifespan,” shares Elisa Markula, CEO of Tikkurila. “With Endangered Colors, this effort expands to the most threatened species on the planet. I believe that we can raise awareness, help protect threatened animal species, and make sure future generations can enjoy a colorful tomorrow.”

Nature is in crisis, with humans threatening over one million species, pushing each closer to extinction at an unprecedented rate. And, as each species goes extinct, the world loses each of their natural colors. Tikkurila therefore aspires to bring widespread awareness to the endangered species predicament. 

The new Endangered Colors collection serves as a way of preserving the color palette unique to species that are at the brink of extinction. Nine different hues, each representing an endangered animal, comprise the assortment. The names of these nine paints call to mind the animals they represent — Giant Panda Black, Siberian Tiger Orange, Snowy Owl White, Saimaa Ringed Seal Grey, Steppe Eagle Brown, Gibbon Grey, Sumatran Orangutan Orange, Siamese Fighting Fish Blue and Red Panda Red.

Designed to be as environmentally-friendly as possible, all the paints are low-emission and water-based. They are also packaged into recycled plastic buckets. This is in alignment with Tikkurila’s mission “to serve our customers with user-friendly and environmentally sustainable solutions,” per the company website.

Markula explains further, “Quality, sustainability and safety are our guiding principles in raw material selection and product development, and throughout all our operations. Our goal is to continuously reduce our environmental impact by investing in the development and promotion of water-borne and low-emission paints.”

The Endangered Colors collection will debut in 2020 globally, with the first phase to launch in Russia, China and the Baltics.

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The Ocean Cleanup has first success collecting plastic from Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch nonprofit dedicated to eliminating plastic pollution in the oceans, recently announced its first success. After years of trials that left its engineers scratching their heads over design challenges, the nonprofit’s newest prototype device has consistently collected plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Following years of repeat returns to the drawing board, The Ocean Cleanup has finally experienced its first success of consistently capturing and collecting plastic, thanks to the self-contained System 001/B prototype. As an added bonus, not only was the prototype able to collect large, visible items but also microplastics as small as one millimeter.

Related: Trash-collecting device returns to Great Pacific Garbage Patch

“After beginning this journey seven years ago, this first year of testing in the unforgivable environment of the high seas strongly indicates that our vision is attainable and that the beginning of our mission to rid the ocean of plastic garbage, which has accumulated for decades, is within our sights,” said founder and CEO Boyan Slat. “Our team has remained steadfast in its determination to solve immense technical challenges to arrive at this point. Though we still have much more work to do, I am eternally grateful for the team’s commitment and dedication to the mission and look forward to continuing to the next phase of development.”

The patch, located in the waters between Hawaii and California, is infamous as the area with the largest accumulation of plastic debris. As a trash vortex, its circular motion draws litter into itself, trapping all the junk into a concentrated mass. The hazards are compounded by the leaching out of noxious chemicals linked to health problems. Marine life is also harmed, with numerous reports of disruptions in feeding and migrating patterns, ultimately threatening species’ survival and reproductive success.

The need to remove the plastic waste polluting the Pacific Ocean inspired Slat to establish The Ocean Cleanup in 2012. The nonprofit’s engineers have since been striving to develop a device to rid the ocean of the garbage. The various device prototypes employ a passive system that moves with the currents while catching plastic refuse.

The nonprofit aspires to develop more prototypes in hopes of deploying a future fleet of ocean debris-collecting systems. The collected plastic will, in turn, be recycled onshore and sold to business-to-consumer (B2C) companies. The recycling revenue will be reinvested into the nonprofit’s expansion plans for further ocean waste management and sanitation.

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Images via The Ocean Cleanup

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Spectacular installation in London turns scaffolding planks into sculpture

In the most ambitious of British Land’s Landmark installations to date, internationally renowned British designer Paul Cocksedge has transformed more than a thousand scaffolding planks into a large-scale structure with undulating curves. Named Please Be Seated, the installation provides Broadgate, London’s largest pedestrianized neighborhood, with a beautiful piece of art that doubles as seating. The art piece was created in collaboration with Essex-based, high-end interiors company White & White as part of the 2019 London Design Festival.

Located at Finsbury Avenue Square, the Please Be Seated landmark project is a physical representation of the community’s changing rhythms. The curvaceous, wooden structure spans 15.5 meters across, while its curves reach a peak height of 3.4 meters, high enough for people to walk under and comfortably rest against when sitting or lounging. The installation was constructed from 1,151 reused scaffolding planks bent into three ribbon-like concentric circles.

Related: Artist suspends a giant cube filled with images of ocean plastic inside a London museum

“Every single aspect of the installation is tailored to its environment as well as the function it serves,” Cocksedge said in a press statement. “The curves raise up to create backrests and places to sit, as well as space for people to walk under or pause and find some shade. It walks the line between a craft object and a design solution. It occupies the square without blocking it.”

Supported by Broadgate and British Land, Please Be Seated was presented to the public on September 14, 2019 in parallel to the London Design Festival. An exhibition of Cocksedge’s work that was displayed at Broadgate’s The Space | 3FA also showed the process behind creating Please Be Seated. The installation will remain in place until October 11, 2019.

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Photography by Mark Cocksedge via Paul Cocksedge

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Mirage Architecture envisions a solar-powered glass cube for Lithuanias national concert hall

In response to an international design competition for Lithuania’s National Concert Hall in Vilnius, Iranian architecture firm Mirage Architecture Studio designed a conceptual solar-powered venue sheathed in a double skin facade. Dubbed Tautos Namai, the cuboid building proposal houses art inside and out — the exterior transforms into a vibrant artwork at night with holographic displays. Per the competition’s brief for sustainability, the conceptual project would not only produce more energy than it uses but would also minimize site impact and be built of recycled materials.

In February 2019, the Vilnius City Municipality announced an international competition for a concert hall to be located on Tauras Hill, a popular park that offers a sweeping view of the city. To preserve the proportions of the old trade union palace and reflect the natural surroundings, Mirage Architecture Studio proposed a glass cube with a transparent outer shell and an opaline inner shell. 

Related: Steven Holl’s solar-powered concert hall plays up the dramatic contrast between new and old

“One reflecting the outside, and the other reflecting the enigmatic atmosphere inside,” explained the architects of the facade. “These glasses are made of photovoltaic tiles and produce a wide range of solar energy. So, in addition to creating a sense of belonging in the unconscious of the audience, an inexpressive and semi-transparent state of truth within it appears in mind. And all of this happens on the daytime. But at night time, the project has another story to tell. The Lithuanian National Music House is shining like a diamond using more than 18,000 holographic display; thus, the building’s appearance will never be reiterative at night, displaying a variety of surreal and abstract images.”

The multifunctional, 550-capacity concert hall would be tucked underground, while the above-ground spaces could be used for artist workshops, training venues and other purposes. To reduce environmental impact, structural materials would be recycled from the previous building on site, site impact would be minimized wherever possible and recycled natural materials would be used for acoustic padding on the walls of the hall. Mirage Architecture’s submission did not win the competition; Spanish architecture firm Arquivo was recently announced the winner. Still, the design is an innovative way to combine solar power and art under one roof.

+ Mirage Architecture Studio

Images via Mirage Architecture Studio

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LEED Platinum Sitka captures the Pacific Northwest spirit with a lush, fog-enabled courtyard

Local architectural practice Runberg Architecture Group has raised the bar for sustainable design in Seattle with the completion of Sitka, a LEED Platinum-certified multifamily development on target to achieve Seattle’s 2030 Challenge for Planning goals of reducing water and energy use. Built to use nearly a third less energy than the typical baseline design, the 384-unit development features numerous energy-saving systems — Sitka is the nation’s first multifamily project to use a Wastewater Heat Recovery system — as well as a stunning courtyard that mimics the Pacific Northwest landscape with a running stream, tree-covered hilltops and a lounge that resembles a treehouse.

Located in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, Sitka is a seven-story building centered on an outdoor courtyard. Runberg Architecture Group drew inspiration from Northwest Modernism and the landscapes of the nearby San Juan Islands to create the project. A sloping green roof and rooftop community garden help capture stormwater runoff as well. The tree-filled courtyard also features a fog system and a treehouse, designed by Seattle’s Lead Pencil Studio, that includes a working fireplace with views of the courtyard.

Related: Energy-efficient house embraces panoramic views of Puget Sound

“Our mission is to design places where people want to be,” said Brian Runberg of the project’s human-centered design. “When creating Sitka, we asked ourselves what was missing from most of South Lake Union — what would make people feel good about spending time here — and it was green space. We wanted to create an oasis for residents and neighbors in the midst of the hard cityscape.”

To minimize energy usage, the architects strategically broke up the building mass to allow natural light and ventilation into the courtyard and interiors. The development also includes LED lighting, EnergyStar appliances, recycled and locally sourced materials, low-flow toilets and fixtures and a high-efficiency 14-foot-diameter fan in the fitness center, all of which contribute to the development’s energy goals.

+ Runberg Architecture Group

Images by Christophe Servieres and Michael Walmsley via Runberg Architecture Group

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Granby Workshop unveils ceramic dinnerware collection made from 100% waste

Finding a way to breathe new life into discarded materials is creating a boom within the world of sustainable design. For instance, UK-based Granby Workshop has just unveiled an entire collection of ceramic housewares made from 100% waste. Recently launched on Kickstarter, Granbyware is a beautiful collection of plates, bowls and mugs made from ceramic, glass and stone waste.

Based in Liverpool, the innovative design company has searched far and wide to find discarded waste materials that could be repurposed into beautiful place settings. Located just an hour or so from Stoke on Trent, the heart of UK’s ceramics industry, the team did extensive research and testing to develop and refine their ceramics.

Related: Designers recycle aluminum production waste into functional ceramic decor

“To make this project happen we’ve voyaged into the deep and murky waters of ceramic chemistry and waste management – analyzing the core chemical components of our usual clay and glaze materials, and where we could find substitutes from industrial and consumer waste,” they explain on their Kickstarter page.

Working with specialist waste management companies, they discovered that millions of tonnes of ceramic, glass and stone waste goes into UK’s landfills each year. Some of this waste is recycled, but most is downcycled into materials for roads, construction, etc.

Recognizing that most of these materials still have plenty of life span, the designers created a recipe that could turn the waste into treasure. Using a mixture of industrial clay waste, recycled glass, quarry waste, broken bricks and ceramic waste, the company has created an 100% recyclable collection made entirely from waste and nothing else.

The resulting collection is a sustainable selection of tableware that is 100% food, dishwasher and microwave safe. Available on Kickstarter, customers can choose from a defined set of dishes, bowls and mugs, or choose individual pieces.

For those who’d like to check out Granbyware collection first before purchasing, the Granby Workshop team will be showcasing the sustainable tableware at the King’s Cross Design District during London Design Festival.

+ Granby Workshop Kickstarter

+ Granby Workshop

Images via Granby Workshop

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This plant-based ski wax keeps nasty chemicals off the snowpack

For those looking to hit the slopes as the weather cools down, a new eco-friendly ski wax will not only help you glide through the fluffy snowpack but will also help keep the environment free of the dangerous chemicals found in most ski waxes. In a world where nearly all ski wax is made from petroleum, the innovative MountainFLOW eco wax is made entirely from plants.

The sight of white snow-covered hills is enough for most skiers to call off of work and hit the slopes, hopefully in a sustainable retreat. But whatever we put on our skis quickly enters the snowpack, eventually making its way into local streams and rivers. Considering that most ski wax is made out of petroleum, this means that pollution during the ski months increases substantially for these water systems.

Related: Top 6 sustainable winter resorts for snowboarding and skiing in the US

Thankfully, the eco-conscious team at MountainFLOW has kicked off a new Kickstarter campaign to announce the launch of North America’s only line of plant-based ski wax. Designed to keep harmful chemicals out of the environment, this eco-friendly product is rapidly catching the attention of the ski world.

Over the years, the team has worked to develop a petroleum-free wax that offers the same hydrophobicity, durability and ease of application that most traditional petroleum-based waxes offer. Not only have they created a product that does just that, but they have created a ski wax that is much better for the environment.

Other plant-based ski waxes have been made with soy. Although the MountainFLOW wax does include a little bit of soy, the eco-friendly product uses a high-quality combination of other plant-based waxes that offer a faster, more durable product. The MountainFLOW packaging is also made from 100 percent recycled materials and is completely biodegradable.

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Images via MountainFLOW

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