Big Ideas for a Small Planet is part of Sundance Channel's The Green series. This groundbreaking doccumentary show presents forward-thinking designers who are on the cutting edge of the push towards a greener world. The series airs Tuesdays at 9pm. You can also watch a webisode, and clips from previous shows at The Green: Big Ideas website. Previous episodes have covered a wide variety of topics such as fuel and building, what we wear and what we eat. This episode is about furniture.
The documentary asks us this important question: Can we imagine a sustainably furnished green world?
It provides three ideas in answer to this question: Sustainable Furniture, Affordable Eco Design, and Reclaimed Wood.
The Challenge of Sustainablity
'Sustainablilty' is a buzz word that we've been hearing a lot of lately - but what does it really mean? The concept of sustainable resources means that these resources are capable of being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment. Michigan based furniture company Herman Miller manufactures the Mirra chair line. Mirra chairs are 96% recyclable at the end of life and they contain 42% recycled content. Sustainable furniture uses environmentally safe materials and is designed to be easily disassembled and recycled. Herman Miller and other such ecofriendly manufacturers try to use 'cradle to cradle' materials where possible - those which can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality (having a 'cradle-to-cradle' lifecycle as opposed to a 'cradle-to-grave' one. )
In the society of disposable everything, where the 'Ikea-fication' of furniture (cheap and prefab) is becoming an increasing trend, sustainable furniture harkens back to the classic idea of furniture as a lasting piece of value - to the days when we created quality products that could be handed down as family heirlooms. These designers seek to make furniture that is more than just 'something to sit on', but something we can make an aesthetic and emotional connection to.
Live Chat Alert!
On Tuesday May 29th from 2-3 pm EST, Gather will be hosting a live chat with Scott Charon of the Herman Miller furniture company. Scott and his fellow design engineeer Gabe Wing (both featured in the Big Ideas program) are engineers who are heading Herman Miller's Design For the Environment team. This groundbreaking company has set the admirable goal of making all their new furniture lines 100% sustainable by the year 2020. Don't miss this opportunity to ask your questions about this important manufacturing and design innovation.
Economical vs Ecological
Ecologically sound furniture does generally cost more to produce. Manufacturers have always been balancing cost, aestethics and performance. Now they must begin to add a new variable to the design equation: sustainablity. The cost of sustainability, however, should not be such that the product is out of reach of the average consumer. If only a small portion of the population can afford to purchase eco-friendly furnishing, it will not have much of an impact. Similarly, if designs are not competitive and fresh, people will not want to purchase the furniture. Affordable and accessible are the main goals of designers such as MIO, based in Philadelphia, PA. Mio products are distinctive and fun - they have bendable chandeliers, mushroom lights, three dimensional wallpaper, and cork floor tiles. Even their manufacture methods are environmentally sound - to make their decorative SoftBowls, they use hat-making techniques in which steam and felt and a human to shape them are the only components! They are handmade in one of the last remaining millineries in the US - which also helps find a new use for the old tradition of hat-making.
Wood Wise
Wood is consumed by the furniture industry in massive quantities. Aproximately 60% of all the household furniture manufactured in the US is made from wood. By using wood from sustainable forests, or by recycling wood, smart designers are lessening the impact. Scrapile is the collaborative work of designers Bart Bettencourt and Carlos Salgado. These two designers collect wood scraps from New York's furniture and woodworking industry and recycle them into beautiful furniture. Every piece is unique because they are made up of different compositions. They put the wood scraps together with a non-toxic and water soluble glue that creates a bond stronger than the wood itself. The resulting composites are then used to make furniture. Their line includes benches, tables, and lighting fixtures. By giving old wood new life, Scrapile is making a positive contribution towards a greener world - and by creating artistic pieces, they are sparking the imagination of consumers.
Hidden Hazards
In addition to exploring these three ideas, the episode also explains to us some hazards of traditional furniture that the average consumer never thinks of. The furniture industry uses large amounts of natural resources, creates significant waste, and uses harmful chemicals and toxins. There is not only the wood and steel and plastic to consider, but also the dyes and textiles and finishes. By the end of this program I have learned that my imitation leather computer chair is likely made with PVC, a chlorinated plastic that poses numerous environmental and health problems. And my comfortable old couch? It's likely spewing off-gasses into my lungs as its materials break down. Off-gassing occurs when volatile organic compounds are emitted from certain solids or liquids and may cause harmful health effects, including respiratory problems. Carcinogens in furniture are likened to "an enormous chemical soup." Ecologically friendly furniture is also healthy furniture, it seems. Much of the eco friendly furniture show in this episode also has LEED certification, which can be earned in part by using low emitting Greenguard tested products, avoiding this hazardous off-gassing in the product's later life.
Catch Big Ideas for a Small Planet : Furnish this Tuesday at 9pm on the Sundance channel and see for yourself how creative designers are making a difference with their sustainable creations!
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Comments: 14
I would have enjoyed this episode as well...I love the photos that you included!
I'm very excited about our chat in The Green with Scott Charon. Not only will we be able to speak to him, but also Gabe Wing.