Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Interesting Uses for Cork #3

As mentioned in previous posts, there are many uses for cork besides bulletin boards and wine stoppers. I have already mentioned a couple in previous posts. Today I'll introduce you to another.

Virgin cork bark is the bark that is harvested from the cork tree the first and second time the tree is harvested. This cork has a really rough texture and is not uniform at all. Some sections may be a lot thicker than other sections and its appearance is really natural. Subsequent harvests produce a much smoother and uniform layer of bark. These subsequent harvests produce the higher quality cork required for wine stoppers. So what happens to the bark gathered during the first two harvests? Among other things, virgin cork bark is used in horticulture and zoology for displays and for imitating natural habitats (terrariums, vivariums).

Here are some examples:
1.Orchids – Orchids love cork and cork bark is ideal for mounting orchids and other plants that require epiphytic conditions. They attach themselves to the cork bark and thrive.

2.Reptiles, amphibians and arachnids – Lizards, snakes, tarantulas and other such creatures love to climb on and in things. Cork bark is used to emulate their natural surroundings. The cork bark is completely natural and non-toxic so it is a popular choice when setting up a terrarium or other such habitat.

3.Since cork floats, the bark works great in the water. Frogs, turtles, newts and other partial swimmers need to take a break from the water. Cork bark offers an ideal place to rest.
In memory of Boomer.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Cork closures and CO2 emissions

A PricewaterhouseCoopers LCA study commissioned by Amorim shows the carbon dioxide emissions associated with cork closures are significantly lower than the emissions due to aluminum screwcaps and plastic stoppers.

The year-long study found that CO2 emissions — a key factor in global warming — resulting from the life cycle of a screwcap are 24 times higher than those from a natural cork stopper, while a plastic stopper is responsible for 10 times more CO2 than a natural cork.

Along with this study, it is also known that cork forests store carbon thereby reducing green house gases in the atmosphere. Cork trees store carbon to regenerate their bark therefore a harvested tree absorbs more (up to 5 times more) carbon than one that isn't harvested.

Use natural cork and help the planet.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Calling all Recyclers! We want your Natural Corks!

In December 2008, Jelinek Cork launched its new recycled cork program:

Jelinek Cork Group is delighted to announce a new recycled cork program. Jay Jelinek said “Due to the large number of inquiries we received from the public we realized there is a huge demand to continue recycling natural cork.”

To try and make the process as simple as possible all we ask is for community groups, schools or other not for profit organizations to bring their sorted collected corks to our facility on Speers Road in Oakville, Ontario.

The corks need to be put in a brown paper garden refuse bag, which can be bought at all major grocery or hardware stores. We will pay $15 for each full bag of sorted natural corks. Simply call ahead to arrange your drop off.

Jay Jelinek continued with: “We are encouraged to hear so many people take seriously the desire to recycle one of nature’s most renewable products; by collecting and recycling we were able to divert over 8 tonnes of cork that was destined to end up in landfill.”

This program helps community groups raise both funds and awareness that natural cork is not only a completely sustainable product but totally recyclable and by using natural cork you're helping preserve one of the most biologically diverse habitats in the world.

Each year there are over 10 million wine corks discarded in Ontario alone. The holiday season is the perfect time of year to launch our new program.

For more information about this program please contact:

Fay Stallan
Jelinek Cork Group
905-827-4666

Jelinek Cork Group, 2260 Speers Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6L 2X8
Phone 905-827-4666
www.jelinek.com

World's Largest Cork Tree

The title of World's Largest Cork Tree is given to a tree that lives in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The tree, known as the Whistler tree for the birds that perch in it, was planted in 1783 and was harvested for its first time in 1820. Since then, its been harvested every nine years - that's 21 times! Its most recent harvest was in 2000 and its next harvest is scheduled for this year - 2009. Talk about productive!






Source: http://www.corkqc.com/corkecology/ecology2.htm

Monday, February 9, 2009

By using Cork you are helping our Planet

Cork - One of the most renewable and ecologically friendly materials found anywhere in the world

CORK
Cork is the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber). After the cork bark is harvested from the tree, the bark immediately begins to renew itself. Not a single tree is cut down during harvest. Generally, after nine years of growth the bark is two inches thick. It is often at this point when the tree is re-harvested. Cork trees live 200-500 years.

MORE THAN RENEWABLE
Cork not only begins to renew its bark immediately after harvest but during the trees entire lifespan it is filtering carbon dioxide thereby reducing greenhouse gases. Furthermore, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) “cork oak forests support one of the highest levels of biodiversity among forest habitats, as well as the highest diversity of plants found anywhere in the world”.

NOT GOING EXTINCT
Despite rumours, cork is not going extinct. However, some winemakers are causing the cork habitat to be threatened by converting from real wine corks to synthetic and screw caps. Because of the decrease in use of real wine cork, the value of cork as a raw material has gone down. This may cause cork forest owners to sell their land, which in turn may be converted to alternative use (such as real estate development).

BY USING CORK YOU ARE HELPING OUR PLANET
The more cork that is used, the more value the farmers who own the forests get out of their land, making it less likely they will sell their land for development. By using cork you are helping to preserve the forest habitat and thereby reducing greenhouse gases and contributing to biodiversity among plant and animal life. There are many other benefits, including poverty alleviation (many cork forests are in rural North Africa and are critical to their local economy) and employment.

The construction industry has been quick to embrace cork as an acoustic underlayment in multilevel units and for flooring. The interior design industry is also on the cutting edge with unique uses of cork. Both industries also recognize that cork contributes favorably to the LEED rating system. Please encourage your favorite winemaker to support the natural solution and think how you can integrate cork into your home or office.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please visit our website or this link to the World Wildlife Fund:
http://www.jelinek.com/wwf

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Day 4 of IDS09 and the show is over

Today, the last day of IDS09, was another great day at the Jelinek Cork booth. We'd like to thank everyone who stopped by and visited our booth. It was great to meet you all and discuss cork with you. If you have any additional questions, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you!


The award winning Jelinek Cork booth at the close of the show.
Its dark and the show is over.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Day 3 of IDS09 - Another great day at the Jelinek Cork Booth!

Another glorious day at IDS09. Today and tomorrow the show will be open to the public (Friday was Professional Trade day). The public was out in full force today.

Visitors outside the Jelinek Cork Booth

Thousands of guests filtered through the award winning Jelinek Cork booth with the typical comment being "unbelievable" and "stunning".

IDS09 Gold Award - Best Booth Design

Although the booth does not display Jelinek's more traditional products, it shows cork from a unique and previously unseen perspective. Because of this, Jelinek has had lineups and a constant flow of visitors to it's booth.

Examining the booth from all angles


View of Jelinek's cork mosaic floor through columns


Jay Jelinek and Mike Manning from Suntech/GreenBilt
Cork lampshade material on ceiling of display

Some pictures from Trade Day at IDS09 - Day Two

Day 2 was Trade Day at IDS09 - a day for professionals to come network and discover new and exciting resources.

Inside the Jelinek Cork booth.

It is also a busy day for design media.

Interviewing Fay Stallan of Jelinek Cork


Using the Jelinek booth as a backdrop
for filming various news segments.




Finally, Trade Day is when the Booth Awards are presented.

Fay Stallan (Jelinek Cork)
and Mike Manning (Suntech/GreenBilt)
pose on stage after receiving the awards!

Day 2 of IDS09 - The Jelinek Cork booth wins Best Booth award

Day 2 of IDS09 was a huge success for Jelinek Cork. From the beginning of the day to the end of the day, visitors flocked to the booth to discover for themselves the versatility of cork.

The highlight of the day for the Jelinek Cork Group was being awarded best booth in its category. What a remarkable compliment. Thank you, IDS09.
The booth awards are judged by a panel composed of well-known designers (Christophe Delcourt, Alex Chapman, among others) and design-media (Cameron MacNeil, Canadian House & Home). This jury "judged the IDS09 exhibitor booths for their creativity, quality, and outstanding design." Jelinek Cork Group won the first place award in it's category. The 20' x 10' booth was designed in collaboration with award winning Levitt Goodman architects and took weeks of planning and over 400 hours to build!

The Jelinek Cork booth was also the site of television interviews as well as numerous newspaper and magazine interviews.

What a great day and thank you to all for visiting the Jelinek Cork booth at IDS09!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Day 1 of IDS09 - The Jelinek Cork Booth revealed


The hard work paid off - The Jelinek Cork Booth was a big success after Day 1 of IDS09. Here is the finished booth - immerse yourself in cork - a truly renewable resource.


Sonny Jelinek welcoming visitors to the Jelinek Cork booth.


The booth - it is a work of art!


Almost everything is cork in
the booth. Wall coverings, flooring,
ceiling.


One of the openings into the
"room".


Peeking in, display cases
on the walls, Jelinek Cork mosaic
on the floors.


Some of the many products produced
from cork - fishing floats, cork grain,
cork balls, cork "dots", tapered cork,
cork stoppers... The list is endless.


Another display contains cork
fishing floats and samples of
cork flooring.


Another opening. Again,
various types of cork cover
all surfaces.

Visitors to the booth were truly amazed at the diverse nature of cork. Check back tomorrow for more photos and comments from the show.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Ideas and Inspirations surrounding the "Cork Booth"

As IDS09 begins tomorrow, you'll have to wait until then to see this remarkable booth. Until then, here is a bit about the booth and where the design came from ...

By: Levitt Goodman Architects

"The Collaborations space interweaves the great and long history of cork with a contemporary aesthetic that will allow both design professionals and consumers to appreciate the material in an entirely new way. The design is the outcome of the knowledge gained by both Megan Cassidy and Janna Levitt, the team from Levitt Goodman, as they began to learn the multitude of ways in which cork has been utilized over the past few centuries; the ways in which it is harvested and manufactured, the natural resins embodied in cork and the inherent sustainability of the product from collection to point of sale. In addition, the Jelinek family has been associated with cork for many generations and are passionate about their product. The showroom in Oakville has an extensive archive of historic objects utilizing cork which they shared with Levitt Goodman. In addition, the company is investing considerable R and D into new and innovative uses for the product and some of these are also incorporated into the booth.

As architects and designers it is rare to be able to immerse ourselves in a material that offers such a host of design possibilities and this became an intriguing challenge: how to draw out some of the properties of an age-old material that has a deep routed legacy in the development of glass containers (bottle stops); marine applications (buoys, floats, boat hold insulation etc.). The blackened cork featured as the main material in the carved sculptural forms is in fact an insulation material, used primarily in both ships, to maintain cool temperatures and spaces that have high humidity. The natural resins which in the tree form are like sap, serves as a bond which, when heated, browns the natural material and produces an satisfying burnt wood smell. We were so intrigued by the transformation capable by this humble material that we wanted to bring this to the forefront and get others as intrigues and excited by its beauty, texture, and gorgeous scent. In addition we were excited by the idea that cork can be “carved”, layered, broken, laminated. We began by imagining a solid block of the material as wide and tall and deep as the booth, to which we then began to literally carve away a variety of spatial experiences. We wanted to create an almost soft cave like place where one can pause and that this would be a generous moment of quiet within the overwhelming sensory experience of the IDS. With cork, Levitt Goodman Architects establishes a dialogue with the IDS visitor, allowing them to re-examine their ideas about the capacity of cork to provide a host of architectural experiences. Through notions of “excavation”, “peeling” and “edges” the viewer is offered a space that heightens ones olfactory, tactile, and auditory experiences. These are only some of the potential qualities inherent in the raw material. The cork booth overall is conceived of as a grand piece within which are craggy, carved places of entry. The rough-hewn cork edges convey the idea of this cavern-like space and express’s the beauty the material in its raw form. Most of all, the space creates a place of pause, an aromatic space that invites the viewer to experience cork in a host of carefully curated moments."

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

We're off to IDS'09

IDS'09 kick-off is in a few days. Its time to get the booth delivered and setup at the show. Here it is preparing to leave...

The truck is docked and ready to deliver the booth to the show.


Finishing the floor.


The towers are lined up, ready to be loaded.


Loading the display into the truck.