This isn’t exactly related to banking, or real estate, or just about anything else we cover here at B&T, but I thought this was pretty cool all the same…
The Furniture Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing sustainable solutions for the disposition of unwanted office furniture, hosted an event on Thursday evening to celebrate its 4th Annual Eco-Carpentry Challenge at District Hall in Boston’s Innovation District. The event drew a crowd of more than 200 guests, including local high school students, their parents and teachers, as well as industry leaders who gathered to network and celebrate.
As part of the challenge, students from throughout Massachusetts were tasked with creating new products using gently used furniture donated by local corporations. Students had five months to design and create their entries. With the help of their shop-class teachers, students were permitted to use woodworking and metal tools, biscuits, glue, screws, hardware, stain, sandpaper and paint to transform the old furniture pieces into new products. The Furniture Trust delivered a suite of used office furniture to each school, and in an effort to inspire creativity, allowed students free reign to develop their own projects. The schools that participated included: Hopedale High School, Leominster High School – Center for Technical Education Innovation, Medford Vocational Technical High School, Northeast Metro Vocational High School, Somerville- Full Circle High School, Taunton High School and YouthBuild in Lawrence.
… students showcased their finished projects which ranged from a potting bench with tool storage and seat to a game room with modern gaming chair and dart board. Projects were judged during the event by a distinguished panel of industry experts in four categories: Best in Class, Maximum and Best Reuse of Raw Materials, Best Commercial Application, and Most Unique and Creative Product Produced. Winning schools were awarded a total of over $6,000. This year, The Furniture Trust launched the People’s Choice category, which allowed attendees to vote for their favorite projects.
There’s some more cool stuff over on their Facebook page, if you’re interested…
