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Canada’s favourite coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons has unveiled new eco-friendly changes to its cutlery, lids and sandwich wraps that will be in stores starting in early 2023. The announcement came Dec. 20, the same day the federal government’s ban on the import and manufacturing for sale of single-use plastics came into effect. These include bans on plastic checkout bags, cutlery and food-service ware made from problematic plastics. Tim Hortons’ more than 4,000 Canadian locations will begin the switch in January, replacing plastic cutlery and lids with wooden and fibre cutlery and fibre lids for its bowls. The new compostable items will eliminate the use of an estimated 90 million single-use plastics a year across Canada, the company said in a press release. …“Our wooden cutlery is made with wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council based on its sustainable forestry standards,” Tim Hortons said.
Canadians want to see an end to the harmful impacts of plastic pollution on nature and wildlife and the time to act is now. …the Government of Canada reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to address plastic pollution and protect biodiversity here at home, and around the world. The Government of Canada announced the next important steps in the ban on harmful single-use plastics. Effective December 20, 2022, the manufacture and import for sale of the following harmful single-use plastics in Canada will be prohibited: checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from, or containing, problematic plastics that are hard to recycle, stir sticks, straws (with some exceptions). The ban on the manufacture and import of ring carriers will enter into force in June 2023.
Have you ever wondered why you feel cozy in some places while you feel stunned in others? Think about the last international airport you landed in, or a local coffee shop in your neighbourhood. How we perceive these places is multifaceted. We often hear that we perceive our environments through five senses: sight, smell, touch, sound and taste. But what if there are more senses involved in our perception Architects concerned with “the ways we experience things, thus the meanings things have in our experience,” as articulated in the branch of philosophy known as phenomenology are concerned with a fuller picture of how we perceive our environments. Beyond the traditional five senses, neuroscientific research also examines proprioception (sensing your muscles, their location, and their movements) and the vestibular system, which regulates the sense of orientation and balance in space.
Benchmark Holdings, LLC and FPInnovations have entered into a cooperative agreement to provide product certification, laboratory testing, and third-party inspection services to Canadian manufacturers of composite wood panels and laminated products according to CANFER, EPA TSCA Title VI and CARB ATCM 93120 regulations. The partnership means Canadian manufacturers get access to Benchmark’s extensive product certification and laboratory testing services. It also means they get FPInnovations’ Canadian-based technical resources, auditing staff, and expertise for responsive, local, and cost-effective certification support. In addition, FPInnovations’ testing laboratory in Quebec City, Canada will offer formaldehyde quality control test services to Canadian manufacturers…The combination of Benchmark’s simple, cost-effective EPA, CARB, and CANFER product certification and qualification test program and FPInnovations expertise minimizes the time, effort, and cost needed for Canadian producers to achieve compliance.
Mission Secondary School recently saw a new addition to its woodworking department. A new $24,000 portable saw mill was purchased for the school by the City of Mission with profits from the Forestry Reserve. The city presented the school with a large $24,000 cheque on Thursday (Dec. 15) and had an opportunity to start up the mill. The new equipment will provide students with hands-on experience cutting lumber and an opportunity to work on special projects. The mill was assembled by a student named Campbell as part of his grade 12 capstone project under the guidance and direction of woodworking teacher Brad Unger.
From timber long houses in Europe to temples in Asia, wood has been a primary construction material in buildings since the Stone Age, with some still standing more than a thousand years later. Today, modern technology and engineering is turning wood into a “new” building material, mass timber, which is set to transform the North American lumber industry. …For decades, Europe has been at the forefront of this revolution, but growing momentum in the still-nascent North American market is fostering an environment ripe for commercial opportunities. …The number of North American mass timber plants has grown to 22 from just 4 in 2016, and that number could more than double by 2027… and there are many opportunities to participate in different parts of the business. These include fabrication of and design services for the various components and connections, all the way to working with architects and engineers on fully integrated design and supply solutions.
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The Softwood Lumber Board recently published its 2022 Q3 newsletter, highlighting the SLB’s efforts to advance market share for softwood lumber. The SLB, in partnership with its funded programs … has made significant gains in the market, increased impact, and maximized its return on investment. Collaboration between the SLB, its funded programs, and partners around codes, communication, and conversions continue to expand softwood lumber’s market share efficiently and effectively.
SEATTLE — People may already be exchanging gifts ahead of Christmas. …Paper is one of the most recycled materials in the U.S., according to the American Forest and Paper Association. In fact, last year, 68 percent of all paper consumed in the U.S. was recycled, including 91 percent of all cardboard boxes. …One of the simplest things you can do with gift bag recycling is to remove tags with glitter and cloth ribbon handles before putting paper gift bags into the recycling bin. “A good test whether something is paper based is to crumple it into a really tight ball,” said Terry Webber, AF&PA VP of industry affairs. If the item stays wadded in the tight ball and keeps its shape – it’s paper. Tissue paper can usually be recycled as long as it’s not glittery, metallic, or plastic based.
On the coast of Japan, in Tottori, on the South-West of the country, Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA) has designed Takahama Café, a cross-laminated timber and reinforced concrete structure. The building, overlooking sand dunes and the sea, gently blends in with the landscape, remembering something in between a sand dune and a trunk. On the top of the bar on two floors that is located inside, there is a panoramic terrace, shaded by a wooden pergola. Warm lighting and materials give the project a simple and intimate atmosphere.
SWEDEN — A stunning 6.5 billion plastic caps are consumed around the world, every day. Blue Ocean Closures aims to reduce that number by providing screw caps and seals based on cellulose fibre. The company’s first production plant in Sweden was opened on 24 November. Blue Ocean Closures, a member of the Paper Province business cluster, recently started its first production unit, developing ground-breaking screw-cap solutions that can make a big difference on a global level. The plant is located in Säffle, a town in the densely forested region of Värmland, in western Sweden. Based on cellulose fibre, the biodegradable and recyclable screw-on caps and lids target a huge market, since players around the world look for renewable packaging options. Around the world, 6.5 billion plastic caps and seals are used and discarded every day. That corresponds to 2,500 billion a year!