Celebrate Earth Day: Plant a Tree With ForestNation

nat rosasco • April 20, 2016

In honor of Earth Day, we decided to focus today’s post on a company who knows that being a successful business and having a positive impact on the environment and society aren’t mutually exclusive: ForestNation. As a social business, ForestNation weighs their commercial, social, and environmental goals equally. Their website states, “We believe that if we can all make successful business[es] out of doing good then lots more good things will come about.” Following this philosophy, ForestNation gives other organizations the opportunity to purchase tree kits to use for fundraising, employee gifts, or promotional items. This allows individuals to plant their own trees and create a greener world.

Why trees? Trees offer countless benefits to the environment. For instance, trees help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and combat climate change by absorbing CO2. They also help reduce deforestation, improving the quality of soil, and they clean the air by absorbing pollutants and releasing a great deal of oxygen. Trees create sustainable energy sources and other resources, as well, including biofuels and fibers that can be used to make eco-friendly clothing.

ForestNation’s tree kits are made from biodegradable packaging and come with everything you need to plant and grow your very own tree. In turn, you become a citizen of ForestNation. Each tree has a unique code that you can use to register your tree online and add it to the map of other trees that have been planted. Plus, for every tree an individual plants, ForestNation will plant another tree in a developing country. Once you register your tree, you can even look on their website to see where ForestNation planted your sister tree. So far, over 300,000 tree kits have been purchased, and ForestNation has planted a matching number.

The company displays the following quote on their homepage: “Imagine a world where everyone grows their own trees.” Thanks to the remarkable work ForestNation has done, we are far closer to achieving their ideal.

We truly admire ForestNation’s unique work, which is why we decided to partner with them to create our own campaign. Here’s where you come in! We want you to join the campaign! We currently have gorgeous red maple tree kits at our Chicago showroom, The Showroom on Hubbard, waiting for you to pick up, so you can become a citizen of ForestNation, as well. Please contact us at info@reclaimedtable.com to schedule a time to pick up your tree kit and make this planet a healthier one.

Are you doing anything special to celebrate Earth Day? Let us know in the comments below!

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Inventory Sale

By nat rosasco • January 22, 2019

Reclaimed Table's huge selection of one-off, custom table tops are being sold at deep discounts at our Villa Park showroom. Find the durable tables you need for your next project, at prices you won't come across again!

Client Feature: Oak Tables & Benches for Navy Pier's Centennial Vision

By nat rosasco • July 17, 2018

Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier has always been a popular attraction since it opened just over 100 years ago in 1916. It currently welcomes 9 million guests per year. As explained on the Navy Pier website, the Pier was designed by architect Charles Sumner Frost and was originally based on architect’s Daniel Burnham’s “the People’s Pier” in his 1909 Plan of Chicago . It was originally known as “Municipal Pier,” but was renamed in 1927 in honor of the World War 1 Navy personnel who were housed there. As we blogged about a couple of years ago , Navy Pier has been undergoing renovations in honor of its “Centennial Vision” to reimagine and enhance the pier. While updating the pier with new programming and a greener landscape, this vision has also been attracting more local eateries ( like Tiny Tavern ) and shops, creating a space that’s more inviting to local Chicagoans. After providing pieces for the first phase of the remodel last year, we were pleased to continue to be part of this project for the recently completed phase two. Partnering with Gensler, we provided white oak tables and benches near the main entrance and for the brand new, 200,000 square foot Family Pavilion that features over 50 businesses. Fortunately, these pieces were created not only with their visual aesthetic in mind, but also to impressively withstand this sort of high traffic area. We also built the reclaimed red and white oak blade signs flanking all of the restaurants and shops, which creates a unified look within the complex. Much like the Pier, these signs have an interesting, rich history behind them. The red and white oak wood used to make the signs were actually horse fences on a farm in Mercy County, Kentucky that dates back to the late 1800s. Mercer county was one of the first settlements in the state, and the farm itself, Shawnee Springs, was originally over 2,000 acres. In the 1970s the farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. We knew the Navy Pier project was the right one for this specific wood-- historic wood for an historic landmark. (See our other applications of reclaimed red and white oak Kentucky horse fence here .) Check out photos of our tables, benches, and signs at the recently updated and unveiled Pier below. And if you’re in the Chicagoland area, you can check them out for yourselves in person, along with a whole host of entertainment on the Pier. Interested in some durable tables and benches for a high-traffic area? Contact us here to get started on your next project.

Aging Booker's Bourbon: Finding the 'Sweet Spot' for Flavor

By nat rosasco • June 18, 2018

When it comes to aging bourbon, Booker’s small batch bourbon has the process literally down to a science. Currently produced by the Jim Beam distillery, it was Jim Beam’s grandson, Booker Noe, who founded this brand in 1992 with bourbon from barrels he personally selected. According to the Booker’s Bourbon website, Booker was actually raised at a Kentucky distillery and brought his family’s six generations of master distillery knowledge to his bourbon batches. How does Booker’s perfectly age their bourbon? As we pretty much all know, bourbon ages in wooden barrels. When the weather becomes hot and humid, like it does during those sticky Kentucky summers, the wood expands and absorbs the bourbon, allowing for a chemical interaction between the bourbon and the wood. In colder weather, the wood contracts and the bourbon escapes the barrel’s walls. This interaction changes the spirit’s taste and color. The longer bourbon is in the barrel, the smoother the taste, (up to a certain point, that is). Barrels are kept in rackhouses where temperatures can easily be regulated. Rackhouses were originally built out of stone with several wooden floors and an exposed dirt basement to control humidity and large temperature swings. The windows were designed to keep the buildings well-ventilated.