Recycled Wind Turbines Become Innovative Seating Outside City Hall
A group of donors from the renewable energy industry recently partnered with manufacturer Canvus, Inc. to donate several functional art pieces to the City of Columbia Heights. Canvus, a manufacturer of products made from wind turbine blades, keeps retired blades out of landfills by giving them new life as outdoor benches and other products that add visual interest to outdoor spaces. The donated pieces now serve as distinctive seating outside the new Columbia Heights City Hall.
“Canvus works with communities across the United States on amplifying their public spaces. The City of Columbia Heights was inspired and excited by our mission and wanted to take part,” said Parker Kowalski, Managing Director of Brand at Canvus. “We worked together to bring Canvus pieces to their community using our Donation Program, by highlighting the City's desire to make their spaces more sustainable and engaging for their citizens.”
Columbia Heights is the first community in Minnesota to receive Canvus products through the manufacturer’s Donation Program, where they work with donors to place the pieces in communities across the country. The collection includes planters, benches, and public art. In addition to upcycled wind turbines, Canvus reimagines other retired materials such as tires, shoes, and plastic bottles.
"This installation advances the City’s efforts to engage its residents around the topic of sustainability while enhancing the city’s place-making efforts centered on pedestrian-oriented improvements,” said Columbia Heights Community Development Director Aaron Chirpich. "The donation aligns with the City’s goal of minimizing the use of toxins and generation of waste in its operations and procurement by reusing and recycling components into value-added products.”
The collection is located at 3989 Central Avenue NE and the pieces include QR codes that visitors can scan for more information.
10-11-2023