Any time we hear or read about forest devastation, whether it’s due to natural or man-made causes, we feel a great sense sadness. A situation of this kind has arisen in British Columbia in the forests of Canada. Due to unseasonably warm weather as a result of climate change, an uncontrollable infestation of mountain pine beetles has wreaked havoc on the trees in the province’s rural areas. At last count, upwards of 18 million hectares of forest have been attacked. For context, that’s as much as 1.3 million football fields, with only an increase in the number of pine attacks predicted!
While environmental experts in the area analyze a solution that won’t upset the delicate balance of the irreplaceable rural ecosystems there, one start-up design company based in Vancouver is trying to make the best of a difficult situation.
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BIKA – Modern Bike Rack Crafted from Kill Wood
The afflicted trees most often have to be cut down and cleared, so rather than letting the wood go to waste, Killwood is harvesting the pine to create a reclaimed bike rack! The Bika rack design is created only using affected timber, clearing it out to decrease the chance of forest fire, which is greater if the trees are left dead but unharvested in the forest.
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Besides providing its customers with a stylish, convenient bike rack, Killwood’s aim in creating the Bika rack is to draw attention to environmental issues. Firstly the rack encourages buyers to ride their bikes more by allowing them to hang their bikes right in their hallway. The more people encounter their bikes, and the more easily accessible the bikes are, the more likely people are to pick them up and ride them.
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Secondly, the racks’ unique origin and story are to be included with each one. Rather than buying mass produced bike racks made from metal and plastic, the public will know that buying a Bika rack helps preserve an endangered Canadian forest).
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Made of clean, light pine, the Bika rack is also a stylish addition to your home. The minimalist design is actually quite diverse in function given its simple appearance. Besides providing a place to hang your bike, the Bika rack also gives you a cubby for storing books or mail, a top surface for placing decorative items on, and a magnetic underside that lets you stick your keys to it for safekeeping the second you walk in the door.
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The Bika’s slim construction even makes it easier to hang than most big, bulky bike racks. For example, you’d hardly think of attaching big metal wheel hooks to the wall inside your home, relegating your bike to the garage where you might be less likely to use it each day. The Bika, however, is so small and easy to hang that you only need worry about the length and width of your bike, rather than the size of the shelf itself. Talk about marrying fashion and function!
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If you’d like to support the development and sale of Killwood’s Bika bike rack initiative, check out their Kickstarter campaign!
