Counter Programming. Recycled Glass Countertops.
Podcast Plunge into interior decorating & recycling
Podcast Plunge brings you a sometimes-more-than-weekly newsletter that contains a podcast episode recommendation, a deep dive into a topic within that episode, and links to other internet things on that topic.
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THE PODCAST. Listen here.
Full disclosure before we begin that this is a podcast that I co-host with my friend, Shira Moskowitz. But now, to legitimize us: we’ve been featured in Podnews, Podcast Business Journal, Inside Podcasting, Podcast The Newsletter, and on Apple Podcast’s New & Noteworthy. So while, yes, I’m doing some self-promo here, I promise, it’s for good reason. And that reason is: you should know that we did a series on kitchen countertops.
About the podcast:
Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle was initially a distraction-cast. It started on April 1, 2020 as a reaction to all of the grim COVID-19 news being presented on TV, on the internet, and on podcasts. We were getting super stressed listening to all the coverage and decided to create a “counter” narrative. While we acknowledged that staying in the know is important, we also implored folks to take a break, to distract themselves.
Counter Programming has evolved. It started with a four-part series on countertops: marble, steel, granite, and wood. We thought the pandemic wouldn’t last that long and we’d be good to go with four episodes planned.
LOLOLOL.
Here we are. A year later. We’ve done episodes on anything we can think of with the word “count” or “counter” in the title: Count Dracula, Count Von Count, sperm count, “your vote counts,” counter-productivity, and more. Get it…counter…programming…?!
We kicked off season two at the beginning of March 2021 with yet another series on countertops: quartz, laminate, and recycled glass.
And that’s what brings us here today. Recycled glass.
Here’s the episode description:
It's the countertop series! We're learning about recycled glass today.
Definition:
Recycled glass countertops are made from glass (sometimes from curbside recycling programs) mixed with resin or concrete. They can be made to look like natural stone (the homogenous look) OR they can have a glassy, tiled look (terrazzo style).
Fun facts:
- The recycled glass countertop was invented in 1996 by Don McPherson, who was at the time a student at UC Berkeley.
- In 2006, investors acquired McPherson's company (Counter Productions) and renamed it Vetrazzo.
- Vetrazzo is still the leading manufacturer of recycled glass countertops.
For this edition of Podcast Plunge, it’s all about the kitchen. What kind of countertops do you have?
THE TIMES ARTICLE. Read here.
From 2008, this article comes just 12 years after recycled glass countertops as a concept/product were invented and just two years after inventor and materials scientist, Don McPherson’s company (Counter Productions) was acquired and turned into Vettrazzo. HISTORY!
THE TWEET. Read here.
Get a good look. This tweet has it all. Patina. Recycled glass. Vettrazzo. If you’re not familiar with recycled glass countertops, please allow me to spread the good word. RG countertops come in two forms: homogenous and terrazzo. Homogenous RG countertops can be made to look like natural stone. Terrazzo is the style that looks like glass chips. Vettrazzo is the leading manufacturer of RG countertops AND the first company to have made them. Learn more about the history of the company, which was founded pretty recently (in 1996), in our episode!
THE INSTAGRAM. Watch here.
A truly mesmerizing video of recycled glass being crushed into smaller chunks for future use as a freakin’ countertop! This video comes from Fisher Recycling, a commercial collection service for glass. The glass that Fisher Recycling collects becomes, in part, these gorgeous RG countertops.
THE TIK TOK. Watch here.
From user Umi_stone_florida. Check out this recycled glass countertop showroom. Did you know that each RG countertops is unique and in addition to glass, can be made from seashells, bottle caps, and sand?
For more podcast recommendations, follow Arielle Nissenblatt.