Diamond Teak's Eco-Elegant Designs

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Sep 3rd 2009 at 4:02PM

The VIP tent at the annual Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge in the Hamptons is always quite a scene, but this year attendees noticed the space was particularly plush. That's because Diamond Teak, one of the key sponsors at this year's event, furnished the VIP area with heirloom-quality pieces from its Spirit Song Collection (above). The company was founded by two Harvard grads, Kevin and Christine Yardley, who volunteered with the World Teach Organization in Costa Rica. They conceived of Diamond Teak as a way of bringing an entrepreneurial spirit to protecting the environment and boosting the local economy there. They now have over 12 Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) / Smartwood certified plantations, protecting over 1.000 acres of jungle terrain. Diamond Teak is an end result of this process - the finest teak wood furniture from the best wood hand-selected by master crafts people. The company has accrued a broad range of high-profile clients, including Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The Spirit Song Collection's elegant curves mimic organic forms in nature, combining golden tropical hardwood with shimmering marine-grade stainless steel.

Tags: Costa Rica, CostaRica, Diamond Teak, DiamondTeak, Hamptons, Harvard, Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge, Mercedes-benzPoloChallenge, polo, teak, wood furniture, WoodFurniture

Filed under: Decor, Events, Celebrity Shopping, Green

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Brad Sep 3rd 2009 6:24PM

Teak is not native to Central America, and, in fact, old-growth native forests are often destroyed in order to establish teak farms, since the trees are easy-to-cultivate cash crops. Accordingly, a mission statement claiming a desire to "protect the environment" through Central American teak farming is more than a little suspect.

JPS Sep 3rd 2009 6:34PM

They plant on "degraded" cattle farms and are actually re-foresting, see below:

"Costa Rica’s bio-diversity includes 5 percent of all known species in an area the size of West Virginia. yet Costa Rica had some of the fastest deforestation rates in the world, so there was a desperate need to offset this environmental destruction. “The reforestation effort in Costa Rica has done a great deal of good,” explains Kevin Yardley. “But if you look at El Salvador or Haiti, countries that are 99% deforested, they have little prospects . . . A country without trees has no future,” he states. The Yardleys’ environmental spirit led them to envision a way to protect the environment while creating jobs to empower the local community. According to the Costa Rican Ministry of Natural Resources, Diamond Teak is having a positive impact in Costa Rica through their reforestation efforts.

In 1992, Diamond Teak bought their first degraded cattle farm and began planting teak. In addition to farming teak, they have planted seventy other species including endangered native trees such as mahogany, purpleheart and cocobolo rosewood. Their 12 plantations protect more than 1000 acres of primary and secondary jungle and provide safe havens for an incredibly diverse selection of flora and fauna."

http://diamondteak.com/about-diamond-teak.html