2024 Galleries
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Galleries // 2016 Spark:Spring Concept // Murmur Tumblers
Murmur Tumblers
Winner - Bronze
Competition: Spark:Spring Concept
Designer: Kiersten Muenchinger - Associate Professor
Design Type: Product
Company / Organization / School: University of Oregon
Team Members: Sean Leyden, Kelsey Foo
Murmur tumblers are a 240 milliliter, 8 ounce size frequently used for water, juice and table wine, and are similar in form to the disposable coffee cup. The 10 injection-molded vessels in the set are made with common, food-safe polymers: low density polyethylene (LDPE); high density polyethylene (HDPE) derived from petroleum; HDPE derived from sugar; polypropylene (PP); polystyrene (PS); polyoxymethylene (POM); glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG); polylactic acid (PLA); polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA); copolyester (PES). The sustainability information is located on the bottom of each cup so that it does not break the intimate interactive surfaces of the side and lip of the cup. The text and graphics show the abbreviated polymer name, the post-consumer recycling number, the carbon footprint for the production of the cup and the environmental impact for the production of the cup. Some of these bits of information are more colloquial than others. Combining them allows people to compare, say, the recyclability of that cup in their community recycling service to the climate impact of the cup indicated by the carbon footprint. Different points will have differing levels of importance to different people.
