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The Beirut Heritage Initiative (BHI), a Lebanese non-profit organization, is giving a special meaning and a strong purpose to gifting this holiday season, by launching “Here’s to Beirut– an initiative that showcases handmade drinking glasses, made of recycled glass collected from Beirut’s historical buildings.
On August 4th 2020, a massive explosion shook Beirut and destroyed more than 640 of the city’s heritage buildings, leaving behind tons of shattered glass.
Due to the country’s protracted economic crisis and a notable absence of local and international funds, many of the city’s iconic buildings have been left neglected and are still unrepaired, one year on.
To raise funds and contribute to the ongoing restoration efforts, BHI collected broken glass from the city’s historical buildings, subsequently recycling, hand blowing and re-assembling pieces into pairs of uniquely handcrafted drinking glasses.
In collaboration with one of the oldest glass factories in Lebanon, the glasses are carefully hand-printed and placed in handmade Zain wooden boxes inspired by Beirut’s famous traditional window facades.
“We have created this initiative to help rebuild some of the city’s beautiful historical facades, with many remained unrepaired more than a year after the blast. These structures represent the city’s glory and the rich culture of its courageous people and they need to be saved,” stated the BHI committee.
BHI’s initiative aims to invite people from around the world to contribute to saving the city’s heritage and culture by helping restore some of its iconic architecture.
“We would like to encourage people from all over the world to contribute to this important cause. Beirut has always been the city of life, the city of culture. It is renowned for its beautiful architecture, its historical buildings and monumental heritage. These recycled glasses symbolise the strength and resilience of a beautiful city that will never break and that will continue to rise and rebuild and heal. Join us this holiday season, no matter where you are, by raising your glasses to Beirut, in hopes of a better future,” concluded Krix Berberian, Regional Creative Director of TBWA\RAAD.
These limited-edition sets can be purchased online at HeresToBeirut.com and delivered worldwide. All proceeds will go to the restoration efforts led by BHI.
