Jerusalemites were pleasantly surprised Wednesday to find that many of the stone and metal benches in the city were now covered with "upholstery," made out of recycled posterboard. The "cushions" were placed as part of the city's publicity campaign for its summer events.

The cushions have been placed on the benches in the many sitting areas that were set up in the city over the past few years, and will be kept out throughout the summer for the benefit of visitors. The project is a joint one being the municipality and Baram, a leading producer of advertising signs placed on the sides of buildings. The company generally tries to recycle its signs creatively, choosing this time to enter into the cushion project with the Jerusalem municipality. Guy Baram, the company's CEO, said that "we think about environmental concerns throughout the production process, from the raw material we start with to the ink and printing materials that go into the posters. Jerusalem residents can rest easy on their cushions, knowing that they are environmentally sound."