The ReUse People

The ReUse People of America reduces the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse. - Learn More …

Home deconstruction is a constructive idea

09:15 AM CDT on Sunday, August 29, 2010

By KIRK DOOLEY

As property values skyrocketed in the Park Cities about three decades ago, a trend developed that continues today – tearing down homes and building bigger ones in their place.

This trend has trickled over into the Bluff View, Devonshire, Lakewood and M Streets neighborhoods. At first, small, dilapidated houses were targeted for demolition, but now that they're extinct, perfectly good homes are being bulldozed.

What a waste. What a drain on our landfills.

California nonprofit eyes Central Valley homes for deconstruction

By Alex Breitler, The Record, Stockton, Calif.

Aug. 02--The wrecking ball is fast, cheap and easy. But picking apart an old structure piece by piece might be better for the planet.

An Oakland-based nonprofit organization that carefully deconstructs houses -- as opposed to demolishing them -- is expanding operations into the Central Valley, including Stockton.

The goal is to keep demolition debris out of landfills while making all the components of a home -- from toilets to tile -- available at discount prices in a Sacramento warehouse.

Build It and Win! Enter the 2010 Reuse Contest

Submitted by David Crellen on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 23:54

It's that time of year again -- TRP's annual ReUse Contest is in full swing. By popular demand, we are extending the deadline for submissions from August 1 to August 31. If you are a new subscriber and unfamiliar with this contest, follow this link to obtain more information on how to win up to $225 in gift certificates from TRP: www.thereusepeople.org/TheReUseContest_2010.

As the contest becomes more popular, perhaps we should ask our local congressional representatives to introduce a bill declaring August as the official "Reuse Month." Hmmm -- stay tuned for a follow-up feature on that subject.

Back to Basics

Submitted by Kristin Williams on Thu, 07/29/2010 - 11:11

I recently spent some time putting together a press release introducing The ReUse People to the Central Valley and Sierra regions of California.  In thinking how best to organize and present the information, I decided to convey only the vitally important information, and in the fewest possible words, to ensure that the busy reader would actually be inclined to read the release.

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The ReUse People in Action.

Since 1993, architects, contractors and building owners have relied on TRP to keep reusable and recyclable building materials out of overburdened landfills. By de-constructing (instead of demolishing) a building, TRP is able to salvage up to 80 percent of the materials and channel them back into the marketplace through donations and sales at its network of retail outlets. These services are among the first steps in the green building process. Furthermore, tax-deductible donations of reusable materials to TRP, a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation, provide a faster payback and better return-on-investment than any other product or service offered by the green building industry.

In addition to deconstruction and building-materials salvage and sales, TRP offers deconstruction training programs and "best practices" consulting through The ReUse Institute. Together, these products and services combine exemplary environmental practices with sound economic policies, to the benefit of communities and individuals everywhere.