Center Yourself

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." -Proverb

This is the time of year when we all come out of hibernation and take a fresh look at our environment. All too often that Springtime glance shows a great need to update. Whether the update includes landscaping or home improvements, one thing will result: waste. Putting on a new deck? What do you do with the discarded lumber from the old deck? New siding? Most likely that will land in a rented dumpster. Where else are you going to put all those old building supplies? Did you know 30-40 % of all land fill waste comes from tossed building waste? But, what can we do to avoid that? The Green Instittue of Minneapolis has come up with an ingenious solution. They will gladly take that discarded material and resell it to the public to resue in their new projects. All of it is held in a dream of a warehouse, the Reuse Center.

I first learned about the Reuse Center a few years ago when a quaint little cottage across the street from me was bulldozed to make room for a brand spanking new house. Before the army of dump trucks arrived for the demolition, the Reuse center came in and took any usable material (i.e. kitchen cabinets, lighting fixtures, countertops, sinks, switch plates, etc. etc.) . The builder was also kind enough to let the neighborhood pillage the property before all remains of the house were taken out of sight and out of mind to the land fill. We scored a killer old-school deck table, benches and deck chairs that came back to life with a few coats of paint. My husband carted trip after trip of old clay bricks originating from a turn-of-the-century factory in St. Paul. Those bricks are now used in our yard making borders and pathways decorating our gardens. Also aiding our landscaping ventures are some old railroad ties we scored before the demolition. All these materials would have cost us hundreds of dollars new and could have ended up adding to the pile of garbage this culture is so proficient at creating.

A trip to the Reuse Center is worth just the fun of what you might unearth. I have found a few gems for my project bins. So, if you find that you or yours are ready for a spring time project, make a trip to the Reuse Center first.... "you just might find, you get what you need." Link is below.

http://www.thereusecenter.com/