Question: People ask us . . . Why Do You Do What You Do? (WDYDWYD?)
Answer 1: Jobs!
We’re committed to creating local and green jobs for the Buffalo community. More importantly, we feel these jobs should leverage the waste in our society to create opportunity. We’re interested in a critical analysis of our economy to identify wasteful business practices that damage our communities and our environment, and opportunities that exist for new ventures. We’re determined to find solutions and to implement alternatives that put people to work.
Answer 2: Innovation!
As we look at the world, we see so much that has failed, so much that pollutes and wastes, and so much that just doesn’t make sense. We often ask, “Isn’t there a better way? Has anyone tried something differently and made it work? Can’t we do the right thing for workers, the environment, and communities AND create a modest profit? There are ways and the answers can be found through collectively innovating and acting?”
Answer 3: Training!
We value our role as mentors for young people in our community. We encourage our mentors to not only be good employees with a diligent work ethic and strong skills, but also good people driven by their own interests and passions and committed to service.
Answer 4: Education!
We’re interested in creating and promoting a dialogue. We’re committed to building the reuse industry so that others can benefit from the opportunity of material reuse. We advise and consult with not for profits and municipalities, community leaders and businesses to ensure opportunity is harvested from unwanted structures. Our blog communicates ideas and information we feel is critical to educating the community, promoting more responsible behavior, and expanding the industry of material recycling.
Answer 5: Ecological Stewardship!
Our work as green demolition contractors was born out of the wastefulness of traditional demolition. We shared a growing concern about the material filling our local landfills; the growing environmental destruction that accompanies the logging industry, the source of “new lumber”; and the behavior of many businesses that fails to recognize environmental clean-up and responsibility as a cost of doing business.
Answer 6: Community Building!
We value relationships. We intend, through our work, to bring people together. We focus our work in the MidCity neighborhood, where we plan to be very active with rehabilitation and creative use of green spaces. We believe through collaboration, creativity, and hard work we can rebuild, reinvent, and reimagine a future for our community and create a net positive ecological, economic, and social benefit for everyone who lives and works in the Mid City community.
All photos by Caesandra Seawell, except for photo number 4 (Tree Planting) by Natalie Marino. All Rights Reserved.
ReUse Action’s Restoration crew began a project to save this “Country Club”, built in the 80′s and greatly in danger of being lost. The building boasts huge timbers and locally milled hemlock lumber. Unfortunately, years of neglect has resulted in severe deterioration to the southwest wall. It’s our hope the new owner will be able to provide the necessary push to get this building to the point where it can be utilized and appreciated for years to come.
Here are some initial photos of the building it was found Friday.
The top photo shows the building, completely finished with locally milled hemlock. The picture below shows the southwest Wall and the beating it has sustained from the elements, combined with years of neglect.
Day 1 was predominantly spent jacking and shoring the second floor which had nearly collapsed due to the deterioration of the wall.; We jacked the southwest corner nearly a foot to return it to level.
The structure has been shored and stabilized. On Day 2, we will demolish the remainder of the southwest wall and begin rebuilding.
Stay tuned to the progress of this unique structure. ReUse Action’s restoration and rehabilitation team is estimating projects for 2012. We have several barns in the hopper, once we get this Ski Lodge back on the recovery path. Call us at 716-884-3366 (DEMO). If the building is too far gone our demolition team can give you a quote with the emphasis on saving as many materials as possible for reuse.
Last week we took a shipment of 2x lumber stock to a mill in Arcade, NY Brauen Custom Millwork. It is very exciting to be able to track the life of this wood–from where the lumber came from to how it was processed and finally to the end product. This lumber came from the demolition of the John Deere Factory in Syracuse, NY, was tracked and coded by D-Build, brought back to Buffalo by the Green Demo Team to Action HQ, shipped to the mill, and is now being used in Rusted Grain’s woodshop. We will be using this lumber in our woodshop to construct a 74″ cabinet piece as well as a large built-in armoire for two separate clients. This same lumber is being used to build two new doors for the Nickel City Co-op! The southern yellow pine is gorgeous and we think it will look amazing once it is cut up and re-glued into furniture. More pictures to come as we progress…
As the summer ends and winter approaches, we finished the final touches on the waterfront food kiosk “Clinton’s Dish.” We boarded her up for the season, installing beautiful storm shutters that were made in the Rusted Grain woodshop at Action HQ! Like the siding, our materials for the storms were locally sourced: yellow pine flooring that was salvaged by the Green Demo Team during a green demolition project taking place in South Buffalo. The aged boards were refaced and stained, becoming an awesome addition to the local flavor of Buffalo’s newest waterfront building. Speaking of flavor…can’t wait ’til they come off in the spring and we can go down to the waterfront again for some ice cream!
Last week, we noticed another house in our neighborhood was gone. The house had been vacant for years, but if you were to peek inside the windows you would have noticed the original, unpainted trim; an antique cast sink; and beautiful 5 panel doors. Grrrr . . . it’s all in the landfill now, an opportunity lost.
Opportunity Found!
Over the past few years, we’ve heard on numerous occasions from folks about other lost reuse opportunities: old school doors, gymnasium floors, lockers, industrial carts, unique foundation stone, architectural pieces, scrap metal, windows, and much much more. ReUse Action needs your help to ensure that this madness does not continue! Material reclamation translates into jobs for our local economy and we don’t need the waste entering our landfills!
How can you help???
Well, we don’t expect something for nothing . . . so there’s an incentive for you, our committed ReUse Explorers. All folks who deliver leads to the ReUse Action Tip Line 716-884-DEMO or via email at tip {at} reuseaction(.)com, will be entered into a quarterly drawing for a $50 gift certificate to a local Buffalo restaurant. Furthermore, if your lead results in a reclamation opportunity that generates $500 or more in material value, you will promptly receive a $25 gift certificate for a local Buffalo restaurant! Each month, we’ll feature the hottest reused materials that you help us to recover!
WHAT do you do?
First, talk to people you know . . . contractors who are removing materials, architects who are designing new buildings, home owners who are doing rehab, institutions that are in the middle of capital improvement campaigns . . . and find out if any reusable materials are going to be removed.
Second, call or email us with the tip . . . and any details you know . . . 716-884-DEMO (3366) or tip {at} reuseaction(.)com . If you think it’s urgent (and it often is), you can also TEXT A TIP directly to Michael at 716-949-0900. What material is available (approximate quantity)? Where is the material is located? What is the contact phone number of the person who has the material? At the very least, leave us a message with your name and number, so we can follow up.
Finally, keep your eyes peeled for reusable materials. ReUse Action is creating jobs from waste and the more leads we obtain, the more money we can cycle IN our communities and keep OUT of the landfill.
Call the ACTION TIP LINE…716-884-DEMO. We’re WNY’s First and Only Green Demolition Team and we need your help. Pass it on!
The building reuse industry is growing, getting more attention, and becoming a more realistic option for developers, architects, and homeowners.
Buffalo Deconstruction Contractors, ReUse Action and Buffalo ReUse, shared their expertise and learning experiences yesterday as participants and presenters at the 3rd Annual Deconstruction Summit in Syracuse.
The old team reunites in Syracuse! Peter Riphahn, Kevin Hayes & Michael Gainer
While I was serving at Buffalo ReUse, we submitted a bid package to deconstruct eighteen residential structures as part of the Syracuse University School of Environmental Science and Forestry’s (ESF) campus expansion. While ESF ultimately opted for demolition with a very challenging construction timeline, our involvement and expertise was given praise yesterday by construction mangers, Hueber-Breuer. After witnessing the “missed opportunity”, ESF students approached SU officials to make the case for green demolition in the second phase of the project. Their extensive research and arguments were presented at the 3rd Annual Deconstruction Summit yesterday. Here’s a link to their report (6MB PDF).
There were many questions posed that related to the feasibility of deconstruction/green demolition; its associated costs; and the ecological/social benefits. Our responses and reflections from over four years worth of experience played a crucial role in persuading officials from ESF that green demolition could be a feasible option, one that preserved unique materials, without busting the projects budget.
While phase two is unlikely to get rolling until Summer 2012, it’s best when considering green demolition that reuse practitioners are involved in the decision-making early on. The more information developers and architects, officials, and builders have in advance, the greater the possibilities for increasing the material reuse outcomes for the project.
While praise should be given to the open-mindedness and diligence of ESF’s staff, the students should be given the credit for bringing this opportunity to the attention of SU officials. Their commitment to and belief in green demolition as a tool in the green building process, makes the complete dismantlement of 11 structures next summer a real possibility. It was discussed during the round table discussion that the paradigm shift in how we think about ecological responsibility starts with the cumulative small actions of students, citizens, and people who are both caring and determined. The fruits of these actions were evident at the summit yesterday and through our dialogue we were all witness to the strengthening of the reuse industry.
Last Fall, ReUse Action staff deconstructed a barn in Syracuse in collaboration with a new company called D-Build. We were on site for three days, salvaged tons of antique beams and planks, and almost all of it was distributed to customers in the Syracuse area.
D-build created an awesome video of that green demolition…you should check it out if you want to learn more about hybrid deconstruction…i.e. green demolition. Check it out here…
If you’re not convinced that green demolition and building reuse is a good idea…check out this video, just released by d-build. It is a very persuasive pitch for why we should be performing more building reuse and recycling projects…
