My Reuse Resolutions

A new year is just around the corner which I know, for me at least, means the beginning of many ambitious new year plans and resolutions.  While some resolutions are easier to keep than others, I always find that some are definitely worth the extra effort.  As I began to make a mental list of things I wanted to add to my resolutions this year, I found that LBC had definitely impacted me in making reuse a priority for this year.

Here are some reasons reuse is on the top of my New Year’s Resolution List this year:

1)      Saving money.  As a poor college student making my way up from the bottom of the totem pole, money is definitely not something to throw around.  I have learned from making holiday presents to working on my latest designs projects, most of the materials I need are already within range of my fingertips.  By simply reusing things I already own, I hope to save even more money in the upcoming year.

 

2)      Preserving my future.  As much as I let it slide to the back of my mind from time to time, it is inevitable that we have a crucial part in the well-being of our planet, and continually tossing waste into landfills does not seem to be the way to go about making that change.  I want to make sure the world does not just stay beautiful for my lifetime, but for the lifetime of my children and my grandchildren as well.  Reusing just happens to be one of the easiest ways for me to help the world work towards this goal on my own.

 

3)      Helping others.  The common adage: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” means so much more than I could have ever imagined in the world of reuse.  I realize that if everything I threw away could provide someone else treasure in any sense of the word, the world would be such a better place.  Lifecycle Building Center just helps the process by allocating that “trash” to some place it can be a treasure.

 

So while my new year’s list will contain many ambitious plans, some of which I know I will not successfully keep, reuse is one I plan to take the extra mile, and hopefully 2015 will be all the greater of a year as a result.  Happy 2015 from the Lifecycle Building Center and here’s to another great year of building material reuse.

A day in the life of an operations intern

I step out of my truck into the already blistering 10 am sunlight. It’s not but 30 yards to the shade of the warehouse, but I’m already starting to sweat. I walk to the back of the warehouse, put my lunch away for later, enjoy the faint smell of sawdust behind the front desk, and greet whoever might have beaten me to the warehouse this morning. Chances are there is someone sitting at the front desk playing some music and updating the inventory, and someone else is trotting around the warehouse trying to get the supply organized for the days ahead (a task that will never end). Besides the occasional complaint about the heat, everyone is cheerful and ready to get things going.

As an operation intern who is there only once a week, my duties at the warehouse are never the same. Some days, the work is more fun than others, but two things hold certain – it’s gonna be hot (I’ve only been working in the summer, so I don’t know how this job works in the winter – it’s probably still hot), and I’m gonna be lifting some heavy objects. I must admit though, a bit of manual labor feels good for the soul. When the stack of neatly organized floor joists in front of you exemplifies the fruits of your labor, you can’t help but feel a little proud. Maybe it’s just me, but sweating your way through the day makes it that much more rewarding.

The day carries on, and I find myself organizing carpet tiles, disassembling some old wooden crates, processing some new inventory, and talking to the customers that walk in, many of whom are regulars. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to go on a deconstruction trip to pick up some new materials that some gracious donor has provided for us. Pulling a fireplace mantle off a wall or disassembling some cabinets is surprisingly rewarding (carrying them back to the truck, not so much though).

As the day comes to an end, chances are I'm drenched in sweat and covered in dust. Days at the warehouse may be long, but they don't feel long. Almost always on the move with one project or another. I look back on what I have done that day, and knowing that there is a chance that what I have done may have a small impact on the betterment of construction waste management feels good. As an architecture student, this is important to me. If we are to save the planet one day, I truly believe it starts with our buildings. Waste not, learn to conserve. Doing a little dirty work to make this happen is a great opportunity.