We do get things like reading lamps, dining tables, sofas, shelving units, area rugs, desks and the odd frying pan or shoe rack (I don’t know–they just show up).

And if you’re looking to do last days of summer type repairs or projects, we’ve got all kinds of plumbing fixtures, flooring, molding, doors, windows and lighting you might want to check out before you head to the box stores!  We’re at 298 Northampton St between Main and Jefferson.  We hope to see you this Saturday!

Special Labor Day discounts – 10% off everything in the store, 20% off if you spend $200 or more!. Come on down to 298 Northampton Street, Friday and Saturday 7:30am to 5:00pm.

(click the photo to see more flooring and lumber)

On behalf of the Partnership for the Public Good, I’d like to invite you to:

Buffalo’s Abandoned Housing Crisis: New Solutions

A Panel Discussion Featuring:
Anthony Armstrong, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Harvey Garrett, West Side Community Collaborative
Kathleen Lynch, Western New York Law Center
Sam Magavern, University at Buffalo Law School

Honorable Henry Nowak, Jr., City of Buffalo Housing Court

Brian Reilly, City of Buffalo Commissioner of Economic Development, Permits, and Inspections

Free and open to the public

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

4:00 to 5:30 p.m.

Cornell University ILR School

237 Main St.

Suite 1200

Downtown Buffalo

Seating is limited. To guarantee a space, please register by sending an email by September 12 to Katie Chadwick, klc27 {at} cornell(.)edu .
click here to open & print flier for the event

We love helping people play hookey from their “real” jobs! UB participated in The United Way’s 2008 Day of Caring and a team of 40 people lead by Donna Scuto came out to ReUse like little tornadoes getting stuff done left and right. We had people branding tools, clearing out the tool shed, helping to paint and brighten up the future TOOL BARn! We had a troop of people doing some minor carpentry and working on the rear fence–installing posts and doors! Even those who were a little squeamish about the nail gun didn’t shirk from the task at hand. A band of people worked just on painting signs for the store and others were clearing out the garbage and rotten fruit from under the apple tree. We had two separate teams of people just working in the community gardens–weeding, clearing and building more raised beds. Some people didn’t even want to get back on the bus! I think that everyone had a great time; I hope that everyone got a little charge in their step knowing they were able to get so much done in just a few hours? It is just that easy to make a difference in Buffalo. Thanks so much, Donna and UBelievers for thinking of us and joining our efforts at Buffalo ReUse.

Does your office need a vacation from your vocation? Do you need a community service project for your troop or sorority? Are you just bored out of your skull and out of spitballs? Wanna come play in our backyard? Contact Caesandra volunteer {at} buffaloreuse(.)org to set up an afternoon or a day with your office, poker buddies, knitting circle, book club, D&D coven–we are not at all picky. As always, you can just show up any Saturday from 9-5 and get dirty.

(click the photo to see 101 more!)

Phil Fairbanks wrote a nice story about the work our Green Summer crew of young people did on Eaton Street house.

Mayor Brown’s Summer Youth Program pays their wages; Buffalo ReUse puts them to work in the community. A lot of work they did the past five weeks was aimed at making the house on Eaton Street a home for their own program and a future office for Buffalo ReUse. The crew helped set up the Eaton Street Patchwork Community Gardens. They also had the opportunity to meet and work with other community activists, such as Dr. Henry Taylor of UB and Valeria Cray-Dihaan of 50 Women With A Vision.

When we thanked Phil for his work, he responded “My pleasure. I love doing stories like that, and the kids were great.” Thanks again, Phil!

All last week I had a blast eating! It was all a part of Buffalo First’s promotion of eating local. The week started off with a trip up to Flying Bison and sampling a bunch of apps. Then, there was the cookout with the Massachusetts Avenue Project, which was a huge success in spite of the pouring rain!

Everyone huddled under the tarps smiling at each other between forkfuls. I gnawed an ear of corn and Kevin loaded up with a bunch of fresh salads. Megan made us some stuffed peppers and zuchini bread –which I just selfishly ate the last of.
In keeping with the spirit of stuffing our faces and also honoring the life of another food lover (and King of Rock-n-Roll) we will celebrate Elvis Presley and his love of fried peanut butter and BANANA sammiches at the store this weekend. Come out and browse the new inventory, enjoy some Elvis tunes and moosh a sandwich into your face–just don’t sing with your mouth full.

Jefferson Avenue Community Cultural Artpark
“50 Women with a Vision”
NEIGHBORHOOD MURAL PAINTING DAY
at Woodlawn and Jefferson Avenue

Saturday August 9, 2008 10 – 5pm
Music, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Baked Goods Sale and Flea Market
All are invited to Join Hands in Unity
For more information contact: 882-7594 or 883-4367

On vertical farming, a contribution from volunteer Patrick Braun:

The urban environment has long been disconnected from the food systems that feed its people. Farms are seen as an important, but separate component of the economy. Rising prices of energy and food, amplified by economic downturn, however, could change how we view urban farming.

It may not surprise you that urban agriculture has had success for years in poorer countries such as Cuba, Brazil, Argentina or the social and environmentally minded Scandenavian countries. It’s tougher to accept that successful programs are sprouting up in marginalized US communities in Madison, Chicago, Rochester and the Massachusetts Avenue Project on the west side of Buffalo. These projects are small. Nonethess these are examples of the creative solutions the world needs to create jobs and provide food in an environmentally sustainable manner. Considering current levels of population growth and greenhouse gas emissions, contemporary agricultural technology may not be enough to meet future demands or the best strategy to minimize our environmental impact. Regardless of society’s concern for the environment or the availability of food for third world countries, the current trends of increasing food and energy prices will help make the case for the development of urban farms that produce food closer to the source by a more efficient use of the sun, water and waste.

Vertical Farming

At first glance, the vertical farm is an utopian solution for urban problems. Self- sustaining buildings like arcologies have been in our imagination and science fiction novels with few examples in the real world. An essential component of these buildings- extremely efficient indoor farms is an instrumental piece in making urban agriculture more widespread. Advancing the idea of the vertical farm has become the life work of Columbia University professor of Environmental Health Services, Dickinson Despommier.

For good reason, Despommier calls the vertical farm “a third agricultural revolution”. His vision is a system that can reuse waste to produce essential agricultural inputs such as fertilizers while minimizing the use of toxic fungicides and insecticides. Some elements of his prescription run counter to the established agricultural production which since the 1960’s has posted higher crop yields in part due to chemical fertilizers, machinery and insecticides. According to Despommier, current high yields are simply not going to be sustainable for global food demand in the future. After seeing projections for urban population growth (80% of world population by 2050) Despommier committed his professional work to developing a more efficient food system. The main advantage of his solution is to build up and produce agriculture where it is being consumed. By doing so, urban farming could address a few limitations of our current agricultural system.

Read the rest of this entry »

We are making a scarecrow for our community gardens and need a whole mess of plastic bags to use as stuffing. I don’t know the exact quantity, but it needs to be enough to fill-out a pair of overalls and a long sleeve shirt–from wrist to ankle. Please bring your plastic grocery bags by the ReSource and tell Kevin they’re for the scarecrow so he isn’t overwhelmed!