As the cold weather approaches, we’ve been thinking about ways to keep toasty…and that includes some new Buffalo ReUse *bling*, aka hooded sweatshirts, hats, etc with our logo on it. As with the t-shirts we currently have, our winter apparel will also be sold to the public. SO – we have created a very brief (9 questions!) survey asking what kind of stuff YOU think we should order. We have also snuck in one question at the end about future workshops. Please please pleeaase take a few minutes to fill out the survey, as the results are very important to us and the decisions we must make going forward. Click here to access the Bling Survey. Thank you in advance!!

Part Four of a Series

This series of informational blog posts come from a document Mike,Caesandra and Kevin created to help orient new Buffalo ReUse board members to our mission,vision,values and the actual history of our organization. Earlier parts: One Two Three

Green Demolition Defined

Yes, we take down houses, and since our inception we’ve demolished close to 35 structures, including houses, as large as 9,000 square feet, barns, garages and commercial buildings. We’ve implemented a technique, created by David Bennink of ReUse Consulting, called hybrid deconstruction. This type of demolition is also better known as “green demolition”.

Incorporating a 10,000-pound all-terrain forklift to complement skilled and unskilled human labor, has proved to be more efficient, cost-effective, and economically practical approach to demolition that is far superior to hand deconstruction. The focus of our demolition, and what separates our operation from the others doing work in the City of Buffalo, is our focus on ReUse and Recycling. We can effectively reclaim up to 50% of the tonnage of a house that would have otherwise been discarded. The material ends up at the ReSource, and the sales of material supports our mission.
Read the rest of this entry »

We were extremely shocked and saddened to hear this week of the passing of Mike Miller, our great supportive friend from the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation. Buffalo has lost an amazingly competent champion of the East Side, its grand legacy, its perilous present and its promising future.

Mike and his hard-working cohort at the Terminal were always supportive of Buffalo ReUse from “before the beginning”. They offered us space, hosted our first press conference, and were always (and remain) wonderful role models in the “Dream It, Do It” area of life.

Mike’s wake will be held at the Central Terminal on Paderewski Drive in Buffalo, Tuesday September 1, 2pm to 7pm.

RIP, Mike, we miss you already.

Part Three of a Series

This series of informational blog posts come from a document Mike,Caesandra and Kevin created to help orient new Buffalo ReUse board members to our mission,vision,values and the actual history of our organization.This is a repeat of our earlier post on Buffalo ReUse’s values – we consider them so important we’re saying it again!.

Earlier parts: One Two

We’ve been reflecting on our shared values lately.These values are things we hold dear and show by practicing them that we consider them to be important to us and our community. We practice them as we move our mission forward and express our vision. It’s how we work together,and, be assured, they work for us.

We believe:

• That when you have a good idea, you need to try it.  Words rarely provide solutions to challenging problems, actions do.  Dream it, Do It!
• That you can inspire people through doing and that by doing you create opportunities for people to come together.
• That every individual in a community deserves a voice, that everyone should have access to opportunities, that everyone has the right to freely express their own ideas and concerns, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ever a supporter of the arts, Buffalo ReUse was recently contacted by several artists involved in an upcoming exhibition at the CEPA gallery. The artists will be examining objects, their designated function and identity, and what happens to our relationship with these objects when they become broken or decayed. Additionally, they are issuing a call for broken things – their Repair Shop service will take your “broken” things and “repair” them on-site and for a small fee. The proceeds will go to support artist initiatives and community projects. The exhibit opens September 11th — but they need your help prior to that.

From Sept 7th – 11th the artists will be building out the art space, and they need about 30 high stools to give the feeling of a shop or studio, and about 15 sheets of pegboard. They are open to temporary donations, borrowing furniture and materials to be returned after the exhibition. Buffalo ReUse will provide them with as much material as possible, but when it comes to bar stools, tall chairs, and pegboard, our supply is limited.

Please let us know if you have any of these items to lend or donate, and we’ll get you in contact with the artists. Thanks!

Part Two of a Series

This series of informational blog posts come from a document Mike,Caesandra and Kevin created to help orient new Buffalo ReUse board members to our mission,vision,values and the actual history of our organization.Part One is here.

Let’s first go back in time, I just pulled this Mission and Vision statement from an email back in June of 2006 when we were first getting started.  It’s the same mission that exists in writing today. 

OUR MISSION

Buffalo ReUse, Inc. is committed to creating an economic and community development program related to deconstruction and re-use that provides quality job and educational opportunities; cross training in the trades, marketing, sales, and small business entrepreneurship; and a community collaboration process that considers both current and future use of our collective land resources. 

The potential of this program is achieved through the development of a business model for building salvage and deconstruction that facilitates the reclamation of quality building materials, preservation of the architectural heritage of buildings that would otherwise be destroyed, and supply of low-cost building materials to enhance the structural and aesthetic quality of existing homes in our City.

I’ll be the first to say that this “Mission” is wordy, littered with run-on’s, and not the most concise representation of what we do or what we hope to accomplish, but it’s what we first wrote, nearly three years ago, when we first began this effort.  We were largely working to start the engine.  We wanted to get the idea of deconstruction off the ground and felt compelled to communicate this to the community.  However, an examination of our VISION reveals that Buffalo ReUse has always intended to educate youth, participate in community development, and expand reuse effort beyond Buffalo. 

OUR VISION

As we expand the scope of our business operations our ability to serve in other capacities in the community is greatly increased.  Our vision is to:

• Forge strong alliances and collaborations with existing non-profit organizations and public agencies to expand educational opportunities for youth. 
• Serve as a liaison between community associations/block clubs and the City of Buffalo, to strengthen the planning process for community development. 
• Actively support the incubation of new small businesses in the City of Buffalo related to deconstruction and re-use. For instance, new deconstruction and rehabilitation contract businesses, recycling services and retail stores, consulting, even furniture-making can grow out of our core business venture.
• Actively engage in crafting policy that will encourage reuse to increase landfill diversion and advocate environmental protection.
• Support other “rust belt” cities in developing building deconstruction projects to aid in job creation and building reuse.

While I will say with confidence that our Mission should be restated, our Vision and Values have endured and have been consistent since our first meeting back in April 2006.  It’s critical that we elaborate on our values, because the values of Buffalo ReUse, Inc. guide our programs, guide our work in the community, guide us in our interactions and relationships with our many stakeholders, and largely define who we are and why we exist. 

more to come . . .

OVERVIEW, HISTORY, and PROGRAMS

Part One of a Series

This series of informational blog posts come from a document Mike,Caesandra and Kevin created to help orient new Buffalo ReUse board members to our mission,vision,values and the actual history of our organization. The first part was written by Mike.

When we conceived of Buffalo ReUse, I’ll be honest, not many of our meetings were spent talking about how exciting it would be to demolish houses in the City of Buffalo. However, we were very aware of the scope and complexity of the problem before us and that given the current state of our City, demolition was inevitable. Architectural giants created the community landscape for a City that once prospered. Thousands of vacant houses now stand in place of what were, at one point, vibrant neighborhoods and bustling city streets.

What we did get excited about was how green demolition (a recently developed term, now being used in place of deconstruction), could be used as a vehicle to strengthen our neighborhoods, train young people, and create communities that welcomed people back to the inner city. Not until we have livable communities, free from blight, crime, and fear, will we curb the cycle of decline Buffalo has experienced since the 1950’s. Other cities have experienced this Renaissance.

Unfortunately, one of the unintended consequences has been that earlier residents have been forced out of the inner city, displaced by high value condominiums, rampant development, and a lack of respect for the communities that preceded the reinvestment and growth spurt. Gentrification can be viewed first hand in Boston, MA (my home prior to Buffalo) where low-income folks have been pushed out to the second ring suburban communities of Lynn and Salem, having no choice but to spend an hour or more on the train each day to get to their jobs in the inner-city.

You may wonder what all of this has to do with Buffalo ReUse? If we are to achieve our mission, we must understand the forces at play and we must be prepared to support community development and the growth of our City in a way that is sustainable and respects the residents who now live in each neighborhood.

This is achieved through education and empowerment; access and opportunity; strategic planning and organizing; and then ultimately ACTION. Buffalo ReUse is a “can-do, hands-on” organization. We discuss and evaluate, brainstorm and plan, and then we DO. Our mantra is “Dream It, Do It!”, and we’re where we are today because we’ve forged forward with clear expectations, intentions, and values.

more to come . . .

Our neighbors at the Victory Temple Seventh-Day Adventist Church, corner of Northhampton and Masten, are having a big event this Thursday and Friday,August 27 & 28. There will be a flea market,an open air fruit and vegetable market, a clothes giveaway, baked goods sale and refreshments and entertainment for the kids.

Last year, filmmaker Carl Lee made a short film about Buffalo ReUse. Here’s a link to it:

We think it’s a wonderful expression of Buffalo ReUse’s work in the community and are grateful to Carl and producer Squeaky Wheel for their talent and hard work.

Sunday August 16th, 2009 was not only one of the hottest days of the summer but it was also the day that a small group of determined bicyclists headed out to ride all over town as a show of support for some of our city’s community gardens/urban farms (helped along by the fact that the ride leader Micki just wouldn’t take as a legit excuse the “aww, its too darn hot to ride” lament).

This ride showcased the inspiring horticultural work done by several very dedicated individuals and community groups across the city, all with the mutual intent to develop spaces within the urban environment that revitalized, repurposed and transformed the local scenery. Buffalo Reuse, through its Greenspaces and Tool BARn programs, provided support/ services/ materials and labor, for helping out with the development of these spaces into the wonderful places they are today. Viewing the gardens by bicycle was a nice way for us to get up close to the beautiful and healthy bounty offered up by these gardens.

Please take a moment to see what we did, either by taking the ride yourself one day soon (its posted up on our Facebook page) or review the photos of our travels, courtesy of Buffalo Reuse’s very own Caesandra Seawell.