An all you can eat pancake extravaganza to benefit the Growing Green Urban Youth Farm!

Saturday April 9th, 2011
at Trinity Church – 371 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo NY

Just pick a time -
8:30 am
10 am
and
11:30 am

and follow this link to purchase tickets-
Link to MAP website

Our friends at PUSH (People United for Sustainable Housing), the wonderful group developing a green zone on the West Side, are finalists in Changemakers competition for an award for sustainable urban housing. Go here to vote – you have to register first but it’s not a big deal:

www.changemakers.com/en-us/sustainableurbanhousing

PUSH’s project is the only one in the running (ten finalists) that’s not in the developing world. Ah, Buffalo – our little bit of the developing world, so close to home!

If you’ve been following the blog and facebook, you know the reason we’re hosting tonight’s Talent & Treasure Auction is so we can raise at least $6,000 toward our stipend for our two current Americorps Members, Brad and Scott. But what you might not know is how much more that 6K gets us. For almost 2yrs now we’ve been truly blessed to work with Americorps WNY and the 6 members who have served with us, Michele Silberman, Matthew Lapennas, Ben Kaiser, Rachel Mathews, Scott Kozak and Brad Kujawski.
There is no way we could have started all we have been able to accomplish with the Tool Library, all of the community gardens, the free DIY workshops, volunteer coordination, store maintenance, neighborhood improvements, tabling events and our other events and shenanigans without them–we couldn’t have even done as fabulous a job with the Extreme Demo or the Extreme Premiere!
Although we have had hundreds of hours from volunteers, this crew has provided the necessary volunteer training and support and filled in the gaps when we were short on volunteers and staff.  Their service has been crucial to this organization.

In my opinion our Americorps Members have done more to create ReUse’s positive reputation in the community than any other single person in our organization. We cannot maintain our high level of activity or grow without them.
I hope that if you do support the mission of Buffalo ReUse, you will come to tonight’s auction. It is absolutely a worthy cause. If you cannot make it to tonight’s event, but you still want to make a donation toward our Americorps stipend, please click here to go to our secure Paypal page or you can also mail a check.   Please put “Americorps stipend” in the memo section.  I also invite you to click on the photo which will take you to hundreds of other photos that prove just how much our Americorps Members have done for Buffalo, our neighborhood and this organization.
Thank you for your support.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have lots of outfits you:
a) don’t wear anymore
b) have never worn (yet)
c) only wear once a year
d) are saving until your summer body is back
e) you realize it looked better on that curveless model

When I was a kid, I used to dread the 2days a year my sister and I would stand in her bedroom putting clothes on and taking them off and trying them on and turning around so my mother could yank on various parts to see how long I’d have to own it before it really fit me.  I didn’t mind hand-me-downs, it’s just my sister hit puberty overnight and I had a long ways to catch up.
Strangely, my closet is still the same.  There are blouses, skirts, dresses and accessories of various sizes and I don’t know if I’ll ever wear much of it again.  I am ansy to divest my closet of vestments.  I would be fine taking most of it to a thrift store, but I still have some emotional bond with these articles and hope some friend or acquaintance will appreciate their value or history a little.

Do you want to clear your closet too?  Work on that this weekend while it’s pouring rain outside and then, pile all the clothing up and bring them next Thursday, the 18th for a session of hand-me-overs.  We’ve got a full length mirror and some friends who will be objective about whether something really does makes your butt look Big.  Afterward, we’ll truck whatever is left over to a thrift store.

You’re welcome to bring a bottle of soda or wine or snacks.  158 Eaton 6pm

The ads are already out there–the buzz for the holiday shopping season has begun.  Wal-Mart is selling Halloween and Christmas merch simultaneously.  There’s talk that the economy is slowly turning around.  What will you do?

I think those of you who’ve known me awhile have probably heard me talk about some of my experiences while working for Wal-Mart. I am reminded of one night when I was about to start my shift of stocking shelves and was sent to the hair care aisle to unload 4 palettes of shampoos, conditioners, mousses, gels, pomades, sprays and growth treatments that were stacked higher than my head. It was intimidating– the thought of finding, placing, and fronting all of that product by myself. Each small cardboard box contained 4-6 bottles. There was about 2 palettes of cardboard by the time I was finished and my head ached from having to read and match all the various purple, green, brown, red and white bottles with their corresponding product line and USE.

[I don't doubt for a second that we need separate shampoo formulas for volume and curl and anti-frizz. I understand that most of us have to lie a little to convince others we have adequate reproductive material. Honestly, what gentlemen would make out with a girl in a plaid skirt, a button nose, a plump smile and brittle SPLIT ENDS?]

But in a word, I was just overwhelmed. At first, it was surprising that it was usually 4 palettes of the same, each night–and similar situations in every aisle throughout the store. It’s disturbing, but it’s the same every where I suppose. What started me thinking about this was seeing a video by Annie Leonard, The Story of Stuff (and those damn reports on holiday shopping deals).  I hope you will watch it and consider how like or unlike the average consumer you may be.  I don’t know if you will find the video compelling enough to modify your shopping habits.  I hope you will ask yourself, “Where am I going to intervene?”  Are you going to buy less, or buy smarter, or buy used?  Are you going to recycle or reuse?  Are you going to barter or share instead?

One problem is that we are blissfully ignorant consumers.  We do not know the people (toddlers in Sri Lanka?) who make our stuff.  We do not know where our stuff comes from.  We do not know what’s in our stuff–carcinogens and horse placentas and eyes of newts?  We do not know where our stuff goes when we throw it away.  The most influential power consumers can wield is to become aware; we are global citizens!   Our purchases ripple across the globe.  We must become more responsible for our consumption and purchases and teach our children the true price of materialism.  We must learn that our stuff comes from somewhere at a cost that is far greater than our fistful of money.  It’s not easy; we have to reverse our thinking, habits and culture.

In America, we have so many choices–I already told you about the shampoo aisle–I think choice is a responsibility, not a privilege.  Yes-recycle, Yes–reuse, Yes–buy a lunchbox and a thermos, Yes–bring Prish another wacky coffee mug so she doesn’t have to buy disposables, Yes–dice up your leftovers and bake them into a casserole, Yes–give a kid a library card, Yes–skip washing your hair every night–or at least on nights you’re not going to make out with aforementioned gentleman. There’s a hundred ways we can intervene in this disposable society and stop contributing to obsolescence.

I am thinking (dreading) ahead toward the holiday season and Black Friday and wondering if you all want to protest a little and maybe instead of shopping we do some swapping?  You know that we do a post-holiday ReGifting Party each year.  But do folks have any interest in just getting together and laying a bunch of stuff on tables and literally swapping?  If you do, let me know.  It would be November 27th if we do it.  We’ll call SWAP:DON’T SHOP or something more catchy.

Part Eight 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 Four Five Six Seven

The ReSource is Access. It is an open door to affordable, high quality building materials and a support system for home owners. Buffalo ReUse’s ReSource is our retail destination for high quality building materials, environmental education and community activism. The store is located in Buffalo’s midtown, at 298 Northampton Street. It is nestled right on the border of the Masten Park & Cold Spring neighborhoods. It is just around the corner from Canisius College, Art Space, the Merriweather Library and the newly restored Packard Building Apartments.

As part of our mission aimed at regenerating neighborhoods and empowering communities, the ReSource functions as our largest point of contact with the public. We serve predominantly an East Side customer base, but attract people from all over WNY and nearby Ontario.

All day long, we sell high-quality building materials at very low prices–including many items which are rare or one-of-a-kind. Our prices and materials help people at all income levels stabilize and improve their homes. We also spend a great deal of time engaging in lively conversations with everyone who calls on the phone or comes into the store. We’re constantly connecting customers and local residents with Buffalo ReUse community programs, with each other, and with other resources they need and with government services.
Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know that Buffalo has the 2nd highest heating bills of any city in the country??

This doesn’t have to be!  Our old homes can be upgraded to improve their energy-efficiency and reduce heating costs, but we must first identify what the problems are and how they can be fixed.  A professional technician will be joining us at 153 Eaton this Saturday, February 21st, at 3pm to do just that, by conducting an energy audit, and we are psyched to invite you over for the demonstration.

The auditing demonstration should last about an hour, and will be followed up with some great info about how to finance upgrades to reduce those heating bills, as well as plenty of time for questions.  Please invite your friends and family to join us!

Warmly,
Whitney
buffalobasics {at} gmail(.)com