Build It Green! NYC
DCL
New York City never stops building, even during the recession. Unfortunately, there is a downside to all that construction: 16,500 tons of building material thrown out daily, according to Build It Green! NYC. The non-profit organization is trying to reduce waste and alleviate the stress on city landfills by selling salvaged and surplus building materials that would otherwise be discarded. New York is embracing Build It Green! NYC in a big way--here are six reasons why.
1. It's Cheap: Businesses and individuals can get doors, flooring, lighting, cabinets, windows, sinks and much more for half of the original price or lower. Because Build It Green! NYC is a non-profit, there is less incentive to jack up the prices. Of course, it wouldn't matter if everything on sale was unattractive or dated. Luckily ...
2. It's Hip: More and more of New York's hippest restaurants and bars, from chic cocktail lounges to fancy boutiques, are using reclaimed materials for a cool vintage aesthetic. Spaces get a nice weathered look with lots of character and building materials are saved from the landfill--a win-win for everyone involved.
3. It Encourages Recycling on a Large Scale: When a building is about to be demolished or remodeled, everything inside is usually thrown away. Build It Green! NYC comes in and takes those materials away to sell to you--cheap, as salvaged materials. Plus, less new materials need to be manufactured to feed the voracious appetite for construction in New York City.
4. It Lessens Waste: Often contractors and business suppliers end a project with surplus materials. Instead of getting rid of them, environmentally conscious businesses donate them to Build It Green! NYC. Consumers and businesses get cheap building materials that are almost as good as new and less waste goes into the already crowded landfills.
5. It's Versatile: Build It Green! NYC has the ability to serve huge clients as well as eco-conscious individuals, meaning everyone from giant corporations to homeowners can benefit from it.
6. It Supports Great Things: Build It Green! NYC's profits go towards supporting the Community Environmental Center's environmental education program at Solar 1, an organization that teaches schoolchildren in all five boroughs about sustainability.
There is no reason that every city in America can't have a similar organization. In California, The ReUse People provide reclaimed building materials through Habitat for Humanity stores from Los Angeles to San Francisco, while Boulder's ReSource sells salvaged materials and offers events like composting classes. Salvaging materials from buildings is too time-consuming and complicated for individuals--that's why you should support organizations like this with your business and your donations.
