Reuse It

BRING's Planet Improvement Center, designed by TBG Architects & Planners (photo from BRING's website)

Julie Daniel, Director of BRING Recyling, sent me an email letting me know that she regularly reads my blog. While I primarily write for my own benefit, it’s great that my blog does have its followers.

Many of you already know that BRING Recycling is the oldest and largest supplier of used building materials in Lane County (BRING has been in operation for over 40 years). TBG Architects & Planners designed BRING’s popular and fun Planet Improvement Center, located at 4446 Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood (between Eugene and Springfield). If you haven’t already shopped at the Planet Improvement Center, you owe yourself a visit. The Center is a showcase for the imaginative reuse of used building materials and sustainable design strategies.

In addition to recycling and selling reusable construction products, BRING educates the community about the environmental and economic benefits of keeping unwanted but valuable items out of the waste stream. Julie brought to my attention BRING’s new, high quality video entitled “Reuse It.” The entertaining, 12-minute production uses original music, animation, and dynamic footage to tell the story of Oregon’s reuse industry and how it’s possible for all of us to help the environment by living well without waste.(1)

“Reuse It” is chock full of fascinating and eye-opening factoids, including the following:

• Surprisingly, Oregonians now generate more trash than was the case in the 1990s, despite our reputation for strong support of recycling programs
• Only about 1% of new construction materials end up being reclaimed and used again
• Oregonians generated nearly 3 million tons of garbage in 2008; of this amount, 20-30% is building materials
• The production of consumer goods, including construction materials, is the source for the majority of our pollution problems and greenhouse gas emissions

Too many reusable items still end up in landfills, and the volume of new goods being produced continues to increase. This is an unsustainable trajectory. We can no longer afford to waste reusable resources. We must embrace the mantra of “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” We can contribute to a sustainable future by reusing building materials instead of throwing them away. Wasting materials also means wasting money.

The production of “Reuse It” was funded by a grant from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Additional support came from the City of Eugene and BRING. Talented local filmmaker Jerry Joffe produced and directed the video.

View “Reuse It” online at http://www.reuseitnow.org/ or request a free DVD copy.

BRING’s goal is to spread the reuse gospel far and wide. If you’re like me, you’ll find “Reuse It” enjoyable, relevant, and important.

(1) The October 3, 2010 edition of The Register-Guard contains a column by Sarah Grimm of Lane County Waste Management that also promotes the new video.