How to Manage Stormwater & Rain Planter Facelift Event

Get hands-on experience and learn about rain gardens, storm water management, and creative landscaping with salvaged materials.

Saturday, November 12th

8:30 - 9:00 A.m. Sign-in
9:00 - 9:30 a.m. breakfast
9:30 -11:00 a.m. planting party
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. rain garden talk

at the ReBuilding Center
3625 N Mississippi Ave

Come support the ReBuilding Center and learn about stormwater management! Blossom Earthworks and the ReBuilding Center will be hosting a volunteer work-party to help the ReBuilding Center restore its stormwater planters. The two planters line the front of the building and are designed to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from the building by teaming up with thirsty, water-loving plants

PLEASE RSVP ON EVENTBRITE FOR EACH EVENT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND BY REGISTERING FOR A TICKET.

Breakfast will be held in the parking lot and the talk will be held inside the administrative offices (look for the red brick building and red door) at the ReBuilding Center at: 
3625 N Mississippi Ave Portland, OR.

We will be supplying food/beverage from Verde Cocina.

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Read the following article by Mike Conover, Ecological Designer at Blossom Earthworks:

It’s no secret that Portland and the Pacific Northwest gets a lot of rain. However, most buildings, parking lots, roads, and other impermeable surfaces prevent much of this rainwater from infiltrating into the ground. Instead, it often flows into the sewer or Portland's rivers and streams. As it flows it picks up oils, heavy metals, sediment, and other contaminants along with it. This can disrupt local ecosystems, cause water quality issues, and place unnecessary burdens on wastewater treatment plants.

The good news is there are a number of ways to reduce stormwater runoff, filter it, and allow it to infiltrate into the ground, recharging our groundwater. Some of the systems that do this work include stormwater planters, bioswales, Green Streets, and infiltration basins, among others. Portland has put a lot of effort toward managing its stormwater, so you may have seen them around the city without even realizing it.

In 2005, the ReBuilding Center completed an onsite stormwater management demonstration project, designed to treat and infiltrate 870,000 gallons of rainwater each year. Five stormwater planters and a permeable parking lot capture and filter this water, sending it straight into the ground instead of the storm-drains or sewer.

Plants, and especially wetland plants, not only drink lots of water but they clean it too. It’s easy to overlook wetlands because they are less noticeable compared to dramatic landscapes like mountains or canyons but wetlands are essential to functional ecosystems and watershed health. Wetlands are often described as the “kidneys of the planet” for the work they do filtering and cleaning the Earth’s water. By using wetland plants native to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest in our stormwater management facilities, we can clean stormwater while providing habitat and food for local wildlife at the same time. Many of the grasses, sedges, and rushes you see lining the street or in planters and swales are doing just this. There are even beautiful flowers such as iris, camas and milkweeds that thrive in stormwater plantings.

It’s easy to think of the city and “nature” as different places. In reality there is no separation.

That alley near your house, the big office building, and the vacant lot are just as much nature as the forests, lakes, and mountains that surround us. We are part of a larger ecosystem that feeds, supports, and nourishes us whether we realize it or not, and clean water is essential not only our own health but all the plants and animals that we share our planet with. Keeping this water clean is no easy task but fortunately we can partner with native wetland plant communities to filter and reduce our city’s stormwater runoff. By working with the Earth’s biological and ecological processes (that evolved over the past 3.8 billion years!) we can restore ecological function to our urban environment, keeping our waters clean for humans and all life.

If you want to learn more about how we can all play a part in reducing stormwater runoff, come out to the ReBuilding Center on November 12th to get some first hand experience and a tasty breakfast!

PSU Architecture Students Build RBC Trade Show Booth

Videographer, director & editor: Ryan Fruge

The ReBuilding center has teamed up the Portland State University's architecture program to create a new booth for ReBuilding Center to use in trade shows and community events. Much like the interactive kiosks that are being built for ReBuilding Center's Commons launch, the trade show booths too should be visually appealing and functional.  The new design hopes to encourage and build relationships within the community and inspired poeple with reuse ideas. The booth aims to further understanding of ReBuilding Center's mission and all of its component parts. It will showcase our commitment to the reuse of building materials through DeConstruction as well as our Community Outreach Program, volunteer services and information about our warehouse donations and available materials. Margarette Leite is the instructor at PSU to the architecture students involved in the trade show booth project and shared some information on the project.

When the trade show booth was its developing stages, there were many ideas thrown out on what to incorporate; a mini museum, showcasing objects found at DeConstruction sites; a photo gallery displaying photos of homes through the DeConstruction process. The students had to respond to technical challenges such as how to include video aspects like the kiosks or how supply lighting without being reliant on an electrical source. They played with the idea of magnets and incorporated a metal sheet into their design. Students found ways to use both rough and finished pieces to show the range of materials available at the ReBuilding Center. 

To keep the concept fluid throughout, certain guidelines had to be meet. Size constraints were established to be sure the booth was booth mobile and easily transported. Structural integrity had to considered due to the wear and tear, and possible damage over time.

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Day of Service: RBC & AAAH help stem displacement of long-term homeowners in N/NE Portland

The ReBuilding Center in collaboration with the African American Alliance for Homeownership (AAAH) began an inaugural “Day of Service” this last Saturday, June 11th, an event that helps stem displacement of long-term residents of N/NE Portland. Staff from the ReBuilding Center and AAAH as well as dozens of volunteers showed up bright and early on Saturday morning, coffee in hand, to get going on some home repairs for members of their community. We focused on five different projects ranging from cement pouring to yard work to house painting. It was a powerful experience to be able to talk to homeowners and hear their stories, perspective on the development of the area, and about the complexity of issues surrounding gentrification.

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Ruth

Since 1958, Ruth has seen her neighborhood transition through three distinct phases. When she first moved into her home 58 years ago, she remembers the area as a vibrant community where you could find everything you needed from food markets to a 10 cent store. She then witnessed the street experience heightened crime rates due to a stronger gang presence. Now she refers to the streets as “clean” and has seen the area turn into a once again bustling neighborhood. And no, she doesn’t want to sell. Every week she receives offers, people trying to buy her home. How could she leave her beautiful lavender home where she’s raised her kids and grandkids? With age, it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with the house and the garden. Years ago, during an earthquake, the cement stairs leading to Ruth’s home broke and it’s been hard for her to get down the stairs ever since. ReBuilding Center staff and volunteers were happy to lend their skills to fill her new cement stairway.

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Pat

Pat is a real firecracker. Her creative and whimsical design sensibilities show throughout her home and yard. We helped Pat with her backyard, repairing a fence that she hasn’t been able to fix because of her arthritis. Pat loves to walk and reminds us that “it’s just as important to keep your mind as active as your body when you’re older.” Pat’s lived in her house for over 42 years and can count on one hand how many long-term residents still live in her surrounding neighborhood. “Everybody’s been pushed out,” she says, “it’s strange to see how much change has happened in our neighborhood.” A perk of the new development? Pat enjoys frequenting the new restaurants popping up in her area, serving hip and affordable fare during happy hour.

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Elaine & Milhouse 

Elaine & Milhouse bought their home back in 1991 and they have been wanting to touch-up their house paint for a while now. They feel like their home stands amidst the freshly re-done houses popping up next door. Within the last ten years, they say the worst part of the rapidly changing environment is the traffic on their busy street. Several parked cars have been hit. And although they’ve developed relationships with their new neighbors, Elaine says, “it doesn’t make you feel good when you don’t know your [old] neighbors anymore.” With Elaine’s full-time schedule as a care-giver, and both of them getting older, it’s hard for them to keep up with repairs. We were happy to meet some of their needs and get to know our neighbors!

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Carly

Carly was the youngest of the bunch but still stood witness to the dramatic changes to the neighborhood. She says, “it’s weird, every time I even drive to the ReBuilding Center, I see new stuff. Things are popping up so fast.” She believes it’s important to keep neighborhoods diverse. She tries to see all the change as positively as she can but wishes that it didn’t mean destroying what was already there. Carly doesn’t want Portland to look like every other city. She grew up in Portland and feels like it breeds a certain kind of nutty person. With affordable housing becoming more and more scarce, she worries about our houseless populations, especially families because of how hard it would be for them to adjust. Working at Kruger Farms and doing all of her own home repairs (using almost solely materials from the ReBuilding Center), Carly’s thought about renting out her house but doesn’t have very many options to choose from. It was a pleasure to help out with a few projects that required specific skill sets, such as cementing and rerouting a drain pipe.

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ShaRee

We also served another long term resident named ShaRee with her backyard. Twelve crew members weed-wacked and trimmed their way through a backyard jungle, yielding impressive results.

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A big thank you to City of Roses Disposal & Recycling for the drop box, Metro for providing paint, brushes, and a voucher for the drop box at Metro Transfer Station, Oregon Deli Co. and Mississippi Pizza Pub for their generous donations to feed all the volunteers and staff, as well as Stormbreaker Brewing, who provided a nice discount for the wrap-up celebration!

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The Day of Service was so successful that we would like to make it a regular event!

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Dave Lowe at dave@rebuildingcenter.org.

Grand Opening Event: Sons of Haiti Lodge Food Carts

We were once at risk of loosing one of the last African American owned businesses on Mississippi Avenue. Fortunately,  the community banded together and saved The Sons of Haiti Lodge Food Carts! To read more about all the hard work and dedication that went into this effort click the following link:

Please join us and celebrate the grand opening of the

Sons of Haiti Lodge Food Carts
Saturday June 4th,
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will commence at 5:15 pm. Local Ecliptic Brewing is donating beer, the carts will be showcasing some of their cuisine, and of course no party is complete without cake!

PDC Chairman, Tom Kelly, will attend and make a few comments as well as John Bryant, president of the Sons of Haiti Masonic lodge.

BBYUP Provides Paid Summer Internships for Youth!

The BBYUP Program (Boise Business Youth Employment Program) provides ten low-income, at-risk youth with paid summer internships at Boise neighborhood businesses.

The internships run for six weeks over the summer at 20 hours per week. These young people will not only earn money, but they will gain invaluable work experience to launch their future careers as well as develop a deeper connection to their neighborhood and community.

The program, which is now six years old, is a partnership between the ReBuilding Center and Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC), a non-profit education management organization that also operates the Rosemary Anderson High School for at-risk youth.

Portland OIC recruits and screens applicants as well as providing them training, supervision and mentorship through the process. Portland OIC places youth in Boise Neighborhood businesses. Youth have completed internships at a wide variety of businesses including natural medicine providers, insurance agencies, printers, restaurants, and with us at the ReBuilding Center. You can see a complete list of businesses who participate in the program at BBYUP’s website below.

To ensure that youth are successful in their jobs, Portland OIC first provides training on skills such as conflict resolution and customer service. Youth also attend a once a week lunch at the ReBuilding Center to talk with Portland business leaders on operating small businesses and achieving personal career goals.

Neighborhood businesses, including the ReBuilding Center, donate funding for BBYUP. The program also receives steady funding through proceeds from the annual Mississippi Avenue Street Fair hosted by the Historic Mississippi Business Association. Those donations fund wages and training for the youth, as well as work supplies or clothing necessary for their jobs.

If you are a business interested in donating towards this amazing program, you can find a donation form at BBYUP’s website:

If you are interested in applying for an internship, email or call Program Manager Leigh Rapport at lrappaport@portlandoic.org or 503-797-7222.  You can also download an application from their website: 

Applications are due June 10th

With Our Own Two Hands

We have a lot to celebrate this year. Although it did not go far enough, the Paris Agreement, within the context of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, was a giant step forward. For the first time ever, a clear international commitment was made to keep a significant portion of remaining hydrocarbons in the ground. Drafted in December 2015, the agreement “opens for signature” on Earth Day—April 22, 2016. 

Community members and organizations in Oregon have echoed the sentiment of the Paris Agreement by organizing to apply pressure on decision makers to move away from carbon-based fuels and toward a sustainable future. Thanks to these grassroots efforts, last month landmark victories were achieved to keep new LNG and coal projects out of Oregon.

And there’s been good news even closer to home. In February, Portland’s City Council passed a groundbreaking resolution to make deconstruction mandatory for all homes built more than 100 years ago that are scheduled for demolition (about 33% of single-family demolitions). The process of deconstruction will save millions of pounds of valuable building materials for reuse that would otherwise be put into the landfill. This new ordinance will reduce atmospheric carbon by roughly 800 tons per year while generating 20-25 new living-wage, permanent jobs. The ReBuilding Center is thankful for all who came together to vocalize your support for this resolution. Our DeConstruction Services department is excited to grow, and our store looks forward to offering more materials to the community!

These important policy developments, from the international to the local level, did not take place because politicians decided they were good things to do. They occurred because community members worked for them from the bottom up: we organized; we applied pressure; and, at long last, politicians acted. 

In the work we do and the incredible people we encounter every day at the ReBuilding Center, I am constantly reminded of the words of Desmond Tutu, painted on the front of our building: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

We invite you to join us as volunteers at the ReBuilding Center to be part of that change you want to see in the world—only together can we can create a sustainable community, environment, and economy. And so I will close with the lyrics fit for Earth Day from Ben Harper:

I can change the world
with my own two hands…
with our own
with our own two hands

or watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEnfy9qfdaU. If you haven’t heard it, it’s a great tune. Enjoy! 

Stephen Reichard
Executive Director

It’s National Volunteer Week and Earth Day is right around the corner! We’ve got a lot of volunteer opportunities for you in these next two weeks. Here is a list of volunteer opportunities to give back to the community and support environmental protection!

Table at the Fox Tower Sustainability Fair

Fox Tower is coordinating an event for eco-friendly, sustainable and local vendors. This would be a chance for you to spread awareness of the mission and goals of the ReBuilding Center to the business community in Portland and reach a wide range of people. This event will be held in the Fox Tower lobby April 21-22, Thursday and Friday; 11am-1pm.

Get exclusive tickets to events through volunteering with Wave PDX

We are excited to host some volunteers from wave this Thursday. Haven’t heard of them? They incentivize volunteerism through events where the only way to get tickets is by volunteering time in the community. Next month, Revolution Hall hosts Kurt Vile for an exclusive concert!

Glean materials from Metro Central

Work with us to visit the Metro Central Transfer station twice a week in order to keep usable building materials out of the waste stream! Twice weekly, we are organizing volunteer opportunities at the transfer station for those interested in sustainable waste management and getting a "behind the scenes" look at how we can help!

Available on Monday's and Thursdays from noon to 3pm, this project is looking for volunteers that can dedicate multiple trips in a row. Safety training and orientation on-site will be provided for your first shift. 

Spring and Summer Internships now open!

Every year, interns with ReBuilding Center take on amazing projects with our efforts to build communities with greater social and environmental vitality. If you, or someone you know, can benefit from a 3-6 month internship or a prolonged volunteer opportunity, consider working with us! Internship opportunities include: 

• Creative ReUse Library Curator
• Administrative Assistant Intern
• Volunteer Coordinator Intern
• Salvage Specialist Intern
• Volunteer Leader

Don't see anything that interests you? Let us know! We love to create opportunities for those committed to better world. Areas of interest where we have created internships in the past: 

• Community Health
• Social Justice
• DeConstruction
• Film/Photography content management

Monthly Volunteer Event

Thursday, April 14th, 6pm - 8pm

The second Thursday of every month is our after-hours volunteer event! It’s coming up quick, so grab your spot and get together with other volunteers from around the Portland area to enjoy a night of light-hearted material salvage. There’s a happy hour at StormBreaker Brewing to follow. Volunteers receive 25% off!

Help us reign in our Tile Area!

We are looking for a dedicated volunteer to take on our ever-growing tile area. Our wonderful volunteer, Bobby, has moved on to bigger and better things and we're looking for someone to fill her shoes. Check out the video we put together highlighting Bobby and her work with us!

The work done at the ReBuilding Center is all about creating opportunities for our community to become more equitable, vibrant, and sustainable. Volunteers like you are the backbone of our mission. If you have an interest in reducing waste, engaging in your community, and making a better world, come on out and hang with us - we'd love to see you!

The answer is clear...

(via: www.statesmanjournal.com)

When the people of Oregon were confronted with the choice of using coal or clean energy to power their homes, the answer was clear. In March, Oregon became the first state in history to put a ban on coal-backed electricity generation. With around 30% of state wide electricity originating from coal-fired plants today, the legislature also mandates that renewable sources are used by utilities to generate at least half of their electricity by 2040. 

(via: cascadebusnews.com)

Large utility companies have already begun their own phase out of coal due to the evolving preference of the consumer towards clean energy and this legislature enhances this existing trend.

Vanport Mosaic is hosting a film festival in May

The desire to come together to preserve & discuss the memories & stories surrounding the story of Vanport, as well as, learn how they’ve impacted us today is truly inspiring. Read on to see how tragedy can be a learning experience and a chance at community growth and understanding.

Talk about the building of community! “The Vanport Mosaic initiative is a response to a growing desire to honor the legacy of the Vanport community and the 1948 flood, which started an overwhelmingly homogeneous Portland and Oregon down the path toward interracial progress.” The initiative aims to document and tell the stories of those connected to Vanport.

This last month, the ReBuilding Center hosted Laura Lo Forti of the Vanport Mosaic. She led the workshop in discussion as they shared skillsets around oral history, storytelling and spoke about ethical issues that occur when telling other people's stories. They also worked on interviewing skills and video shooting. With these developed skillsets they are now ready to go out and capture the stories of Vanport.

In May, The Vanport Mosaic project will bring together many of these stories, as well as, others at Vanport Mosaic Festival 2016. This event will be held at the site in commemoration of the 68th anniversary of the flood that took place in 1948. The festival will include music, dance, theater, film, poetry, lectures, tours, an historical exhibit, and dance.

One participant in the recent workshop, Todd Fadel, summed up the experience with this statement,

“This project symbolizes and encapsulates something I’ve been trying to articulate for a decade - how can a portlander model consideration for the discarded voices of our community in a way that inspires a new thought process far from blame and guilt?”

Want to join in the discussion regarding Vanport and the Vanport Mosaic initiative? Check out their website vanportmosaic.org

Vote for ReBuilding Center!

New Seasons Market has nominated the Rebuilding Center to be on the ballot for their #BagItForward event, which offers customers the option to donate their reusable bag credits (5¢ each) to a non-profit. Vote for us in the "promoting environmental conservation" category! This is a huge opportunity for us, and could make a huge difference for our independent organization and our mission to strengthen the social and environmental vitality of local communities. If you are a New Seasons Market shopper, please vote January 13th – 26th at any New Seasons Solution Center.

Reclamation Administration article, "Drowning in Demolition"

Adding to the list of reasons why deconstruction is beneficial: water conservation.

In this eye-opening The Reclamation Administration article, Sara Baiali recounts a morning biking past the demolition site of the old Wonder Bread HQ and notices the hoses wetting down all the materials. She later discovers that those hoses are not only pumping more than a gallon per square foot of building being demolished but that the water is actually being landfilled for the hazardous waste it accumulates in the process!

Deconstruction does not consume water like demolition because it does not require the dust suppression technology required by Oregon and EPA guidelines. Save thousands of gallons of water that is going into our sewers and landfills! Share about deconstruction.

Link to article →

Mississippi Avenue Ice Cream Social

Last Tuesday, the Mississippi Avenue community hosted an ice cream social for the public.  Participating organizations included the ReBuilding Center, Laughing Planet, Radar Restaurant, Mississippi Pizza Pub, Salty's Pet Supply, and countless others. Here are a few photos that highlight the success of the event:

Thanks to all who participated in making this event a success!

Photos: Sean O'Connor/Our United Villages

Keen Provides Utility Volunteer Boot Library

Here's a loving post from Keen's blog about our relationship and their support of our volunteer's toes. Click here to see the full article.

Here's an excerpt:

"We recently teamed up with our friends at the ReBuilding Center to create a boot library! The ReBuilding Center is one of KEEN’s favorite non-profits, located just a short bike ride away from our headquarters in Portland, OR. They specialize in providing reclaimed building materials at little or no cost for individuals, small businesses, and other grassroots organizations looking to complete a project. They also provide deconstruction services as a sustainable alternative to conventional demolition.

It’s run by a small staff and over 2,000 volunteers, who all require sturdy, steel toe boots when working at the center or helping with a demolition. We recently met with Sean O’Connor, the Strategic Coordinator at ReBuilding Center, who said that mandating steel toe footwear for deconstruction projects has decreased their volunteer pool. “A lot of people came in to help but couldn’t do the tasks because they didn’t have the proper footwear,” he explained."

Outreach and Strategic Coordinator, Sean O’Connor

Walking into the workroom

The handcrafted entrance made entirely of repurposed materials

We caught Mayela mid-laugh. She’s longtime employee and an expert glass cutter

The KEEN boot library at the Rebuilding Center

Leo!

Just when we thought we saw all of the center, we turned a corner and found the expansive lumber yard

Another entrance to the Rebuilding Center

A pair of KEENs on the job

Every color in the cabinet rainbow

The view of TRC along Mississippi street

Wall Street Journal on How Sewage Water Might Make Good Beer

March 12 | 2015

"The railing at the front of the ReBuilding Center in Portland, Ore., is made of repurposed metals, including old tools and parts of machinery. Members of the city’s ‘master recycler’ course visited the center, which accepts donations of used building and remodeling materials." Photo: Amanda Lucier for The Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal cites us as a part of an innovative group of recyclers in NW.

Read the article here >

Stillmotion Creates New Film for The ReBuilding Center

Check out Stillmotion and you’ll find a band of filmmakers and storytellers, who as a rule, let their curiosity get the best of them. They believe that the process of discovery is just as important as what ends up on the screen. Loving to share their passion for film making, a few times a year Stillmotion hosts EVO, a 4 day intense educational workshop where 3 teams conceptualize, shoot, edit, and deliver a final piece to 3 pre-selected non-profits, to help tell their story and give back.

A heartfelt thank you to the team members who produced the film: Michael Gerhman (Neenah, WI), Robert Borejszo (Vancouver, BC), and Paul Harrison (Frisco, TX), and team leader, local Portland photographer, Leah Nash, and Stillmotion!

“It was a pleasure and an honor for the EVO team to create this piece for The ReBuilding Center of Our United Villages.  I was struck by the amount of heart and dedication we encountered in every person the center touches.  The film is an opportunity to give a voice and face to an organization so dedicated not only to a healthier, more sustainable environment but to a thriving local community.  The piece is for the people that go out of their way to make the place we all call home just a little bit better.” – Leah Nash

Steve Duin: The ReBuilding Center and the Wonder of Waste Not Want Not

Thanks to Steve Duin of The Oregonian for stopping by to visit and following up with an article in the April 3, 2013 Oregonian. Read it here.

The ReBuilding Center Featured on Fusion

This past weekend The ReBuilding Center was featured on the local show Fusion. Fusion is a show that “covers everything about the Northwest home that makes it special.” Check them out on a Saturday morning on a local station or on their website http://www.fusionnw.com/.

DeConstruction Service Featured in the Oregonian

Did you catch the article about DeConstruction Services of The ReBuilding Center on the front page of The Oregonian’s Oregon Living section? If you want to hear about someones experience first hand with DeConstruction Services and learn more about the industry in Portland check this article out.

When we decided to remodel our kitchen, we chose deconstruction… The bids we got—deconstruction vs. demolition—were virtually identical, plus we wouldn’t have to pay for a trash bin. What’s more, we would receive a tax deduction for the (nominal) value of the items we donated to the ReBuilding Center.—Naomi Kaufman Price

Get a free estimate for you project on the DeConstruction Services free estimate page or contact us at decon@rebuildingcenter.org or 503.331.9875.

Have you used DeConstruction Services for one of your projects? Share your experience in the comment section below!

Door to Door: A Feature in The Oregonian

With our Once-In-A-Lifetime Fundraising event approaching fast, we are so pleased to have been featured in The Oregonian’s Home and Garden section. Bridget A. Otto talks about the LeRoy Setziol Door that started it all, the vision of this one of a kind event and the power of art to create sustainable communities. 

Read the full article: click here!

ReBuilding Center Strives for a Waste Free Event

Open The DOOR to Sustainability strives to be a 100% waste free. 

A waste free event is a natural step for The ReBuilding Center, whose operations divert an average of 6.5 million pounds of construction waste from landfills each year. 

But what does a waste free event look like? 

Our goal is to produce zero garbage and as little recycling waste as possible. We are doing so by: 

- Using reusable dishware for food and beverages
- Composting Food Scraps
- Providing cloth napkins
- Catering the event with companies who are dedicated to sustainable practices
- Recycling all paper products, including signage and auction catalogs, after the event

In addition to our commitment to make this event waste-free, we are demonstrating sustainable practices by offering food and beverages that are produced locally and in many cases organically. We are encouraging people to carpool and to use any form of alternative transportation such as public transit, biking or walking. Each person using this method will be entered into a drawing for a special prize. The Bison Building, located at 410 NE 10th Ave, has easy access to public transit and is just 10 blocks from the East Bank Esplanade pedestrian and bike path. 

Open The DOOR To Sustainability is not merely a fundraiser for The ReBuilding Center, it is also a showcase of the many ways Portland businesses are working together to make our community a healthier, more sustainable place.  We hope to set a precedent for future events by demonstrating that a waste-free celebration is not only possible, but beautiful. This challenge offers a truly amazing opportunity to come together as a community to find new ways to bring sustainable practices to the forefront. 

Art Made Fram Salvage Door to be Auction at June Event

In honor of LeRoy Setziol's impact on NW Art and in celebration of the hand-carved Setziol door that came to The ReBuilding Center after nearly ending up in the landfill, local artists have created works of art from salvaged doors to be auctioned at our June event. 

The LeRoy Setziol door, unlike his works in galleries across the Northwest, arrived at The ReBuilding Center strapped to a flat-bed truck. It is a story of trash and treasure, of a beautiful and valuable piece of art that nearly ended up in the landfill. Soon to be showcased by The ReBuilding Center, the door’s unique carving, geometric pattern and gentle craftsmanship are its signature. The intricate patterns of ridges divided by flowing lines and organic shapes are smoothed not by sanding, but by deliberate carving and oiling by hand.

Join The ReBuilding Center of Our United Villages on the evening of Saturday, June 19th, 2010 at Open the DOOR to Sustainability, showcasing the Setziol door and celebrating sustainability. The night will include live and silent auctions, featuring a series of used doors reclaimed from the waste stream and turned into inspiring art by Pacific Northwest artists. Each door will have a unique story of its history and transformation. There will be environmentally sustainable contemporary furnishings designed and handcrafted from reclaimed materials from The ReBuilding Center; and other products and packages from local companies using sustainable methods and approaches in their work. 

We hope to see you there! http://openthedoortosustainability.com/