"Be the change," they said.
"Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world," they said.
The grassroots team at All For Reuse takes those words to heart--and has put them into meaningful action.
Their vision? To create an engaged network of building professionals who are actively committed to the reuse--not just the recycling--of commercial building materials.
Their message? That recycling in the construction industry simply isn't enough.
That we need to be doing more on the commercial construction side if we want to make meaningful advances toward our global climate goals.
That we can no longer passively accept the status quo of throwing away barely-used materials and replacing them with nearly the exact same items, just slightly newer, year after year.
The goals that this network of professionals would strive to achieve?
- Reduce waste on a high-volume scale and drastically lower carbon emissions;
- foster the growth of new circular economy businesses;
- and act quickly to slow the effects of climate change.
Recognizing the need for a new status quo
All For Reuse launched in 2020 as a collaboration of representatives from sectors that span the building industry.
What drew the group together was that each member, in their respective fields (design, contracting, decon, materials supply, etc.), saw a major flaw in the commercial construction system: that it lacked a way to reclaim valuable resources in large volumes and reuse them in a responsible, revenue-generating way.
Given that major flaw, each member of All For Reuse (AFR) recognized the need for an operationalized, organized initiative to solve the problem. Hence, the creation of AFR.
AFR seeks to make commercial interiors, like office furniture, low-traffic carpeting, doors and more, easily available for new buyers in the commercial market, rather than letting them pile up in Dumpsters, as has been the practice since the dawn of time.
By fashioning a new status quo, one which prioritizes reuse, says the group, a circular economy in the commercial building sector will get a much needed kickstart. It will allow for new business ventures modeled on reuse concepts to launch, thereby making more reclaimed materials available to more buyers in the market.
More reuse, less landfill waste and lower manufacturing pollution are all obviously wins for Mother Nature. They're also major steps toward natural resource protection, climate justice and environmental health.
Buy Reclaimed
Now AFR's members are calling upon building professionals globally to step up to the plate and accept the challenge to Buy Reclaimed. Buying Reclaimed means just that: committing to considering and prioritizing reclaimed materials for new building or renovation projects.
Without the participation of major industry players in Buying Reclaimed, this paradigm shift and its resultant environmental improvements can't take place. Fortunately there are plenty of companies who've already been willing to take the leap into Buying Reclaimed, and they've seen major success as well as cost-savings because of it. Learn more about some of them here.
AFR's team happens to be speaking about this exact issue today, at the Net Zero conference virtually, to discuss how Buying Reclaimed in commercial interiors works, and why it can be so impactful.
You'll also hear from an AFR panel of experts in person next week in San Diego at the annual Greenbuild conference. It's not too late to register!
AFR Collaborators
Alejandra Arce-Gomez
Sustainability Manager, GCI and Madrone Construction Resources
Emily English
Sustainability Director, BNBuilders
Andrew Ellsworth
Founder & CEO, Doors Unhinged
Frances Yang
Structures and Sustainability Specialist, ARUP
Yarden Harari
Licensed Architect, CallisonRTKL
Marcus Hopper, AIA,
Senior Associate, Gensler
Learn More & Join Forces with AFR
If you're interested in learning more about All For Reuse, or are ready to join forces with the team, head on over to their website and fill out this form to let them know you're on board.