The art supply and classroom material distributions that took place over the weekend in Cincinnati and Cleveland moved the project needle past the 100,000 pound mark for repurposed samples distributed in the community by ZeroLandfill since its inception in 2006.
That deserves a big WOW!
Thanks to the following people who helped plan the work of ZL to achieve this important milestone :
David, Jeff, Christy, Deirdre, Mike, Amy, Mike, Judy, Amanda, Erin, Courtney, Kelly, Tim, Krista, Kristie, Susan, Suzanne, Jenna, and all of the design firms that donated materials and supplies.
How about One Million Pounds distributed by 2010 ?
July 28th, 2008
ZeroLandfill is a grassroots beneficial reuse program started in Cleveland Ohio in 2006 by several individuals working in the architectural and interior design industry. Concerned by the lack of a formal recycling program for the staggering amount of specification materials used in the facility design and renovation process, the ZeroLandfill team decided to develop a program that diverted these items from the waste stream and find new audiences in the community who placed value in the materials.
Now, instead of ending up in a landfill or an incinerator, manufacturer samples such as carpet tiles, wallcovering samples, fabric swatches, ceramic tiles, and three ring binders are collected from participating firms and placed in the hands of local artists, artisans, arts educators, and school teachers where they find new life as studio materials and classroom supplies.
To date, ZeroLandfill has diverted from the dumpster and returned to the community nearly 89,000 pounds of specification waste through regularly scheduled Harvest events where the arts and education community are invited in to collect the specification materials. The original program in Cleveland has inspired other communities to adopt a ZeroLandfill project in their market; work is underway in Cincinnati, Akron, Louisville, Minneapolis, Toledo, and (recently completed) Boston.
New relationships are fostered in the community, landfill pressure is reduced, and awareness of how sustainability can look for an organization, a city, or an entire industry are just some of the benefits accrued by the work of ZeroLandfill. Happy teachers, specifiers, and artists make it all worth while.
July 26th, 2008
ZeroLandfill is :
a) a condition we strive to achieve someday through innovation, collaboration, and creative problem solving
b) a beneficial reuse project launched in the interior design industry to responsibly dispose of waste created by the specification process
c) a catch-all phrase that describes a zero waste approach to a process or system
d) a fun and committed group of people collaborating across the US to make a difference in their industry and their community
e) all of the above
July 23rd, 2008
After a 45 year absence, I’m back in the blogosphere. Thanks for your patience.
We get the strangest things at ZeroLandfill. Last week we ended up with a dozen heart valves from a local hospital. Not bio-waste or manufacturer samples. Just heart valves. Encased in a glass globe, some sort of an award with a plaque on the bottom. We’ll find a home for them, glad they didn’t end up in a landfill. That would have been a heartless thing to do.
More strange finds await (along with all of the wonderful items donated by interior designers and architects !).
July 22nd, 2008
Next Posts
