The Reuse People (TRP) is a licensed demolition contractor for commercial buildings, bank interiors, store and office interiors, municipal buildings, and military facilities. They call their practice "deconstruction" versus demolition. The buildings deconstructed are recycled and not sent to the landfills. TRP reduces the solid waste stream and renews the built environment by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse. Deconstruction jobs have ranges from a 600 square foot residential addition to large military warehouses. Recently, TRP deconstructed three Warner Bros. Movie sets at the old Alameda Naval Air Station-this project diverted over 10,000 tons of reusable and recyclable material. TRP also deconstructed the Clock Tower at NorthStar. Their Certified Contractors have diverted over two hundred thousand tons of usable building materials from landfills. These materials go to markets both in the U.S. and abroad.

In the U.S. materials are shipped to one of their warehouses or those of a partnering organization for sales and distribution to the public. Some materials are used as raw material by furniture, cabinet and flooring manufacturers. Larger dimensional lumber is shipped to mills that resurface and cut the lumber for reuse in homes and commercial buildings.

Now that spring has arrived, it is time to get our the gardening gloves and wheelbarrows. Before you head outside this year, take a look at green products for your landscaping projects.

• Rubber Mulch - mulch made from recycled tires for walkways or planter beds. It is non-toxic, non-staining, and long lasting.
• Evapotranspiration (ET) controllers for sprinkler systems - these computer controlled sensors are "smart" systems to regulate exactly how much water your garden needs. Includes, automatic rain shut off, tracks temperature, moisture content or soil, and more. It will only give you garden the water it needs.
• Subsurface Irrigation can save up to 60% of water - it only targets the root zone and disperses water at the ground level. Reduces evaporation, over spray, and is gray water compatible.
• Solar lamps for exterior lighting. These lights can be used as spot lights or malibu lamps to light a garden with no pollution or electricity.

Article © Lisa A. Swan

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