Rebuilding Exchange and The WasteShed Evanston make a difference in waste disposal — these neighboring centers accept donations of discarded materials and transform them into valuable goods, demonstrating the power of community-driven sustainability.
Aina Gutierrez, Rebuilding Exchange’s executive director, oversees the organization’s mission of environmental sustainability and workforce development. Rebuilding Exchange has two primary enterprises: selling salvaged building materials and deconstructing homes.
Rebuilding Exchange collects roughly three million pounds of materials from landfills annually, Gutierrez said. After receiving donation requests, staff members pick up donations.
Gutierrez said people purchase these goods for more than just cheap prices — they know they are supporting a larger cause.
The other major component of their mission, providing jobs to residents, is achieved through two workforce training programs.
“The impact that a living wage job can have on not only the person but the family, the people around the family, the money that goes into the community: That’s really what we’re here about,” Gutierrez said.
The Transitional Employment program prepares students for open shop employment — home repair, HVAC, painting — and follows up with each participant for at least two years after completing the program, Guiterrez said. They also take apart houses by hand to recycle and reuse the reclaimed materials in deconstruction projects at the Rebuilding Exchange.
The Pre-Apprenticeship Program prepares adults for construction trade apprenticeships and pathways to enter unions. Gutierrez said some of these participants go on to work in some of the major unions in Chicago.
Gutierrez said the heart of these training programs is their commitment to diversity. In fact, she said Pre-Apprenticeship Program participants will be employed with Northwestern’s Ryan Field rebuilding project as part of the University’s commitment to local hiring and diversity.
“To be able to diversify (the workforce) and give more access to communities of color and to women in the space is really important to us,” Gutierrez said.
Next door, Emily Prescott, the general manager of The WasteShed Evanston, said The WasteShed was founded 10 years ago with the goal of bringing creative reuse to the Chicago area. She said she oversees 1,500 to 3,000 pounds of donations per month. This work is driven by a core belief in the value of creative reuse, she said.
“Creative reuse revolves around the idea that it’s important and worthwhile to try to divert some of that waste from landfills and use it again, sometimes in creative ways,” Prescott said.
Frank Pollard, now the creative reuse specialist at The WasteShed Evanston, said he started as a volunteer, helping to prepare donated materials for sale. The WasteShed relies on both staff and volunteers and hosts volunteer events at least once a month to sort donations.
As a creative reuse specialist, Pollard said he is involved in the entire process from donations to purchase, including sorting, pricing and further organization. He said he also loves the “buzz” from helping people find unique items they need.
“It’s nice to hang out and meet other scrappy artists and crafters,” Pollard said. “And it’s always interesting to find out what people are working on, whether it’s needlepoint or a robot.”
The WasteShed Evanston aims to make a difference in the lives of teachers, Prescott said. An entire section of the store is dedicated to free supplies for educators, and teachers also receive a 25% discount on all store items.
Prescott said teachers use The WasteShed as a resource for a multitude of purposes. Some come for general classroom supplies. One educator came for affordable sewing machines to start a fashion club. Others get creative reuse materials, such as nuts and bolts, plastic or old paint, to support their maker space.
The reuse centers are all about coming together as a community, Prescott said. A door connects Rebuilding Exchange and The WasteShed, so it’s easy to redirect customers to someone who can better support their needs, said Gutierrez.
“It’s nice to be doing work every day that, in a small way, is actively impacting the environment and the world around us,” Prescott said. “I think that’s huge, but it’s also just a wonderful community.”
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Related Stories:
— The WasteShed Evanston brings creative reuse to the North Shore
— Rebuilding Exchange builds community while diverting materials from landfills
— Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse focuses on second chances for materials, staff
