A group of women and non-binary people in Savannah, Georgia, are working to save historic houses from the landfill. The non-profit, called Re:Purpose Savannah, specializes in an alternative to demolition, called “deconstruction.” It means taking apart a house and harvesting the material for reuse and recycling. Re:Purpose Savannah’s clients use the salvaged material - including high-quality, old-growth lumber - to build houses, furniture, and artwork.
For the crew, the work of “un-building” roofs and walls is exhausting, but meaningful. While demolition is a leading producer of waste around the world, deconstruction aims to minimize the environmental impact of removing a building. The emerging industry can also contribute to a “circular economy,” a local economy with less intake of new, raw material, and less waste.
Another important mission of Re:Purpose Savannah is to advance people who traditionally have had fewer opportunities in the U.S. construction industry, where men make up 90% of the workforce.
“Boys are sort of born with a birthright for tool use,” says Mae Bowley, the group’s executive director. “It was important for me to create a space where women, women+, can learn.”
The market for reclaimed lumber has been growing, thanks to increasing appreciation of and the importance of sustainability. Still, to help deconstruction compete with demolition, experts say there needs to be more public education on the benefits of this process, more training of deconstruction workers, and as well as policies such as “deconstruction ordinances” that require certain structures to be deconstructed, rather than demolished.
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5 окт 2024
