ReBuilding our Communities

By Greg Zaparyniuk of Mollala, Oregon who asks "Why not? Why waste resources when there's so much good stuff we just throw away?"

The ReBuilding Center at 3625 N Mississipi Avenue in Portland is holding a Grand ReOpening Celebration. This is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to diverting reusable building and remodeling materials from the waste stream.

The ReBuilding Center managed to build a new structure almost entirely from recycled parts. The "new" architecture replicates various periods in the history of Portland. This weekend they will celebrate this achievement. Today from 10 am - 5 pm they will have food, music, raffles, an art show and much more.

Ironically, we often hear from the timber proponents that they love wood. Well, this organization recovers the beams and boards from our older structures slated for demolation. They grade the lumber and offer it for resale at about half of what these products would cost new. But that description fails to really describe the comparisons. We're really comparing toilet paper to those paper tablecloths in the restaurants with the cloth napkins.

The older pieces of the wood at the ReBuilding Center often have no knots because they were the products of old growth forests. If you can find knotless two-by-fours, post the location and price here. I would love to know who has this vanishing resource available and for how much.

It's a happy and sad place to visit, really. The treasures are a reflection of our natural resources in their prime. No longer available except here, but a joy to possess if you have need.