"We are not to throw away those things which can benefit our neighbor. Goods are called good because they can be used for good: they are instruments for good, in the hands of those who use them properly."
- Clement of Alexandria (150-220 A.D.)

Building and remodeling creates waste - no getting around it. How one handles the waste is key. From the Deschutes County Rethink Waste Guide: "The EPA estimates the total building related construction and demolition (C&D) waste to be over 135 million tons per year, and the average new construction project creates 3.9 pounds of waste per square foot."

What can you do? Learn what your local recycling options are, and learn from others who have gone through the process. 

Here's what my husband and I did during our own remodel: We gutted the entire inside of the home we purchased…We salvaged sinks, faucets, toilets, shower stalls, light fixtures, switch plates, mirrors, cabinets (anything we could) and donated them all to ReStore: The Habitat for Humanity resale shop. We took two pickup loads and a trailer full of wood scraps to our local recycling center. We tore out (and recycled) aluminum slider windows and replaced them with energy efficient ones. We repurposed antique furniture into a vanity sink cabinet, and two linen closets rather than buying new pieces. 

New kitchen cabinets were purchased from a company who offered a green line of cabinetry; the old cabinets were donated to Habitat. Ten of the light fixtures we installed were found at second hand stores or purchased off Craigslist. We coated the walls and ceilings with both low VOC (Devine) and zero VOC (Yolo) paints. 

We took a pickup bed of aluminum, and a trailer load of iron to the metal scrap yard, and came away with $47 in our pockets! Much better than taking it to the dump! 

Ultimately, we salvaged, reused and repurposed many items making our remodel as green as we could afford, and as beautiful as possible. More photos of the remodel may be seen here. Inspired? It just takes a little time to help save the planet. Do your part.