Talk about being the last one to discuss a subject – Extreme Makeover home edition has been on the air for years, and honestly, I never watch the show. Well there was nothing on TV last night, and the kids wanted to watch – so I did – up until the part where the demo crew comes in. What a colossal waste of materials, resources and ultimately a landfill nightmare.
OK, let me back up a minute, and explain why this show caught my ire. Two years ago, I was part of a remarkable project entitled the Reuse Everything Experiment (REX). My job was to market the project, and do my PR thing to get reporters and writers interested. Here’s the premise – take an old dilapidated home, de-construct the home – saving every single piece, and reuse everything back into a new home construction project – all on the same lot.
Sounds challenging – and it was. It was the first ever project that truly reused every part (including the rusty old nails), back into a new home – and 99% of everything was reused. Obviously, the reason I was involved was the eco-nature of the project, and it was something I believe in.
Here’s what I learned – you can do it, and save money. 60% of all landfill waste is construction related – and 40% of that waste is still useable.
Now let’s jump back to last night’s show. Nothing was reused, not even the functional appliances, not one 2X4, not one brick, nothing. A colossal waste. Sure, I’m not heartless to the fact that the family got a new home and they are happy. I’m just not happy with overflowing landfills for the sake of ratings. This is classic of our broken thinking – out of site, out of our minds…
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