Resistant to Green Building because of Recycled Materials? Don’t Be! Our culture for many years now has fallen prey to the Ad Men on Madison Avenue, believing that new is always better, recycled or used items are for us to donate to the poor, and that most people would be ashamed to admit they had anything old in their home which wasn’t an antique. This does retail giants like Neiman Marcus and design houses like Prada and Tiffany’s a great service, bringing them new clientele and millions-even billions in sales every year. Owning used items or re-using items has a sort of stigma attached to it, doesn’t it? We think others will either call us a cheapskate, or they will feel sorry for us because we have cast-off this or that, and we worry that others may say that our job is not going as well as we say. We worry about the whispers behind hands, the rumor mill, and the clothesline grapevine. Why? It’s true that we are social animals. It’s also true that an executive on his or her way up needs to impress the higher-ups in the company. In today’s volatile financial and employment environment, it’s actually smarter to reuse things, and even repurpose and reclaim things. This can often put more money in our pockets to be used for retirement or emergencies. Repurposing and reclaiming building materials is smart, not chintzy or shabby. Here’s why: • There are only so many natural resources to go around, and with now 7 Billion people on the planet, this becomes even more important to sustaining all of that life. • Using reclaimed bricks and reclaimed wood in floors and kitchen or dining room tables helps to create a unique appearance that allows your personality to shine through, while still impressing guests, including the boss and your colleagues in business. It doesn’t cost any less. In fact, depending upon the look you want, it can be more expensive than new materials. • The appearance of your newly constructed green home will be unique among others, without being ostentatiously so. It makes the home look refined, elegant, and cozy, no matter the size. Still not sold on the idea? Consider this: In addition to the benefits described above, repurposed and reclaimed building materials are carefully inspected and chosen by your builder in wholesale shops that specialize in reclaimed materials. Everything from reclaimed wood flooring to reclaimed and very ornate crystal chandeliers, the likes of which cannot be found in home building stores meant for the mass-market or the Do-it-Yourself type can be found in these shops, lumberyards and wholesale brickyards that specialize in reclaimed bricks. These materials are still as strong, if not stronger, than the day they were made. They have unique character that helps bring the feel you want in your home, and you can rest assured that your builder as well as the Pickers and Buyers of these materials are choosing only the best and sturdiest materials. Using reclaimed, recycled or re-purposed items in the construction of your home is just as safe, if not safer, than choosing all new materials. In addition to all of this, you have the satisfaction of knowing that very few unclaimed natural resources were used in the building of your home, leaving them for future generations. None of the reclaimed materials you used in your new home went to the landfill, so it did not expand, thereby saving natural habitat for wildlife and preserving space for native plant life. Don’t be resistant to using recycled materials. Embrace them. The stigma attached to pre-owned or used items was created by the Ad Men on Madison Avenue to sell more products for their clients. It does not always have our best interests at heart. Resistant to Green Building because of Recycled Materials? Don’t Be! Our culture for many years now has fallen prey to the Ad Men on Madison Avenue, believing that new is always better, recycled or used items are for us to donate to the poor, and that most people would be ashamed to admit they had anything old in their home which wasn’t an antique. This does retail giants like Neiman Marcus and design houses like Prada and Tiffany’s a great service, bringing them new clientele and millions-even billions in sales every year. Owning used items or re-using items has a sort of stigma attached to it, doesn’t it? We think others will either call us a cheapskate, or they will feel sorry for us because we have cast-off this or that, and we worry that others may say that our job is not going as well as we say. We worry about the whispers behind hands, the rumor mill, and the clothesline grapevine. Why? It’s true that we are social animals. It’s also true that an executive on his or her way up needs to impress the higher-ups in the company. In today’s volatile financial and employment environment, it’s actually smarter to reuse things, and even repurpose and reclaim things. This can often put more money in our pockets to be used for retirement or emergencies. Repurposing and reclaiming building materials is smart, not chintzy or shabby. Here’s why: • There are only so many natural resources to go around, and with now 7 Billion people on the planet, this becomes even more important to sustaining all of that life. • Using reclaimed bricks and reclaimed wood in floors and kitchen or dining room tables helps to create a unique appearance that allows your personality to shine through, while still impressing guests, including the boss and your colleagues in business. It doesn’t cost any less. In fact, depending upon the look you want, it can be more expensive than new materials. • The appearance of your newly constructed green home will be unique among others, without being ostentatiously so. It makes the home look refined, elegant, and cozy, no matter the size. Still not sold on the idea? Consider this: In addition to the benefits described above, repurposed and reclaimed building materials are carefully inspected and chosen by your builder in wholesale shops that specialize in reclaimed materials. Everything from reclaimed wood flooring to reclaimed and very ornate crystal chandeliers, the likes of which cannot be found in home building stores meant for the mass-market or the Do-it-Yourself type can be found in these shops, lumberyards and wholesale brickyards that specialize in reclaimed bricks. These materials are still as strong, if not stronger, than the day they were made. They have unique character that helps bring the feel you want in your home, and you can rest assured that your builder as well as the Pickers and Buyers of these materials are choosing only the best and sturdiest materials. Using reclaimed, recycled or re-purposed items in the construction of your home is just as safe, if not safer, than choosing all new materials. In addition to all of this, you have the satisfaction of knowing that very few unclaimed natural resources were used in the building of your home, leaving them for future generations. None of the reclaimed materials you used in your new home went to the landfill, so it did not expand, thereby saving natural habitat for wildlife and preserving space for native plant life. Don’t be resistant to using recycled materials. Embrace them. The stigma attached to pre-owned or used items was created by the Ad Men on Madison Avenue to sell more products for their clients. It does not always have our best interests at heart. Resistant to Green Building because of Recycled Materials? Don’t Be! Our culture for many years now has fallen prey to the Ad Men on Madison Avenue, believing that new is always better, recycled or used items are for us to donate to the poor, and that most people would be ashamed to admit they had anything old in their home which wasn’t an antique. This does retail giants like Neiman Marcus and design houses like Prada and Tiffany’s a great service, bringing them new clientele and millions-even billions in sales every year. Owning used items or re-using items has a sort of stigma attached to it, doesn’t it? We think others will either call us a cheapskate, or they will feel sorry for us because we have cast-off this or that, and we worry that others may say that our job is not going as well as we say. We worry about the whispers behind hands, the rumor mill, and the clothesline grapevine. Why? It’s true that we are social animals. It’s also true that an executive on his or her way up needs to impress the higher-ups in the company. In today’s volatile financial and employment environment, it’s actually smarter to reuse things, and even repurpose and reclaim things. This can often put more money in our pockets to be used for retirement or emergencies. Repurposing and reclaiming building materials is smart, not chintzy or shabby. Here’s why: • There are only so many natural resources to go around, and with now 7 Billion people on the planet, this becomes even more important to sustaining all of that life. • Using reclaimed bricks and reclaimed wood in floors and kitchen or dining room tables helps to create a unique appearance that allows your personality to shine through, while still impressing guests, including the boss and your colleagues in business. It doesn’t cost any less. In fact, depending upon the look you want, it can be more expensive than new materials. • The appearance of your newly constructed green home will be unique among others, without being ostentatiously so. It makes the home look refined, elegant, and cozy, no matter the size. Still not sold on the idea? Consider this: In addition to the benefits described above, repurposed and reclaimed building materials are carefully inspected and chosen by your builder in wholesale shops that specialize in reclaimed materials. Everything from reclaimed wood flooring to reclaimed and very ornate crystal chandeliers, the likes of which cannot be found in home building stores meant for the mass-market or the Do-it-Yourself type can be found in these shops, lumberyards and wholesale brickyards that specialize in reclaimed bricks. These materials are still as strong, if not stronger, than the day they were made. They have unique character that helps bring the feel you want in your home, and you can rest assured that your builder as well as the Pickers and Buyers of these materials are choosing only the best and sturdiest materials. Using reclaimed, recycled or re-purposed items in the construction of your home is just as safe, if not safer, than choosing all new materials. In addition to all of this, you have the satisfaction of knowing that very few unclaimed natural resources were used in the building of your home, leaving them for future generations. None of the reclaimed materials you used in your new home went to the landfill, so it did not expand, thereby saving natural habitat for wildlife and preserving space for native plant life. Don’t be resistant to using recycled materials. Embrace them. The stigma attached to pre-owned or used items was created by the Ad Men on Madison Avenue to sell more products for their clients. It does not always have our best interests at heart.