Saturday, August 18, 2007

Earth 911

http://earth911.org/

1 comment:

WeNeed2Care said...

Since we are all screaming about what we can do to save the earth from global warming, why is it that the ReUseIt Center, a non-profit organization, the first center of it's kind in the western suburbs, which sold surplus and gently used donated items from local businesses and tear-downs at significant savings to the general public, helping benefit the community through Mid-Valley Neighborhood Improvement Association, Inc. (MVNIA) an organization that assists limited income families with Emergency Home Repair Funds, by helping them maintain safe living conditions and making home improvements affordable for neighbors with limited incomes, while literally keeping tons of construction materials out of our landfills, (a totally worthy cause), closing?

It is most bittersweet. They opened 2 years ago with a full page writeup in a local paper, The Republican. Many who frequented the center learned today, that they are closing their doors forever on October 31st. Perhaps it was mismanaged funding, but the Alderman and Mayor of the City of Batavia cannot help their cause. A flag is proudly displayed at their entranceway greeting the cause, and the staff wears weathered tees with their logo, as if to show their plight, perhaps they too were donated.

Their rent although their landlord has been more than generous, is $8000 a month for a space and a dock that they need for loading and unloading goods that are donated. They, as many other non-profit organizations, cannot solely exist on funding, and relocation is not an option. If they shut down it's a slap in every environmentalists face, saying we don't care what happens to the planet. The landfills will again be filled with construction debris that could have been used elsewhere. As they rang up my order, I was greeted by yet another shopper, who has heard that they will be closing, reminiscing about what they have in their home that they purchased there.

They helped many families remodel kitchens, bathrooms, dens, bedrooms, foyers, and garages. They even had a couple of pictures from a school that had participated and reused items in their classrooms. There is a loyal following, kept witness by a roster that the store manager, Bill Coleman proudly displays near the checkout to tell customers of upcoming sales. Perhaps they did not receive the marketing tools many non-profit groups have available to them which help them survive beyond startup grants. Through their modest efforts and volunteering they were doing a whole lot of good for the community and the planet. It will be sad to see a win-win situtation close just because everyone turned their back on what's important to help Mother Earth.

www.reuseitcenter.org
1530 Hubbard Avenue
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: 630-761-4240
Fax: 630-761-4280