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As the field of historic preservation has grown and changed, the concepts of sustainability, reuse, and salvage have become more central to the mission behind saving and maintaining old spaces. In 2014, Minnesota-based nonprofit and statewide Main Street Coordinator Rethos: Places Reimagined began offering a class called “Why Old is Green: Sustainability in Older Homes”, emphasizing and educating on the importance and quality of old building materials in an effort to encourage preservation and deconstruction efforts across the region. It was the beginning of a greater organizational push toward the marriage between preservation and environmentalism; an acknowledgement that the physical and cultural elements of a space are equally worth saving.
Since then, Rethos has joined and partnered with several local and national organizations centered around materials reuse, salvage, and deconstruction, includingBuild Reuse, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Sustainable Building Group, and Reuse Minnesota.
Rethos quickly began incorporating reuse curriculum into its Continuing Education classes, partnering with member-based nonprofit Reuse Minnesota to create a class called Reuse for Real Estate Agents in 2021. Reuse for Real Estate Agents educates realtors on local salvage efforts, allowing realtors to direct homebuyers to various reuse organizations, where they can purchase used high-quality building materials and furniture at an affordable price.
After years of involvement in the sustainability world, Rethos hosted its first National Trust for Historic Preservation-funded Deconstruction Masterclass, a series outlining the environmental, cultural, and preservation benefits behind materials salvage and reuse.
Next Steps for Community-Led Deconstruction & Salvage
With the formation of important relationships and expertise, Rethos has been looking for new ways to create valuable tools and resources for Minnesota communities to initiate locally led deconstruction and reuse projects. In partnership with member-based nonprofit Reuse Minnesota, Rethos working to establish common ground in the areas of deconstruction, salvage, and community storytelling through the hiring of a Minnesota GreenCorps member for the 2022-2023 season.
The Rethos and Reuse Minnesota GreenCorps member will take on several projects in the areas of salvage, reuse, and storytelling. Read more about each of the member’s projects below:
Through the above tasks, the Minnesota GreenCorps member will strengthen the relationship between preservation and reuse in Minnesota, providing local communities with the resources and knowledge they need to reuse, salvage, and maintain their historic downtown buildings and homes.
For any questions regarding the creation or distribution of resources listed above, please email Kelly Fischer at kelly@rethos.org. For more information on the Minnesota GreenCorps program, visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website.