Who:
Linda Taft
Group Chair
Where:
Westminster, SC
Saturday morning and we're off to buy a new door. My finance', Harold, and I recently bought a house. We didn't want to add to the sprawling developments of new houses taking over the rural landscape of our beautiful area of South Carolina, so we bought an older home which, while sound and functional, does need some modernization and refreshing. We have lots of work ahead of us, but that will only make it more "our home."
We are in the middle of pre-move-in projects. We wanted to replace the front entry door which was hollow with a solid wood door. This morning we went shopping for a door, but rather than head off to the big box stores we explored a more conservationist-friendly alternative. The Habitat for Humanity chapter in our county operates a resale store to fund their home-builds. All of the items at the store are donated and resold at reasonable prices, and among the things they sell are previously used building materials. This includes doors, windows, cabinets, bathroom fixtures, and countertops. These items are still good but have been replaced during renovations or style updates.
The value of using these items can be measured in multiple ways. The environmental impacts of new product production are avoided. We needed a solid door, the previous owners needed these items out of their way, but the landfill certainly didn't need any more trash. The amount of money that the Habitat for Humanity gains from these sells is minimal but they are providing a great opportunity for us to fulfill our need in an environmentally consciuos way.
