Last month, Allsteel; Henricksen, an Allsteel dealer; and Corporate Installations hosted ZeroLandfill Minneapolis. The event was part of ZeroLandfill, a nationwide initiative started by BeeDance, LLC and supported by IIDA that encourages manufacturers and A+D firms to donate items for reuse that are ordinarily discards.
Materials collected at ZeroLandfill events include: carpet tiles, laminate chips, upholstery swatches, three-ring binders, samples of ceramic tile, stone, glass, metal and more. This effectively diverts those materials from landfills. Nationally, the program has repurposed more than 400,000 pounds of design samples since 2006.
This recent event in Minneapolis resulted in the collection of 9,000 pounds of surplus and discontinued architectural and design materials. The items will find reuse by the more than 100 teachers, nonprofit leaders, and artists who attended.
According to Allsteel’s AJ ParonWildes, one of the key organizers of the inaugural Minneapolis event, teachers from numerous local school districts as well as the local homeless organization, People Serving People, were among the ZeroLandfill shoppers. Additionally, she said, some of the materials collected will be shipped to schools in Africa as part of another local initiative.
In addition to collecting donations, Allsteel members presented a seminar on the ZeroLandfill program to help educate the design community on the importance of “upcycling” and giving back to the community.
Other cities where events have been held are: Akron, OH; Boston, MA; Chattanooga, TN; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Columbus, OH; Louisville, KY; and Toledo, OH.
