Best wishes for the New Year!

We want to extend a great big thank you for your support and friendship! We look forward to another wonderful year with friends, visitors and volunteers. Stay warm and enjoy the season's offerings!

The Staff and pets of Our United Villages, December 2008

It Takes A Village--Get Involved!

There are many ways to get involved with Our United Villages: whether you want to volunteer in the warehouse, donate materials, bring your class or professional group for a tour, or inspire others with your ReUse creations, we encourage you to participate in a way that is meaningful for you.

A group of pre-k students touring the warehouse.

Here are some ideas:

Volunteer

Volunteer groups and individuals are invited to join us any day of the week during warehouse hours. Volunteer opportunities are varied, ranging from physically invigorating tasks to office work and outreach. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 503. 467.4985 or volunteer@ourunitedvillages.org or click here to learn more about the many volunteer opportunities at Our United Villages.

Donate or Purchase

To see a list of materials you can donate or purchase at The ReBuilding Center, click here! To learn more about how to donate or purchase materials click here.

Presentations and Tours

If you are interested in taking a tour or having us speak at your next meeting, lecture series, workshop or event, please feel free to contact us! 503.542.5051 or communications@ourunitedvillages.org

Inspire

Inspire others to reuse by submitting a photo and description of your reuse projects! You'll get a 10% discount on your next ReBuilding Center purchase and the good feeling that comes with sharing your creative energy to inspire others. Click here to learn more about the ReUse Ideas project and how you can get involved!

Volunteers beautifying the warehouse expansion.

The ReUse Ideas Project

"Our United Villages inspires people to value and discover existing resources to strengthen the social and environmental vitality of communities."

That's the mission here at OUV and we strive to fulfill it in many different ways. One such manifestation is a project called ReUse Ideas.

The ReUse Ideas Project was born from a desire to encourage people to engage in "creative reuse." Creative reuse means finding new purposes for salvaged materials, such as turning a door into a table or using a toilet as a planter. Creative reuse is a vital component of the ethos at The ReBuilding Center, where materials often rely on the ingenuity of design to bring them back to life.

Drawers turned into planting boxes.

What makes the ReUse Ideas Project so special is that it is driven by the visitors and friends of The ReBuilding Center. We invite anyone and everyone to submit photos and descriptions of projects that incorporate salvaged materials. Whether you are re-tiling a bathroom, building a chicken-coop or re-designing your entire house, sharing these projects inspires creative reuse in others and propels the movement towards a more beautiful and sustainable world!

In addition, participants receive a 10% off coupon for their next ReBuilding Center purchase as well as the good feeling that comes with inspiring creative genius in others.

The ReUse Ideas Project is still very much in the works. We encourage you to give us feedback on how we can make this project more useful and effective. In the meantime, you can look forward to monthly features of ReUse Ideas on this blog in addition to a permanent ReUse Ideas gallery in the Community Resource Area of the warehouse. The gallery features extraordinary examples of reuse projects from TRC visitors and friends, tips and tricks from ReFind Furniture and a plethora of great ideas to inspire your next reuse adventure!

Sash mirror chalkboard.

Interested in submitting? Here's how it works:

1. Take a photo of your project and write a brief description of the process, materials used, how much you saved, etc. We love before and after shots!

2. Fill out the ReUse Ideas Form. This form is available at the cash register (in the center of The ReBuilding Center) or in the Community Resource Area. If you would like to print it yourself or submit the form electronically you can download it in pdf form by clicking here.

3. Submit your photo(s) and description with the ReUse Ideas Form. You can submit your ReUse Idea in person at the register, by mail (your coupon will be mailed to the return address) or by email. Send electronic submissions to communications@ourunitedvillages.org. If you submit electronically, please specify whether you would like the coupon mailed or would like to pick it up at the register.

4. Shop! Use your 10% off discount to purchase materials in the warehouse and create another ReUse masterpiece!

We look forward to seeing the ReUse Ideas Project flourish and we hope that you will find inspiration and motivation in the creative energy of others. As always, we appreciate your feedback and welcome questions! You can direct comments to communications@ourunitedvillages.org.

Click here to see all of the posts related to ReUse Ideas and get inspired! Or check out current workshop offerings to hone your ReUse skills!

Salvaged materials clock.

ReFind Storefront Opening Party

On the eve of Thursday November 13th, ReFind Furniture celebrated the commencement of the long awaited ReFind Furniture Showroom.

Friends, supporters and contributors gathered to celebrate the new space and to enjoy a crisp, beautiful fall evening with food, fun and laughter. The festivities were a wonderul culmination of a few years (and especially a few recent months) of hard work by everyone involved. Check it out!




We extend our sincere appreciation to all those who contributed their resources to make the ReFind Storefront a reality.

Please accept our warmest invitation to join us for the "Grand Opening" of the ReFind Furniture Storefront on November 22nd from 3-5pm. There will be Junk to Funk fashions modeled from 3-4, raffle prizes at 4 and of course snacks and beverages to go around! While there is still much work to be done to complete this beautiful space, we hope you will join us in celebrating the exciting developments already made! See you there!

Root Award for Communitecture

The ReBuilding Center and Communitecture were honored at the first annual Root Awards, presented by Portland Spaces Magazine. The Root Awards is a design competition celebrating innovation, creativity and craftsmanship in the Portland Area. Communitecture won first place for its design of The ReBuilding Center in the Retail Category. In the words of Portland Spaces editor, Randy Gragg:

“…The ReBuilding Center has become the heart of Portland’s reuse ethos and what [Mark] Lakeman calls a “cathedral of community experience.”

Thank you to Communitecture for translating the reuse ethos into a building that we can all be proud of. And thanks to all of you: the community of supporters who encourage and enable us to continue this work.

Congratulations everyone!

Visit us on Flickr to see more photos!

Communicating Across Language Barriers

In response to the positive feedback from the first session, Our United Villages Community Outreach is happy to announce another workshop on Communicating Across Language Barriers: Understanding Accents. The workshop will be presented by Judith Wild, a visiting professor at Portland State University, Lewis and Clark College and the Northwest Film and Video Center with 30 years of ESL teaching experience. The workshop will include:

• VIDEOS: Watch and listen to people speak English with accents from around the world.
  
• PRACTICE: Discuss the elements of speech in various languages and practice tuning your ear to understand accents.
  
• INFORMATION: Learn specific characteristics and speech patterns for Russian, Mexican Spanish, Vietnamese, and Mandarin Chinese speakers.
  
• DISCUSSION: Share experiences and identify solutions to increase your awareness of and ability to understand accents.

Click Here to learn more about this and other workshops.
Or RSVP at info@ourunitedvillages.org.

Woodshop Wonders

ReFind Education cordially invites you to participate in one of our woodshop workshops! Learn a new skill, hone an old one, have some fun, meet some people, and bring something home! Here's what's happening in November:

Teen Woodshop Workshop : Learn about working with reclaimed wood and practice using tools such as the bandsaw, sander, drill and more. During the workshop complete a small woodworking project to take home.
Monday November 10th, 1-4pm
Sliding Scale $10-$30 (no one will be turned away for lack of funds).
Register Now

Table Building Techniques : Build a small side table from salvaged wood in this three day workshop. Learn how to make a useful and simple furniture piece with few materials and connections. The class will focus on the use of hand tools and the bandsaw, while learning a simple joinery connection.
Wed Nov 12, 6:30-8pm, Sat Nov 15 and Sun Nov 16, 12-5pm
$75 Instructed by Randi Selleck
Register Now

Call early to reserve your place. See the full ReFind Education schedule on our website, http://www.rebuildingcenter.org/education.htm.

Small Space : Big Impact

Jeffrey Gantert and Brad Bloom of Portland Garden Cottages went above and beyond the call of reuse with these amazing cottages located in Upper Albina. The ReBuilding Center is proud to be a resource for local builders and designers looking for innovative solutions to reuse challenges.

Gantert and Bloom built these two 364sq.ft. cottages almost entirely of salvaged materials.

You can find out more about Gantert and Bloom on their website, http://portlandgardencottages.com/Portland-Garden-Cottages.

Better yet, follow their lead and discover new ways to reuse the materials you love. The Rebuilding Center sees many creative reuse projects all the time and we are happy to share these ideas with you. Just stop by the warehouse and check out our ReUse Idea Board. Not only will you be making a positive impact on local economy and environment, you will also recieve a 10% off coupon for your next purchase when you bring or send us a picture of your ReUse project.

See you soon!

Big Barns

The Deconstruction crews are finishing up one big job! Take a look at the pictures below to see how we hand dismantle buildings--from roof to floor boards! Check it out!