Earth Day: Salvaged Materials

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show

Keeping items out of landfills and minimizing consumption are great values year-round. For Earth Day, Larry Meiller finds out what materials can be repurposed, and the fun and functional ways to use them.

Featured in this Show

  • Expert: Make Home Improvement Projects Eco-Friendly By Reusing Salvaged Materials

    When it comes to home repair and improvement, some choices are friendlier to the environment than others. While the most obvious idea might be to buy new materials that are environmentally sound, reusing salvaged materials can end up being friendlier both to the environment and to a homeowner’s budget.

    According to Jen Voichick, director of the Dane County Habitat for Humanity ReStores, “The number one way to support the environment is to reuse.”

    There are some materials that can be used for the same purpose that they were made for, while others can be repurposed as well as reused. Items in the first category, said Voichick, include cabinets, appliances, furniture, lighting, flooring, windows and doors.

    Building materials are regularly available at a Restore or other salvage outlet. Voichick said that homeowners and contractors who check out the salvaged items before they even start their project often leave the happiest. That way, they can actually tailor the project to the materials that are available.

    “I don’t know how many times that people say ‘Oh! I wish I had come here a year ago,’” Voichick said, “because they’re in the middle of their project.”

    Salvaged materials don’t have to be used for their original purpose. For example, homemade chicken coops can be constructed from repurposed screen doors.

    During “The Larry Meiller Show” on Tuesday, one caller from Milwaukee had another suggestion: “With the crazy weather we’ve been having, for people trying to start plants outside, don’t forget that storm windows make great little greenhouses! And they’re not hard to put up right next to your home, and maybe you won’t lose your plants to the frost.”

    The Restore collects great ideas for using a variety of salvaged items on their Pinterest page. (A word of caution: the page is hard to browse without getting excited about dozens of potential projects!)

    Not all salvaged items get used as something functional — some are instead turned into art. Voichick said that the annual Habitat ReStore Salvaged Art Show runs now through June 1 at the Artisan Gallery in Paoli.

    There are 26 Habitat for Humanity Restores around Wisconsin, so chances are one is within driving distance of your next project.

Episode Credits

  • Larry Meiller Host
  • Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
  • Jen Voichick Guest