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  • 2024-02-14 1:19 PM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)


    Reuse Minnesota is excited to announce we have been selected as a 1% for the Planet Environmental Partner! We are part of a network from around the world that works for the benefit of people and the environment.

    1% for the Planet is a global organization that inspires businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofits through membership and everyday actions. They make environmental giving easy and effective through partnership advising, impact storytelling, and third-party certification.

    With this recognition, Reuse Minnesota has access to a network of 1% for the Planet Business members that commit to donating 1% of annual sales to vetted environmental organizations.

    If you are a 1% for the Planet business member, please consider including Reuse Minnesota in your giving goals! Learn more about joining 1% for the Planet. 

  • 2024-02-01 1:46 PM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)

    Reuse Minnesota invited several of its members to share exhibitor space at the Minneapolis Home Building & Remodeling Expo held at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis on January 19-21, 2024. Reuse Minnesota's booth featured home vignettes that highlighted reuse, repair, and repurposing possibilities. We were joined by these members throughout the event: Hennepin County Environment, LumberStash, Minnesota Tool Library, PaintCare, Bridging, Good To Go CupsArc's Value VillagePRISM, and Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP). Better Futures also had a separate booth.

    We enjoyed engaging the community in conversations centered around what reuse can look like inside and outside the home. Bridging shared many copies of their donation list to encourage attendees to donate furniture and housewares they might be replacing during a remodel. Shop for Change discussed how their thrift store takes donations and that the proceeds benefit their social service programs.

    We are thankful for Minnesota Tool Library, Bridging, and Arc's Value Village Thrift Store for lending furniture and props for our booth!



    Diana from Bridging helped supply the furniture display for our booth.


    Jeremy from LumberStash connected with property managers and remodelers,
    sharing his unique business model and its opportunities.


    Olivia with Hennepin County was on hand to share about deconstruction grants.


    Kate from Minnesota Tool Library and Gratias from PaintCare
    shared how their services can help remodelers.

  • 2024-02-01 12:53 PM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)


    RELEASE DATE: Tuesday, January 23, 2024

    A New Reuse Center at the South Transfer Station

    Park Rapids, MN, January, 2024 – Hubbard County Solid Waste Department has been accepting reuse items for more than twenty years. For the most part Hubbard County residents and businesses have had opportunities to do material exchange of reusable items at the Hubbard County Transfer Stations in small uncovered areas since the day the stations opened. The South Transfer Station’s most recent Reuse Lane has been located on the opposite of the outdoor express lane. Over the years, the reuse areas have changed and moved around the facility but have always been open to the elements.

    In 2022, The Hubbard County Solid Waste Department began exploring ways to:

    • reduce the number of reusable/repurposable items entering the county’s waste stream.
    • start to measure Hubbard County reuse numbers for the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) SCORE report.
    • promote and support Hubbard County businesses and residents to increase participation in material exchange reuse activities to keep reusable/repurposing items out of the county waste stream.

    As a part of a soft-opening, Monday February 5, 2024, the Hubbard County South Transfer Station will move the current Reuse Lane up to the old transfer station building (D Bldg.). The building’s new name will be Hubbard County Reuse Center.

    All residents and businesses entering the South Transfer Station must turn right and check-in with a Solid Waste team member at the Transfer Station Building (A Bldg.) before going to the new Reuse Center. After check-in resident/businesses will be allowed to drop-off reuse materials to the Reuse Center during regular transfer station hours.

    Hubbard County Reuse Center hours
    Monday through Friday 8:30 -4:00
    Saturdays 8:30 – 2:30

    Saturday, February 3, 2024 the current South Transfer Station Reuse Lane will be permanently closed at 3:00 pm.

    The Hubbard County Solid Waste Reuse Center goals are to:

    • increase the space for the public to participate in material exchange of reusable and repurposed items
    • provide added space including some covered space to make material exchange more effective and sustainable.
    • reduce the amounts of reusable materials going into the county waste stream which reduces solid waste costs
    • reduce the amount of building construction and demolition materials going into the county landfill
    • develop a drop-off system which allows the county to measure the quantities of reuse materials being saved out of the county waste stream
    • support community organizations and community-based reuse, repair and recycling efforts.

    Be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

    Contact Hubbard County Solid Waste Offices
    812 Henrietta Ave S
    Park Rapids, MN 56470

    www.co.hubbard.mn.us/waste
    218 -732-9568
    solidwaste@co.hubbard.mn.us

  • 2024-01-09 12:23 PM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)

    We hosted our first Mend-it Clinic and mended 38 items! Three sewing contractors taught people how to mend their rips and holes, fix zippers, darn sweaters, and more! Volunteers assisted with hand mending and members of the community shared tips and skills as they waited in line to have their items mended.

    For those that had the mending skills but lacked supplies or equipment, we provided a sewing machine and notions for them to use.  

    Additional Mend-it Clinics will be added to our calendar. Attend one of our clinics and learn how to mend your items! 

    Sewists (L to R): Lily, Alicia, Mai

     

    A mother and daughter mend their mittens

     

    Volunteers assist with hand mending

     
    Over 30 people attended the event

    The clinic was made possible by funding from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Environmental Assistance Grant Program. We thank Old School for serving as a site host. View additional photos from the event here.

  • 2023-12-22 4:07 PM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)


    Applications are now being accepted for Reuse Minnesota's business development training! This training is open to individuals interested in starting or expanding a resale business. 

    This training is being developed by Cat Polivoda, owner of Cake Plus-Size Resale, and will cover topics such as business basics of resale, product procurement, and growth and expansion. Participants will gain a solid foundation for starting a resale-based business, with additional resources provided to guide the next steps. 

    ⏰APPLY NOW: http://tinyurl.com/yd2khebx

    DETAILS

    • Location: All training will be in-person at North Regional Library (1315 Lowry Ave N, Minneapolis).
    • Dates: Sessions are scheduled for Sunday, March 3, and Sunday March 10, from 12:30-4:30pm. Sunday, March 24 will be a backup/snow day. 
    • Compensation: Individuals who complete both sessions of the training, as well as a feedback survey, will be provided a $100 stipend. 

    This training is made possible through funding provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

  • 2023-12-07 7:00 AM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)

    If you’ve ever fixed something yourself you know the feeling of accomplishment it leaves you with. Sometimes it is a small repair, requiring a few squirts of super glue, and other times it is a large feat, requiring hours of careful disassembly and rebuilding. Sharing these skills with young people is an incredibly important part of ensuring that our vision of a reuse-based society continues to come to fruition. 

    This vision is a large part of why we reapplied for Hennepin County’s Green Partners grant funding this year. Our grant allows us the opportunity to work with high school students to talk about reuse and give hands on time to put what is learned into practice. While much of our grant is focused on time in the classroom, after our partnership with Roosevelt High School last spring, and seeing the student interest in mending, we wanted to expand what we could offer. Using the student-led free thrift store (featured last spring in the Star Tribuneas an anchor, we included a request for funds to offer an extracurricular time for learning mending skills. The school’s club time, which happens midday on Fridays so it is accessible to all students, offered the perfect time to implement this project.

    On Friday, December 1, we launched Club Mend. The club will convene twice a month starting in January, and will run through the end of the school year. Our grant allowed us to hire an instructor - Kris - who has a background in costuming and loves to upcycle and modify garments. Kris will guide the students on topics such as learning machine repair basics, how to alter a shirt for a better fit, and more. In the kick off session, students shared what they were interested in learning, their experience with sewing and mending, and got some hands on practice by sewing fabric yo-yos, which may be familiar to people who have seen them as adornments or sewn together by the hundreds to create intricate quilts. We are excited to continue engaging students in building their mending skills in 2024!

    Want to get involved? If this kind of thing excites you, we’d love to get you involved. We are seeking a few volunteers to help the instructor with setup, cleanup, and some basic sewing skills such as threading needles and tying knots. Bonus, you get to learn some mending skills! Learn more here.

    instructor demonstrating sewing techniques  adult holding mended jeans

    L to R: Instructor Kris demonstrates for the students; a student's completed yo-yo;
    RHS teacher Shannon Nordby proudly shows a recent repair made using
    visible mending techniques learned in last spring's class.

     
  • 2023-12-01 7:50 AM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)

    Reuse Minnesota is pleased to share the results of our recent board election. Members used ranked-choice voting to elect the following six individuals who will serve from January 2024 through December 2025.

    Returning
    Annika Bergen, 3rd term
    Petrina Rhines, 2nd term
    Dustin Siemers, 2nd term

    New
    Margo Ashmore
    Rita Cole
    Emily Noyes

    These individuals represent a variety of sectors including nonprofit, government, and private business. They also bring a wide expanse of experience including fundraising, board governance, and business ownership. We look forward to learning from them and greatly appreciate their willingness to share their skills to help grow Reuse Minnesota!

  • 2023-11-16 12:05 PM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)


    Reuse Minnesota is delighted to announce that we have selected Cat Polivoda to create a business development training program for individuals interested in starting or expanding a resale-based business in Minnesota. Cat is the respected owner of Cake Plus-Size Resale, and her combination of resale and training experience, accomplishments in other roles, and passion for cultivating community make her a great choice for this role.

    Cat’s training experience includes 6 years of onboarding staff and interns. She has created employee training guides, promoted ongoing development of shop skills, and developed proprietary training on outright buying for plus-size clothing resale. She previously fostered strong relationships as an instructor at a community college and as the director of growth for a media arts nonprofit. We look forward to the energy and experience Cat brings to this project!

    Over the winter, a handbook and class curriculum will be developed as an ongoing resource for Reuse Minnesota and the reuse community in Minnesota. The first iteration of the training will be offered in-person in the Twin Cities metro area in Spring 2024, and will include up to 25 participants. Sessions will explore a wide variety of business themes catered to the resale/secondhand environment including business basics of resale, product procurement, and growing a resale business.

    If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the training, we encourage you to apply. The application will be used to help us select a varied and diverse group of current and prospective reuse business owners for this first training series. A small stipend will be provided to those who complete the course and provide feedback through a final survey.

    Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay connected with all Reuse Minnesota has to offer! This project is funded by the State of Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).

  • 2023-09-14 11:30 AM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)

    We are excited to announce that we have been awarded a $23,500 Hennepin County Green Partners youth environmental education grant! This funding will allow us to continue building and expanding our reuse curriculum for high school students. We will focus our outreach at Roosevelt High, Edison High, and Longfellow Alternative High schools. Through hands-on activities, guest speakers, and classroom-led discussion, students will learn about reuse, repair, resale, and rental, and explore reuse as a potential career. 

    We thank the Hennepin County Green Partners environmental education program for the opportunity to continue the work we started through this program in 2022.

    Click here for a list of the other grant recipients.

  • 2023-09-11 7:00 AM | Reuse Minnesota (Administrator)

    Reuse Minnesota is seeking an individual or firm that is well-versed in creating business development trainings to create a training program focused on supporting individuals interested in starting or expanding resale-based businesses in the state of Minnesota. The goal of the training is to expand reuse in the state by creating professional development opportunities in the reuse sector.

    Qualified applicants should have experience creating professional and/or business development training. Familiarity with the reuse sector is ideal, but not required. Preference for contractors based in Minnesota, but not required.

    The training will initially be offered once as part of this contract. Future trainings will be offered by Reuse Minnesota. All materials created for the training will become property of Reuse Minnesota upon completion of the contract.

    Proposals due October 6. See the full RFP details here.

    Funding for this project is from the State of Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF). 

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Reuse Minnesota was founded in 2012 and is a member-based nonprofit that supports repair, resale, and rental businesses, bringing visibility to the reuse sector as a means to lower our state's impact on the environment.



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Email Reuse Minnesota
612-314-6283
reusemn.org

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