Buffalo ReUse: more national praise

[kernwatch]

Mike Gainer has been a true inspiration to watch, turning the inner-city "lemons" of blighted neighborhoods & a massive demolition program of potentially 10,000 abandoned buildings into 'lemonade".

Here is the latest development at Buffalo ReUse. A new film about Bflo ReUse will be aired on the Sundance Channel, June 3 at 9 PM.

It has not yet been mentioned publicly that Gainer has also spawned a national deconstruction conference to be held in Bflo on November 16-18.

SEE: http://www.buffaloreuse.org/Conference/Conference

Hopefully, a coming development will be some success in slowinging the insanity of subsidized new construction of housing everywhere in Bflo as the county now has a "problem properties taskforce" addressing almost 15,000 distressed properties outside the city . . in addition to the 10,000 buildings (comntaining many of the city's 25,000 housing vacancies) that the Mayor hopes to demolish at a coast of about $100 million . . . as the just-released city tax foreclosure list has 4480 properties.

Current housing policy has dramaticaly failed. With his ability to work miracles, hopefully Gainer can help bring more sanity to the evergrowing mess.

Gainer is ideally situated to focus the need for demolition-plus-rehab, not demolition-then-rebuild, which perpetuates the need for more demolition.

http://buffalorising.com/story/buffa...s_their_me#sca

Buffalo ReUse Spreads Their Message Further

Yesterday, 1:22pm By Eli George



Buffalo ReUse is no longer just garnering local attention. The not-for-profit company, which dismantles homes and salvages the useful parts, was filmed last October as part of the Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet series. Michael Gainer, Executive Director of Buffalo ReUse says, “I’m excited that Buffalo is getting some national attention.”

The program will air on the Sundance Channel June 3 at 9 PM, EST. Gainer says, “They shot video of us taking a house down on Columbus Parkway. They got a lot of footage of Buffalo as well.”

The show will have extensive interviews with Gainer and members of his staff that were shot over a period of three days. The Sundance Channel actually has some of that footage available here.

SEE: http://www.sundancechannel.com/thegr...gIdeas:landing

“I think there is a very strong message there that people will make better decisions. It’s communicating to people to make better decisions when they spend their money…there are consequences for their actions,” says Gainer.

The episode Gainer and Buffalo ReUse appears in is called “Live.” Gainer says due to the fact some people do not have the Sundance Channel, “We’re encouraging supporters to do a house party.” Gainer says that Buffalo ReUse has two copies of the video that will appear in the episode. People can e-mail or call (885-4131) the company to set that up.

Gainer says that for people willing to hold a house party to screen the video will even get someone from Buffalo ReUse to stop by and speak directly about the problems. In part, it will help the new company find sponsors, but Gainer says it will also further the discussion about making smart decisions.

You can learn more about Buffalo ReUse on their website: http://www.buffaloreuse.org/

or by visiting their store at 298 Northhampton Street, Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 AM till 5 PM.

[speaker]

With the shortage and high cost of materials, it's about time someone does something. There are huge beams in these buildings, too, the like of which we'll never see again. Does anyone salvage them? Fireplaces and mantles and more.

It's good we have people like Mike Gainer.