“There are so many possibilities when there’s so much potential material feedstock for businesses if we just divert it from landfills and incinerators.”

–Diane Cohen, Executive Director, Finger Lakes ReUse, Ithaca, N.Y.

Debris generated from construction and demolition is more than double the tonnage generated from municipal solid waste. Of that construction and demolition waste, 24% ends up in landfills. If you were around for the landfill crisis of the 1980s, you know the issue of waste is environmentally, socially, and politically complex. The problem hasn’t gone away.

Diane Cohen sees a solution. As executive director of Finger Lakes ReUse, Diane oversees the collection and reuse of a variety of products and materials, including those used in the building trades.

When New York’s Tompkins County was looking to fund a program to divert materials from landfills through architectural salvage, Diane reflected on her suitability to lead the charge. Her experience includes painting houses, managing a nightclub, and working in an architectural hardware design firm. Her skills were transferable, and she had vision.

In her opinion, the scope of the county’s proposed program was too narrow. It did not encompass all the materials she knew to be in the waste stream. So, in collaboration with the county, community, and local commerce sector, she helmed the establishment of a reuse center—known today as Finger Lakes ReUse.

“I’d become passionate about deconstruction, but because our parent organization did historic preservation, they didn’t want to invest in a program that took buildings apart,” Diane recalls. “The idea for the reuse center was to create something with the capacity for a deconstruction program too.”

Finger Lakes ReUse’s deconstruction program trains people in new skills, adapts existing skills in the trades, and adds value to salvaged materials through creative outlets. Next steps include helping contractors integrate deconstruction into their own businesses as a niche service.

“I started with an environmental motivation,” Diane says. “But fairly early on, I recognized the opportunity for people to find a community, social interaction, and professional development in the reuse space. And I’ve watched people transform and empower themselves in the process.”

—Lana Melonakos-Harrison, digital editor

Photo: Kateri Connolly Photography

From Fine Homebuilding #322