Even as many of us trying squeezing a few more vacation days in before the children return to school and we settle back into our regular routine again, we may want to recall how exceptionally warm this summer has been.  And, it might be worthwhile to reflect for a moment upon whether this might be a harbinger of summers to come if society keeps releasing carbon dioxide into the air at the same rate we presently are. 

Is this the kind of world we want to be leaving our children by the time they are adults?  We also may want to ask ourselves whether we are moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle as quickly as we could or reducing our carbon footprint as much as we might be able. 

One of ReBuild's missions is to help people figure out ways to live more sustainably on an affordable basis.  Thus, the reason we price our inventory as low as we do and why we offer our "continuing education" workshops as frequently as we have guest experts willing to give them.

We are constantly looking for folks who have skills and expertise to help us understand how we can continue reducing our demands for "stuff", repair or re-purpose existing household items, raise some of our own produce, and generally become a little more self-reliant and less dependent upon petroleum-based products in our daily lives.

Many of us cringe when we hear someone say "Just throw it away; you can buy a new one cheaper than you can fix it."  Yes, but when you do, you create a new cycle of additional energy use and carbon dioxide creation from the time the ore is mined or timber cut, hauled to the processing plant or sawmill, transported to the manufacturer where it is shaped and assembled, sent next to a wholesale distributor, then to the retailer where you purchase it, maybe have it delivered, and, after its use is exhausted, taken to its final resting place in a landfill, or worse, an incinerator.  All this is eliminated by reusing or re-purposing these items yet one more time before they are discarded or recycled.

That thought, plus the desire to help those in society who are in danger of being bypassed yet one more time by technology and the opportunity to play a meaningful role in helping restore our planet is what gets us up in the morning and is the last thing we think about at the end of the day.  We certainly aren't in it for the money!!

But money we sorely need to keep the place operating and to "keep hope alive" for those who are trying to gain a foothold on the lower rungs of a career with long-term stability and that provides a living wage sufficient to support their families.  Money - whether from warehouse sales, individual donations, foundation grants, or government grants -- is what keeps our doors open. 

So, please consider a small donation to ReBuild when you receive our email letter or telephone call this month requesting your support.  Think of it as an investment in yourself (so you can keep receiving a tax deduction for donating your unwanted building materials and cost savings on quality building materials), your community (for persons looking to make a new start in life), and the planet (which, Heaven knows, we have already abused far too much). If you would like to make a donation now, you can do so using PayPal or mailing a check made payable to ReBuild to 8929 Colesbury Pl., Fairfax, VA 220131. 

Keep shopping at ReBuild, telling your friends and neighbors about our wonderful deals, volunteer if you can, and let us know what we can do to continue improving our operations and to make ReBuild a more meaningful factor in your life and in the community.