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 Bill Kinneary's

Furniture Workshops

     

Due to popular demand, Bill Kinneary will be presenting his Antique Furniture Restoration drop-in hours on the 1st Saturday of every month, starting 10am-3pm on Saturday July 6th! 

 

  

Have an old piece of furniture you want to restore but don't know how to get started? Bring it in to Community Forklift during this workshop! Bill Kinneary will show you how to repair and restore old furniture easily, without  great costs.


He'll also demonstrate how to create furniture out of wood and other materials found at Forklift. You don't need a fortune to take on wood-working projects; come learn how many projects can be made with simple hand tools, and have a little fun! 

This is an interactive workshop, so please bring your questions and your projects to share!  

 

Got skills?  

Want to lead workshop?

• Do you reuse materials in your work or hobbies?

• Are you willing to spend a couple hours showing other Forkilft Fans the basics of what you do & how you do it?


Please email Bea(at)CommunityForklift.com if you'd like to lead a workshop, an "Ask the Expert" Q&A session, or a hands-on demonstration at the Forklift!

Edmonston, MD: A Green Utopia

Imagine this. A tightly knit neighborhood that participates in innovative and communal sustainability. You may think of this as some kind of "green utopia" when in fact it is a place that actually exists - Edmonston, Maryland, the home of Community Forklift.

Groundbreaking

The town of Edmonston was founded by Capt. James Edmonston, an innovator in his own right and a son of prominent family in the Hyattsville area. Adam Plummer, a key town trailblazer, was the town's first settler, a former slave to another prominent family, the Calverts.

When Plummer was freed, he bought land from Capt. Edmonston and used it to build a home for him, his wife, and their children after he bought them out of slavery (Plummer's diary serves as the sole piece of writing by a slave during the Emancipation and is housed by the Smithsonian, learn more here).

After the Plummer family settled, more and more people began to move to the area. Edmonston grew rapidly and thrived. In 1924, the community of Edmonston became incorporated as a municipality.

As its founders were trailblazers, Edmonston's officials were trailblazers as well. The first female Maryland mayor as well as the first Japanese American mayor (ever) served the town of Edmonston.

   

Shot of Green Street -"The Town of Edmonston constructed Maryland's first ever 'Green Street,' a collection of sustainable street innovation to lessen the area's environmental impact." - Photo courtesy of the Town of Edmonston

Edmonston's Green Street 

In recent years, Edmonston's innovative attitude has been directed more to improving the town's environmental impact.

In 2009, the community of Edmonston decided to begin construction on a "Green Street." The goal was to implement green practices all along Decatur Street, a central road in Edmonston, to "make a positive contribution to [the] regional environment." With the making of walking and biking lanes, installation of energy sufficient street lights, and construction of complex rainwater filtration systems, the town of Edmonston's overall sustainability greatly increased. The Green Street was the first of its kind in Maryland and quite possibly the entire East coast. Its completion serves as a testament to Edmonston's commitment to green innovation for the good of the community.

The CF Impact

With Edmonston being an area quite devoted to the idea of sustainable living and environmental responsibility, the presence of Community Forklift fits well within it. Forklift Sales Manager and Outreach & Education Representative, Ruthie Mundell, commented on the partnership between the town of Edmonston and the 'Lift. "Environmental actions cannot be sustainable unless they are also economically sustainable and accessible to all...We contribute [to the Edmonston community] by providing a place where residents and local tradespeople can donate or shop for reclaimed materials."

The community leaders and Community Forklift work together to provide sustainable and reuse choices for all Edmonston residents in order to increase the environmental responsibility of the town and green innovation for its future.