Salvage as a recession hedge: green jobs and other economic stimuli

Byline: Amy Bauman Two projects combine selective deconstruction with job training. Beyond financial savings, training is a huge bonus during recession. Scarcity shows us opportunity. Waste is an unneeded expense, and deconstruction offers savings and jobs. We illustrate material donor and recipient economics. The road between includes contractors spending labour to lower the material 'price' and refurbishers who find broader markets for their product, partially because of green building popularity. The life cycle (LCA, 2001) includes community. Regulation can support conservation and local industry. If manufacturers relocate, displaced workers cannot afford (typically expensive) locally made goods. A local economy creates better quality of life.