Michael Gainer

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2007

Michael Gainer

Buffalo ReUse

http://www.buffaloreuse.org/

Buffalo, New York, United States

Community Improvement & Economic Development, Environment

The Bold Idea:

Once a dynamic industrial center, Buffalo’s population has declined from over 500,000 in 1950 to 290,000 today. The city now struggles with the overwhelming burden of 23,000 unwanted residential structures. Local government has ambitious plans to demolish 10,000 structures over the next ten years at a cost to the community of more than $100 million.

Buffalo ReUse will use creative building deconstruction techniques to counter the common and wasteful practice of demolition. These new techniques not only divert usable materials from the landfill, but also provide job training opportunities for young adults, and marshal resources in the community to develop new assets, such as community gardens and parks. Reclaimed building materials will be sold through a ReUse store, a social enterprise endeavor aimed at improving the quality of existing homes in Buffalo.

Biography:

Michael Gainer is both a skilled carpenter and an accomplished educator. He has worked as a community organizer focusing on poverty issues in Boston; a leadership development program director in Oregon; and a building contractor, deconstructing antique timber-framed houses and barns across the Northeast.

Moment of Obligation: What experiences led to the desire to start your own organization?
The mere scope of the problem demanded action. With well over 10,000 houses awaiting demolition, it seemed wasteful to me that all of these houses would be crunched up by large machines and dumped in a landfill. I began to learn about the issue just weeks after moving to Buffalo in November 2005. What was most interesting about the entire situation was that I had serendipitously attended a deconstruction conference in October that same year, primarily because of my previous work as a contractor. My intention was to simply learn more about building material reuse as a strategy for greener construction projects and it just happened to be in the same city as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Annual Conference, so I decided to attend. It later became clear to me that building deconstruction would be the vehicle for an effective youth training and leadership program for youth 18 – 24 years old and, given this was my original intention when I first moved to Buffalo, it seemed like a natural fit.

Gall to Think to Big: What has given you the ability to dream big and take on deeply entrenched problems in the world?
My work as an organizer and activist began one day while standing in the shower, listening to NPR. I had just learned that the Green Party candidate for governor in Massachusetts had been shut out of the debates. Aghast by the apparent deprivation of democracy here in the U.S., I found myself in the middle of an inspiring grassroots campaign that forever impacted how I thought about social change. Over several years, partisan work transitioned to non-partisan community organizing and I found myself immersed in numerous campaigns. A challenging budget crisis resulted in an effort to promote economic justice through progressive tax reform. A sixteen-day March to Abolish Poverty empowered low-income individuals to speak out about the struggle of poverty in America. Organized resistance to an illegal redistricting plan by the state legislature resulted in an unprecedented opportunity for new candidates in communities of color to run for political office. These experiences were both humbling and inspiring, and I learned how the power of individuals and organized efforts could bring about positive changes in our communities.

New and Untested: What’s innovative about your new idea for social change?
Buffalo ReUse is innovative because it is addressing a desperate need and facilitating the task of deconstruction in a cost-effective way. It’s not enough to just have a good idea. At the end of the day, if our service is too costly it won’t be feasible for the City of Buffalo or our constituents in the community. Consequently, we’ve collaborated with a deconstruction consultant to integrate techniques that allow us to disassemble buildings more quickly and more safely. Our techniques have decreased the time on a project from two to three weeks to three to four days, while also salvaging or recycling significant quantities of reusable materials. Buffalo ReUse is not only innovating deconstruction techniques, but we’re using deconstruction as a vehicle for other work in the community. Job training for youth is critical, but we also hope to encourage and support the start-up of new small businesses; encourage the creation of new community assets such as community gardens and micro-parks; and open a reuse retail store to sell low cost materials to support folks in making necessary renovations to their homes.

Seeing Possibilities: What are the most important qualities to be a successful social entrepreneur?
I think it’s critical that people feel empowered by the work they’re doing within an organization. It’s so exciting for me to know that people are inspired by the time they contribute to an effort and feel like they are making a significant contribution to the organization. In my own life, I’ve been most inspired when I’ve felt empowered to infuse my ideas and energy into directing the course of an effort. In my opinion, this is the best way to prevent burn-out. I’ve worked hard to help volunteers and members of the board identify a role within the organization that best utilizes their skills and matches their interests. Thus far, we’ve been able to meet many of our needs with specific contributions by numerous volunteers. Our volunteers continue to be the force that expands our effort. Similarly, we all have so much to learn from each other. In my experience, I’ve been an outsider who has come to new places with new ideas for creating change. I have taken the time to listen and learn from the expertise and previous efforts of so many individuals that have been living, organizing, and working in Buffalo for years. Their historical perspective, combined with their ideas, wisdom, and desire to make Buffalo a better place, has been a huge resource for me. I continue to absorb this history and meld it with my previous experiences to build an organization that can address the needs of this unique community.

Which musical artists/albums get you going and keep you inspired?
Right now, the artists that keep me inspired are the ones that make me smile. As of late, I’ve almost exclusively been listening to Old Crow Medicine Show, a high energy, bluegrass band hailing from Tennessee. I also have a fondness for Jim’s Big Ego, a hysterical band from Boston, Massachusetts. Zoe Lewis, a magical musician from Provincetown who has immense musical talent and jams out tunes on the piano, harmonica, ukulele, and even the spoons—absolutely spectacular. Erin McKeown’s voice is just enchanting, that’s all I can say.

What books do you recommend?
I’ll admit, I mostly read for information. So, unless I’m traveling to distant lands, I hardly touch fiction. However, on a recent trip to South America, I read Pearl Buck’s, The Good Earth, three times. All of the books written by John Holt, an education innovator from the 1970s, continue to inspire me with each read and he has published over ten books on living and learning. He has tremendous insights about how we as human beings learn best and what can get in the way of the learning process. I was introduced to John Holt by Grace Llewellyn, who wrote a book called, The Teenage Liberation Handbook, a book that I wish I had read when I was a teenager, for it would have helped me to navigate through my devastating high school experience. Finally, I can’t conclude my list without mentioning Howard Zinn, a man that continues to educate and inspire me in my life and teach me about the amazing unsung heroes that have influenced the course of history.

Which websites do you visit often?

• democracynow.org (a one stop shop for domestic and international news with superstar investigative journalist Amy Goodman)
• craigslist.org (something for everyone, in practically every city in the country)
• buffalorising.com (a Buffalo-centric site that features innovative projects, organizations, and efforts; cultural opportunities; and good food right here in Buffalo, NY)
• wikipedia.org (volumes of information in every language)

What advice or quote do you keep close to your heart as a social change leader?
“It’s not enough to be compassionate, you must act.” - his holiness the Dalai Lama.