At ReBuilding Center, we envision a world in which
Reuse and repair are cornerstones of community resilience
and building blocks of climate justice.
Mission & Values
ReBuilding Center builds community resilience in the Portland region by ensuring access to affordable reclaimed home improvement materials, reuse education, and repair skills so people can be self-sufficient and reduce waste.
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We opt for strategies and processes that reduce waste and limit use of natural resources and environmental impacts.
We prioritize reuse and repair before recycling.
We believe sustainable communities begin with physical and mental health, a living wage, and balance between work and home.
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We value, embrace, and honor the history of our neighborhood.
We seek to be a safe, welcoming, and accessible place for all people to gather.
We strive to continually learn and improve our practices, policies, environment, and culture to move our organization in the direction of racial equity.
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We are adaptable, creative, and resourceful in how we use materials and address challenges.
We practice sincerity and humility in our interactions with one another and the people we serve.
We value and honor the creativity and unique qualities of people and materials.
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We strive to create an environment in which our team finds joy in their work, and the people we serve find joy in their experience with us.
We value teamwork and seek to find humor in our work together. -
We listen fully, with patience, and without judgement.
We practice empathy and care for one another and the people we serve, prioritizing relationships as a key component of our work. -
We practice honesty and trust in our relationships with one another, our partners, and the people we serve.
We prioritize transparency and information-sharing to ensure that our entire team is able to make decisions that support the health and success of our organization in enacting our mission.
our commitment to Equity
Racial justice is climate justice.
ReBuilding Center acknowledges that Black, Indigenous, and communities of color are most affected by the impacts of this climate crisis.
ReBuilding Center also recognizes that the traditional, white-dominant environmental sector continues to disproportionately exclude these very communities from building power and accessing services and investments designed to tackle our ever expanding climate crises, and that most environmental movements would not have succeeded without contributions and sacrifices made by Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.
If, as one of the leading Portland-area reuse organizations, we are to contribute to a more environmentally resilient and just world for all, we must amplify the voices, ideas, and solutions of people most impacted by overconsumption and wasteful materials management systems. To do this successfully, both racial equity and environmental justice must inform our mission and service delivery.
The mission of ReBuilding Center is to make reuse and repair accessible and affordable for all as a means to build an alternative, less extractive economy that supports climate justice. We understand that in order to accomplish this mission we must examine all elements of our organization through a racial equity lens and be willing to reimagine all parts of ourselves and our relationship with the communities we serve. To enact this journey we are committed to:
Centering the needs, voices, and concerns of BIPOC, low-income and other excluded communities in the design and delivery of our work, including our store, our programs, and our public events
Attracting, supporting, and retaining employees that represent the communities we prioritize in our service delivery
Practicing and modeling bravery by acknowledging and working to disrupt internal and external systems of oppression
Supporting organizations that are led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color
Committing to the ongoing practice of functioning as an actively anti-racist organization
We acknowledge that the work toward racial and climate justice is an ongoing process. We consider this to be a living document, and we welcome and encourage feedback.
Founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1997, the ReBuilding Center’s tax identification number is 93-1241474.
Make a donation to support our work here.
ReBuilding for Justice
We can harness reuse and repair to keep our communities whole.
Housing is Climate Justice
Healthy, decent, affordable, sustainable housing MUST be at the core of the climate transition.