My Volunteer Reuse Initiatives: Looking Back at 2025

Disclaimer: While I am currently employed by the US EPA, the views and opinions provided herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of EPA.

As the calendar year comes to a close, I want to reflect on my volunteer work in the reuse and circularity space.

RECLAIM Action Plan

I have been a part of a building material reuse network called RECLAIM NYC since its inception in 2021. This group has been working for quite a while on drafting an Action Plan to outline how New York City government might incorporate deconstruction and reuse as a strategy for sustainability and economic development. After several weeks of evening meetings and a significant amount of writing and rewriting, I am proud to say I helped get the draft to the finish line - the Action Plan was finally published this summer and can be downloaded here.

Another big milestone for RECLAIM was our Action Plan "launch" and holiday party in November. The party was hosted by our friends at the local lighting manufacturer Stickbulb, with 170+ RSVPs and attendance by local City Council Member Julie Won. As one of the original members of RECLAIM, I had the honor of providing the event's opening remarks.

Build Reuse Wiki

Back in 2024 when I was a volunteer Board Member for the nonprofit Build Reuse, I spearheaded the development of the Build Reuse Wiki, a platform that aimed to allow anyone in the deconstruction and reuse community to post and view resources. For various reasons, it didn't end up being a true “wiki” - the vast majority of what is on the platform today was posted by... me.

Regardless, it is proving to be impactful. In April of this year, I sent out a survey and received overwhelmingly positive responses about the helpfulness of the platform. Several practitioners including those holding municipal government positions have told me that they look to the Build Reuse Wiki for policies, guidance, and inspiration from other regions. Being able to support folks I admire in this way is very meaningful to me.

In June, myself and Melissa and Josh at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) formed a Build Reuse Wiki subcommittee and started meeting monthly so that we could work together to continue to improve the platform. In August I took time off work to attend the annual Build Reuse Conference and briefly presented on the Build Reuse Wiki, primarily to raise awareness of the platform.

NYS Embodied Carbon Working Group

The NYS Embodied Carbon Working Group is a group that formed in the past year. Going in I knew a handful of its members from RECLAIM, and another handful from past jobs - such is the nature of niche fields!

In August I reviewed and provided feedback on the group's Near-Term Recommendations. In September, the Recommendations were published. And in October, I was asked to co-lead an effort to draft the Material Reuse & Circularity chapter of a more extensive Action Plan. Since then I have been pitching in as best as I can despite my full-time-in-office work schedule - attending twice-a-week meetings, compiling feedback from subcommittee members, and reviewing and editing the Action Plan draft with the goal of publishing the final draft in Spring 2026.

Copenhagen Delegation

This one is maybe more an intense vacation with a professional lean than volunteering. :))

I had always wanted to visit Copenhagen and I jumped on the opportunity to take part in Circular San Antonio’s second annual sustainability delegation this past April. The trip did not disappoint! I continue to reflect on what I learned there, and how it might maybe possibly apply to the US context. 

Spreading the Word

And lastly, I’m continuing to share what I've been up to through my writing and through coffee chats whenever the opportunity arises. This past month I also participated in a career panel organized by the Cornell Sustainability Consultants, a student organization I was part of many years ago now.

All this without touching on what it's been like to be a federal employee this year. I've been keeping busy, to say the least!