Project Description
UC Berkeley used their Reuse Assistance Grant funds to establish a
materials exchange on campus that was
operated
by paid student interns. UC Berkeley already had a system to deal with large
furniture and inventoried items, but a system to deal with smaller equipment,
office supplies, and other reusables did not exist. The materials exchange provided an opportunity to promote reuse. In addition to diverted tonnages
and deferred disposal fees, this program promoted the ethic of reuse and
conservation within the campus student and staff population of over 40,000
people.
The steps required to accomplish their project are as follows:
Task 1: Hiring Two to Five Students to Assist in Staffing and Developing
the Program. (5/1/01 to 6/1/01)
Task 1 was 100 percent completed during the first reporting period: This task covered the hiring of the initial Re-USE employees in June 2001: Alexis
Petru to handle outreach and administration, Garth Schultz for shop maintenance,
and Rhoda Chang for staffing duties. Lisa Bauer also hired two additional
employees in October 2001: Dominique Nisperos for staffing responsibilities and
David Siddiqui for bike trailer pick-ups. Any changes made in this composition of the Re-USE staff now fall under Task
6.4 (see Task 6.4).
Task 2: Clean and Set Up Space for Materials Exchange. (6/1/01 to
7/16/01)
Task 2 was 100 percent completed during the first reporting period. Employees washed and painted the shop, and installed reclaimed items such as
shelves, a stereo, lights, a computer, and a fan.
Task 2.1: Maintenance and Supplies for Site. (7/1/01 to 5/1/03)
Task 2.1 was 100 percent completed during the first reporting period. Employees purchased a banner, a padlock, paint supplies, and bolts and
fasteners for the shop. They also completed final organization and cleaning of
the shop.
Task 3: Develop Program and Write Copy for Outreach Program. (7/1/01 to
8/31/01)
All basic Re-USE policies, forms, and outreach materials have been
developed. Any revisions in these policies and forms or new outreach materials
would fall under other tasks (such as Tasks 5.1 and 8). Task 3 is 100 percent complete.
Task 4.1.1: Baseline Staffing Students at Regular Hours of the Materials
Exchange. (8/27/01 to 5/1/03)
Re-USE had regular staffing hours for the spring academic semester from
late January 2002 to early May 2002. The shop was open every day for at least
two hours for a total of 12 hours a week. The six hours per week budgeted to
this task item contributed to these staffing hours (money under Task 4.1.2 goes
to another four hours, and two volunteers worked two extra hours for free,
demonstration the campus interest in Re-USE.
Although many of its student employees were absent over the summer, Re-USE
reopened with limited summer hours from June 2002 to mid-August 2002. Re-USE was
open for five hours a week until August 2002, when it was open for nine hours a
week. Again, money from this task went towards six hours of these staffing hours
although another student volunteered a two-hour weekly shift.
Re-USE opened with temporary hours through the first weeks of school in late
August 2002, when its student employees finalized their schedules. By September
2002, Re-USE opened with final hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for a
total of 11 hours a week (two of which are volunteered hours).
During their shifts at the shop, employees will record pick-ups and drop-offs
onto a computer database. In addition to serving and helping customers, they
sweep and tidy the shop. Task 4.1.1 is
ongoing. Re-USE will close for the fall semester in early December 2002 and
reopen when instruction begins in late January 2003.
Task 4.1.2: Extra Staffing Students at Regular Hours of the Materials
Exchange, Including Extended Hours and Special Projects and Services. (9/10/01
to 5/1/03)
Four of these ten hours contribute to the operational hours of the
Re-USE shop during the spring, summer, and fall (see Task 4.1.1).
Another three to four hours a week are allotted to Re-USE's bike trailer pick-up route through campus.
During the school year, Mr. Siddiqui rides the bike and bike trailer through
campus on set days, picking up boxes of donations from six major campus
buildings. In September 2002, they expanded their pick-up route to include the
collection of one-sided paper from campus computing centers. Mr. Siddiqui put
trays with signs in six campus locations where people frequently discard of
paper printed on one side. He collects the paper weekly and takes it to the
shop, where customers can pick it up for scratch paper.
Additionally, they use this money when they make special appointments with
community members to pick up or drop off items outside of Re-USE's regular hours—especially
during the summer when they had limited hours. They also use money from this category when they spend extra time cleaning
the site or training new employees. Task 4.1.2 is ongoing. They expect to expand the bike trailer pick-up route
to all campus buildings in October 2002.
Task 4.1.3: Semimonthly Meetings. (6/11/01 to 5/1/03)
Employees meet every two weeks to coordinate projects, exchange
ideas and information, and discuss and specify policy or administration issues. Task 4.1.3 is ongoing.
Task 4.2: Supervision of Project by Recycling Coordinator.
Ms. Bauer serves as the management review of Re-USE projects and services. She
spends time meeting with the student employees and liaisoning with the
University. She also fields e-mail and phone inquiries about the program,
referring the interested individuals to Re-USE's employees. Task 4.2 is ongoing.
Task 5.1: Design Advertising Materials. (6/1/01 to 9/1/01)
Employees updated and redesigned flyers and handbills to publicize
the shop, as well as activities such as Re-USE's end-of-the-semester collection.
Handbills were handed out during Calapalooza, Reader/Notebook Drive, and Re-USE
On Campus; flyers were posted on campus. Task 5.1 is ongoing.
Task 5.2: Print Advertising Materials. (6/1/01 to 9/1/01)
This task covered the cost of printing handbills (see Task 5.1). Task 5.2 is ongoing.
Task 6.1: Send out Campus Mailings Promoting the Materials Exchange to
Campus Employees. (8/1/01 to 9/1/01) , (1/1/02 to 2/1/02), (8/1/02 to 9/1/02),
and (1/1/03 to 2/1/03)
A mailing was sent to 11,000 campus faculty and staff members in late
April 2002, publicizing the shop, the bike trailer pick-up service, and their
collection of plastic film for recycling and packaging material for reuse. Task 6.1 is 50 percent complete. The next campus
mailing is scheduled to be sent out in early November 2002.
Task 6.2: Purchase Ad Space in Satellite Magazine.
Re-USE has not yet placed a full-page ad in UC Berkeley's literature
and arts magazine. Task 6.2 is 33 percent complete (with last spring's ad). Re-USE will have an
ad in the magazine's next two issues, which are published in November and
December 2002.
Task 6.3: Purchase Banners.
Employees purchased three new banners: one for the shop's second
entrance, one that requests "no dumping" outside the shop, and two
small signs for tabling on Sproul Plaza. Additional hours were used to design,
order, and pick up the banners. Task 6.3 is 100 percent complete.
Task 6.4: Hiring Outreach.
Ms. Petru decided to hire another employee in the fall 2002 to take over her
outreach and programmatic responsibilities. She sent out a job announcement to
e-mail lists for environmental students, reviewed resumes and cover letters, and
interviewed applicants in August and September 2002. Ms. Bauer held a second
interview for the top two applicants, and she and Ms. Petru decided on their new
employee, Julia Varshavsky. They also hired Di Liu to replace an employee that had to quit her staffing
responsibilities. Ms. Varshavsky and Ms. Liu will officially start working for Re-USE in
October 2002. Task 6.4 is ongoing.
Task 6.5: End-of-the-Semester Activities.
This task covers the logistics of and publicity for the collection of items that
are disposed of at the end of the semester, when students move out of their
apartments or dorms and employees clean out their offices. To advertise to students, Re-USE employees set out bins on campus and in the
dorms to collect students' readers and make apertures for these bins, so people
will not use them as trash cans. Employees also tabled in the dorm cafeterias
during the last weeks of school in May 2002 to publicize Re-USE's collection of
students' donations. Outreach to campus employees was included in other tasks (such as the
employee mailing and Daily Californian ad). Task 6.5 is 50 percent complete.
Task 6.6: Other Outreach Activities.
While some of this task's hours contribute to increase tabling on Sproul Plaza
to publicize Re-USE, most of these activities are geared towards teaching the
concept of reuse. Re-USE did two reused notebook-making workshops in the spring. Ms. Petru
worked with a residential hall recycling coordinator to hold a dorm workshop in
conjunction with Earth Day. The event was successful: many students stopped by
the patio outside the dining hall to make notebooks out of reused materials and
have free vegetarian food (provided by the dorms). Ms. Petru also held another
workshop for an environmental education class at UC Berkeley; these future
teachers liked the idea of creative reuse and said they would try to incorporate
it into their curricula.
Re-USE was contacted by a student body senator to house the bike tool lending
library he created. Because the idea of repair is part of the concept of reuse,
Re-USE now boasts this library that includes a stand, pump, and various tools
for bike repair. Campus members are invited to use the tools during the shop's
open hours; Re-USE will not be held responsible for stolen or missing tools. Re-USE also hosted a tour of their shop for students in a student-run UC
Berkeley class about waste management. Ms. Petru also counseled a student at
Stanford University about starting a student-operated materials exchange there. Task 6.6 is ongoing.
Task 6.7: Production of Web Site.
Building on their original simple Web site, Ms. Chang developed this site to
include general program information, ongoing projects and services, frequently
asked questions (FAQs), their survey, bike trailer pick-up service information,
contact information, and links. She will continue to update this Web site as the
shop's hours change and they will add projects and services. The address is
www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~recycle/reuse/. Task 6.7 is ongoing.
Task 7.1: Participate in Calapalooza and Recycling Awareness Week
Activities, 2001. (8/15/01 to 9/30/01)
Task 7.1 was 100 percent completed during the first reporting period: Two employees staffed a booth at Calapalooza, UC Berkeley's freshman
orientation fair on August 23, 2001. Re-USE had a grand opening during Cal's first annual Recycling Awareness Week
(the second week of September 2001).
Task 7.2: Participate in Calapalooza and Recycling Awareness Week
Activities, 2002. (8/15/02 to 9/30/02)
Re-USE had a booth at Calapalooza in August 2002, giving out
handbills and free items to incoming students. Re-USE also tabled on Sproul Plaza, again, handing out handbills and free
items, during this fall's Recycling Awareness Week, September 16-20, 2002. Task 7.2 is 100 percent complete.
Task 8: Design Ad for the Daily Californian Newspaper. (8/1/01 to
8/15/01)
Employees were able to use original versions of ads during this
reporting period, so no money was spent in this category. Task 8 is ongoing. New or updated ads are expected to be designed during the
next reporting period.
Task 9: Purchase Ad Space for the Daily Californian Newspaper. (8/15/01 to
9/30/01) and (8/15/02 to 9/30/02)
Three ads were placed in the campus community's independent student
newspaper during this reporting period: one publicizing Re-USE's
end-of-the-semester collections in May 2002 and two advertising the shop's
re-opening in September 2002. Task 9 is ongoing. More ads are expected to be placed during the semester.
Task 10: Develop Database of Interested Individuals. (8/30/01 to
10/30/01)
Re-USE forms ask its visitors if they desire to be added to the
Re-USE e-mail contact list, which is updated monthly. Members receive information regarding changes in the shop's schedule and
special programs such as the bike tool lending library. They learn of employment and volunteer opportunities for Re-USE and featured
items at the shop. Task 10 is ongoing.
Task 11: Conduct Follow-Up Calls to Interested Individuals.
(9/15/01 to 11/15/01)
In addition to answering e-mails from interested parties, an employee
sends out a survey to members on the e-mail contact list. About half of the
surveys sent out are returned. The survey will help them gauge how important the campus community thinks
their service is, how they can make the service more convenient for them, and
what kind of items they need. At the end of the semester, Re-USE employees will tally the results to
see how they can improve the program. Task 11 is ongoing.
Task 12.1: Coordinate Creative Reuse Project. (10/15/01 to 11/30/01) and
(10/15/02 to 11/30/02)
No attempt at holding another creative reuse contest was coordinated
during this reporting period, after the problems encountered last spring when no
one entered the contest, despite extensive research. Task 12.1 is 0 percent complete. It will be the job of the new
outreach/program coordinator to arrange contests next semester.
Task 12.2: Prize for Participants in Creative Reuse Project. (11/30/01)
and (11/30/02)
See Task 12.1.
Task 13: E-mail and Flyer Promotion of the Program. (6/1/01 to 5/1/03)
Re-USE employees sent out e-mail announcements and flyers to
publicize end-of-the-semester activities and general shop information. Task 13 is ongoing.
Task 14: Generation of the Quarterly Report. (10/8/01 to 11/1/01), (4/1/02
to 5/1/02), (10/8/02 to 11/1/02), and (4/1/03 to 5/1/03)
With the completion of this third report,
Task 14 is 75 percent complete.
Task 15: Buy Scale to Weigh Material Collected. (7/20/01 to 8/20/01)
Task 15 was 100 percent completed during the first reporting period
when a scale was donated by a community member. Since this money was not utilized, employees used it to buy other maintenance
supplies needed for the Re-USE shop, such as wires, tape, and nails.
Task 16: Buy Bike Trailer to Collect Materials. (7/13/01 to 7/30/01)
Task 16 was 100 percent completed during the first reporting period. They ordered and received a bike trailer in September 2001 and began making
campus pick-ups in October 2001.
Task 17.1: Planning for Reader/Notebook Drive. (8/20/01 to 8/24/01),
(1/15/02 to 1/20/02), (8/20/02 to 8/24/02), and (1/15/03 to 1/20/03)
Employees arranged tabling on Sproul Plaza with collected readers and
notebooks when classes started in August 2002; they selected the dates and the
employees to staff the event. Task 17.1 is 75 percent complete.
Task 17.2: Staffing for Reader/Notebook Drive. (8/27/01 to 8/31/01),
(1/21/02 to 1/28/02), (8/27/02 to 8/31/02), and (1/21/03 to 1/28/03)
Employees tabled on Sproul Plaza during the first week of classes in
August 2002 to distribute readers and notebooks (which had been collected in
the spring of 2002) and to publicize the Re-USE program. Task 17.2 is 75 percent complete.
Task 18.1: Planning for Re-USE On Campus. (8/15/01 to 5/1/03)
Employees arranged tabling on Sproul Plaza with donated item; they
chose the dates and employees to staff the event. Task 18.1 is 60 percent complete.
Task 18.2: Staffing for Re-USE On Campus. (9/1/01 to 5/1/03)
Employees tabled on Sproul Plaza several times a semester to
distribute items and to publicize Re-USE. Task 18.2 is 60 percent complete.
Task 19: Develop Procedures and Policies Manual. (9/3/01 to 12/1/01)
Employees finished a manual that will be given to all Re-USE
employees. It details Re-USE's policies and procedures and includes sections
such as Re-USE's history and background, its mission statement, acceptable and
unacceptable donations, its forms of outreach, its projects, and employee
responsibilities. Task 19 is 100 percent complete.
*Permission was obtained from grant recipient to publish project profile.
Progress Report 4
FY 2000/2001 Grant Recipients |
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