Wanton Waste and TV Home Improvement

No progress on the bathroom today; I am holed up in a hotel room on a business trip. We don't have TV at home, and I so am watching HGTV. I am watching people smash toilets, attack cabinets with sledgehammers, and otherwise destroy or trash perfectly usable items. It kind of makes me sick.

What have I seen destroyed in 1 hour of home improvement and decorating shows?

• A Yellow Toilet. Now, I know that yellow toilets are not the most popular decorating choice... but did they have to smash it? Surely someone could use it... even as a garden planter.
• A Blue Recliner. Perfectly usable, not stained. Admittedly very comfortable. Its only sin? Lack of fashion. Sentenced to the trashcan (instead of a local thrift store or freecycle). Hopefully someone rescued it.
• A HUGE Bathroom Mirror. Sure, small framed mirrors are the mainstay of modern decorating. Sure a big full wall mirror is outdated. However, it is so USEFUL. You could cut it down into smaller mirrors and frame those... or you could find a home for it with someone who needs a big mirror, like a musician, music school, or dancer. Why did you need to smash it with a sledgehammer?
• A Full Kitchen of 50's Wooden Cabinets. Again, again. Someone could use them, even if just as garage cabinets. I know I could! And, I'm sure there are lots of you LOOKING for a matching cabinet or two for your 50's ranch restoration. No need to smash them.

Too bad they are not showcasing positive deconstruction techniques. Too bad they are promoting destruction instead.

Deconstruction: Reusing Building Materials (and Keeping Them OUT of the Landfill)

From the ReSource website:

Deconstruction involves carefully dismantling a building and salvaging the parts that can be re-used. Material coming from deconstruction often includes, but is not limited to, lumber, doors, windows, cabinetry and hardwood flooring. By choosing deconstruction, homeowners and builders can save precious natural resources and help divert material from the landfill.

Since we are renovating an older house, it is particularly easy to find a suitable salvaged replacement from a "scrape" or remodel. Our original front door from 1911 may be rotted and cracked, but a similar door may be in excellent shape and need only a coat of paint.

Where to Look:
ReSource (Boulder and Fort Collins, CO)
Habitat for Humanity ReStores (Nationwide)
Freecycle (Nationwide)
Craigslist (Nationwide)
The ReUse People of America (CO, WA, CA)