Notice

This is a preview version of the website. Some content may not be up to date.

Three Main Street America Staff members standing in front of a mural in Marion, Iowa.

Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams

About

We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.

Overview Who We Are How We Work Partner Collaborations Our Supporters Our Team Job Opportunities Contact Us
Two community members in Emporia Kansas pose with a sign saying "I'm a Main Streeter"

Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street

Our Network

Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.

Overview Coordinating Programs Main Street Communities Collective Impact Awards & Recognition Community Evaluation Framework Join the Movement
Dionne Baux and MSA partner working in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America

Resources

Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!

Overview Knowledge Hub Field Services Government Relations Main Street Now Conference Main Street America Institute Small Business Support Allied Member Services The Point Members Area
People riding e-scooters in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo

The Latest

Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.

Overview News & Stories Events & Opportunities Subscribe
Woman and girl at a festival booth in Kendall Whittier, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street

Get Involved

Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Overview Join Us Renew Your Membership Donate Partner With Us Job Opportunities
Three Main Street America Staff members standing in front of a mural in Marion, Iowa.

Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams

About

We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.

Overview Who We Are How We Work Partner Collaborations Our Supporters Our Team Job Opportunities Contact Us
Two community members in Emporia Kansas pose with a sign saying "I'm a Main Streeter"

Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street

Our Network

Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.

Overview Coordinating Programs Main Street Communities Collective Impact Awards & Recognition Community Evaluation Framework Join the Movement
Dionne Baux and MSA partner working in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America

Resources

Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!

Overview Knowledge Hub Field Services Government Relations Main Street Now Conference Main Street America Institute Small Business Support Allied Member Services The Point Members Area
People riding e-scooters in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo

The Latest

Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.

Overview News & Stories Events & Opportunities Subscribe
Woman and girl at a festival booth in Kendall Whittier, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street

Get Involved

Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Overview Join Us Renew Your Membership Donate Partner With Us Job Opportunities
Rethos continuing education class learning about windows. Photo courtesy of Rethos.

One Organization’s Sustainability Journey

As the field of historic preservation has grown and changed, the concepts of sustainability, reuse, and salvage have become more central to the mission behind saving and maintaining old spaces. In 2014, Minnesota-based nonprofit and statewide Main Street Coordinator Rethos: Places Reimagined began offering a class called “Why Old is Green: Sustainability in Older Homes”, emphasizing and educating on the importance and quality of old building materials in an effort to encourage preservation and deconstruction efforts across the region. It was the beginning of a greater organizational push toward the marriage between preservation and environmentalism; an acknowledgement that the physical and cultural elements of a space are equally worth saving.

Since then, Rethos has joined and partnered with several local and national organizations centered around materials reuse, salvage, and deconstruction, includingBuild Reuse, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Sustainable Building Group, and Reuse Minnesota.

Rethos quickly began incorporating reuse curriculum into its Continuing Education classes, partnering with member-based nonprofit Reuse Minnesota to create a class called Reuse for Real Estate Agents in 2021. Reuse for Real Estate Agents educates realtors on local salvage efforts, allowing realtors to direct homebuyers to various reuse organizations, where they can purchase used high-quality building materials and furniture at an affordable price.

After years of involvement in the sustainability world, Rethos hosted its first National Trust for Historic Preservation-funded Deconstruction Masterclass, a series outlining the environmental, cultural, and preservation benefits behind materials salvage and reuse.

Next Steps for Community-Led Deconstruction & Salvage

With the formation of important relationships and expertise, Rethos has been looking for new ways to create valuable tools and resources for Minnesota communities to initiate locally led deconstruction and reuse projects. In partnership with member-based nonprofit Reuse Minnesota, Rethos working to establish common ground in the areas of deconstruction, salvage, and community storytelling through the hiring of a Minnesota GreenCorps member for the 2022-2023 season.

The Rethos and Reuse Minnesota GreenCorps member will take on several projects in the areas of salvage, reuse, and storytelling. Read more about each of the member’s projects below:

  • The GreenCorps member will create and promote a toolkit and guidelines for executing a community-led materials salvage project of large or small scale. The toolkit will be used by individual communities interested in deconstructing a structure to any degree with the help of community members and volunteers. The toolkit will provide information on volunteer organization, deconstruction how-to, and rules and regulations around deconstruction.
  • The GreenCorps member will craft and design 2-4 class packages that can be easily transported to different communities for onsite learning. Rethos homeowner classes center around home repair and maintenance, reuse and salvage, and energy efficiency. Each individual class currently requires staff coordination, but the creation of class packages will allow communities to host some homeowner classes themselves with resources and curriculum that Rethos has assembled.
  • The GreenCorps member will conduct a survey of Reuse Minnesota members to gather info on reuse impacts. They will create storytelling tools to creatively share the environmental, economic, and social benefits of reuse organizations in Minnesota.
  • The GreenCorps member will draft and publish blog posts pertaining to reuse, salvage, preservation, repair, and other topics relevant to Rethos and Reuse Minnesota, increasing public awareness and knowledge on important preservation and reuse issues.

Through the above tasks, the Minnesota GreenCorps member will strengthen the relationship between preservation and reuse in Minnesota, providing local communities with the resources and knowledge they need to reuse, salvage, and maintain their historic downtown buildings and homes.

For any questions regarding the creation or distribution of resources listed above, please email Kelly Fischer at kelly@rethos.org. For more information on the Minnesota GreenCorps program, visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website.