Contact Nick D. Benson, Operations Manager to apply to volunteer on this project through the site contact form.

Contact Nick D. Benson, Operations Manager to apply to volunteer on this project through the site contact form.

This is significant because both women are from Larimer County Corrections and have made excellent progress since graduating.

For more information please contact Neil Kaufman at:

970-215-4587 or Neil@NCCraftsmanship.org

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Environmental Partnership have partnered with Connected Organizations for a Responsible Economy (CORE) and ColoradoBiz to present the awards. A team of judges from the state of Colorado and CORE selected the winners from dozens of entries. They examined how each team met criteria for the environment, economy, innovation, society and education.

National Center for Craftsmanship was a finalist in the small category (less than 50 employees).  NCC partners with industry, institutions and government to provide education, training, community service and research to promote and preserve quality craftsmanship. The NCC DeConstruct training program helps adults and youth learn construction skills.

Environment: Buildings that are slated to be torn down are carefully dismantled. The materials are salvaged, sold or recycled. To date, the program has diverted hundreds of tons of material from landfills.

Economy: Property owners benefit because they are able to credit the reduction of waste for new construction projects under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program.

Society: The program has helped troubled youth and women transitioning from prison back into society by teaching them new skills and helping to place them in jobs.

Innovation: The DeConstruct program has helped to stimulate land development in a stagnant real estate market.

Education: Hundreds of students have participated.

“We’re excited about the nomination because we feel like it acknowledges something we started trying to achieve from the beginning, and that was a create model that on every metric is considered highly sustainable,” said Neil Kaufman, NCC executive director.

Some of the information above was excerpted from http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/2011-sustainability-champion-awards/

NCC has committed to a long-term relationship to assist the Lakota people in training its youth and adults at the reservation in deconstruction and restoration techniques.

Crews will be deconstructing and rebuilding site fencing, laying out new site plan for ceremony arbor, and remodeling cook shack for July sundance.

When NCC approached Kodak about a partnership for deconstructing the buildings, the new Colorado Plant Manager, Vikki Wagner embraced the NCC mission. “We came to Kodak very late in the project timeline,” said NCC Operations Manager Nick Benson. “Sometimes it’s very difficult to come in this late, but Vikki welcomed us.”

Kodak announced in October that four buildings C11, C13, C16 and C60 were to be demolished and the land they occupy would be put up for sale. “They’re very specialized buildings that really were not easy to adapt for other users,” said Wagner.

NCC felt that it could bring its extensive deconstruction expertise to the project, and also help nine women experience working in several large commercial buildings at the same time. The women are all from Larimer County Corrections and are working under a State Justice Assistance block grant.

Over 5,500 feet of maple, and over 800 feet of teak boards was salvaged in just nine days. The work was highly challenging because most of the work was completed in complete darkness using headlamps.

“It’s been an absolutely wonderful adventure,”  Vikki Wagner declared.

Some of the information above was excerpted from the Windsor Beacon article from April 12th, 2011.

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110414/WINDSORBEACON01/104140322/Women-deconstruct-building-while-reconstructing-their-lives