I remember the disgust and despair I felt as a local organizer after the 2004 election. I told myself that in order to deal with a federal government that disregards the needs and abilities of working people and the middle-class, we people—the grassroots—needed to rally a strong community network to promote local economic opportunities and to encourage environmental sensibility.

In the last eight years, we have witnessed the abilities of common people to make change. Americans began to right the wrongs of the current administration by banding together in their hometowns. Continual shortsighted decisions made by local and federal governments created sprawling, desolate urban landscapes…big empty buildings and industrial complexes, long stretches of decrepit houses, and hopeless people inhabit cities everywhere. The war for oil dug us into a ditch out of which we may never fully crawl. Motivated by a failing economy, a wrong war, and a crying earth, local people began digging deeper into their collective pockets of time, resources, and networks to stir up change.

Grassroots initiatives addressing urban blight sprouted up in Buffalo and throughout the United States. With a government entrenched in ego and self-importance, it was more important than ever for local people to develop cooperative, innovative activism.

Today, we have elected a new president and embraced a new era; a president who has the ability to inspire hope and encourage movement in cities throughout the country. People may think that now Obama is elected their work is done. This is only a beginning. Only with attention to our local communities, collaborations amongst organizations and policy makers, and an eye to creative success stories, will we begin to rebuild American cities. We will see an even stronger, more collaborative movement amongst the people, amongst the grassroots, but now is the time for us to step up and make that change a reality. Now is the time to act.

Along those lines, I challenge you all to attend an inspiring and energizing conference, especially relevant to Buffalo and “Rust Belt” cities. The Great Lakes Building ReUse Conference, co-sponsored by Buffalo ReUse and the Building Material Reuse Association, will take place in Buffalo at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The conference will go on next week, November 16 through November 19. Over three packed days, community activists, students, policymakers, architects, city planners, grant makers, funders, contractors, and others will come together to initiate and expand programs that employ building reuse and vacant property stabilization in “Rust Belt” cities.

One track of the conference focuses on building deconstruction and adaptive reuse, also known as green demolition. Green demolition, as an alternative to traditional, wasteful demolition, is slowly picking up throughout the country, primarily in the Gulf region and the coastal Northwest. Green demolition is a solution all environmentalists, preservationists, and city planners should consider when dealing with the issues of abandoned buildings. In the traditional demolition of buildings and houses, quality building materials and architectural treasurers are destroyed and thrown into landfills. By using deconstruction to deal with the issues of abandoned buildings, tons of these materials are diverted from the landfill, recreated into new products, or resold back to the public.

Two remaining conference tracks focus on restoring the center and policy and implementation. The programs featured include employment opportunities for young adults and neighborhood residents, returning economic opportunities to the urban core, the cultivation of gorgeous green spaces, the development of local networks for food security, and public art to inspire and beautify.

In its totality, the conference will focus on programs and initiatives that employ an all-encompassing approach to address issues of urban blight. An incredible group of keynote speakers and change makers from Buffalo and throughout the nation will share their success stories.

Local pioneers presenting at the conference include Aaron Bartley of PUSH, Sam Magavern from Partnership for the Public Good, Anthony Armstrong from Buffalo LISC, Blythe Merrill from the John R. Oishei Foundation, Derek Bateman from Erie Community College, Erin Sharkey from Massacusetts Avenue Project, Michael Gainer of Buffalo ReUse, and Samina Raja from the UB’s Urban Planning Department.

National movers and shakers will join us for the conference from the Heidelberg Project in Detroit, Project Row Houses in Houston, Pennsylania Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia Green program, and Mayor Jay Williams from the city of Youngstown, Ohio.

Barack Obama and his administration have wiped out ambivalence and fostered hope in young people and change-seekers. With Obama in the Oval Office, people will feel empowered to bring about change. His experience with grassroots organizing and his progressive energy excites local organizers.

Local people have a lot of work to do. A conference of this scope and intention could not have come at a better time. I cannot stress how important it is that Buffalonians join us.

Rebekah Williams
Buffalo

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