collaborations and support

The Pennsylvania Resource Council (PRC) is the oldest grassroots environmental organization in the Commonwealth, with programs in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Harrisburg. One of it’s many success stories was the formation of the Pittsburgh-based reuse center Construction Junction in 1999, and PRC has also been actively involved in the formation of The Resource Exchange in Philadelphia. PRC and The Resource Exchange share common mission values and goals for the environment in Pennsylvania, and have expressed a mutual commitment to further their charitable purposes by working collaboratively in the future

Construction Junction diverts more than 720 tons a year from landfills for reuse, and generates revenue in excess of $1 million dollars through the sale of donated used and salvaged building materials. They have provided invaluable guidance and organizational assistance to The Resource Exchange, and recently partnered in the salvage of reusable building materials from a television pilot set in Philadelphia. This was the first in what we hope will be many collaborative statewide recovery efforts between the organizations.

PPL EnergyPlus® is the competitive energy marketing and trading business of PPL Corporation, a FORTUNE 500® company based in Allentown, Pa. Their philanthropy efforts are heavily focused on programs that contribute to education, environmental improvements and community development. A generous contribution from PPL EnergyPlus® helped The Resource Exchange to secure and develop our current location in Port Richmond.

Revolution Recovery, a construction and demolition recycling facility in Northeast Philadelphia, began partnering with The Resource Exchange in 2010 (read project summary). They continue to work collaboratively with The Resource Exchange by recycling material that cannot be saved for reuse, a strategy for diversion that often results in much more material being recovered than would be achieved separately.

“We look forward to building an even stronger working relationship with The Resource Exchange...it is my sincere hope that The Resource Exchange will grow and thrive, fostering a new sustainable production model that will reduce our industry’s environmental footprint and help the entire Philadelphia community.”

- Sharon Pinkenson, Executive Director of The Greater Philadelphia Film Office
Full support letter here

"We have a very special opportunity before the Greater Philadelphia cultural community. We have the opportunity to make our cultural institutions greener while leveraging their status as an example to the communities that they serve... With the Resource Exchange as our partner, the Theatre Alliance can provide our members with access to materials at reduced costs while training them to engage in reuse and recycle practices when constructing their sets.”

- Margie Salvante, Executive Director of The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
Full support letter here

The Miss Rockaway Armada is a visual and performing arts community engagement project supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, in collaboration with The Philadelphia Art Alliance. The Resource Exchange supplied them with many unique reclaimed materials to complete their ambitious traveling exhibition, Let Me Tell You About The Dream I Had.

The Resource Exchange salvaged, denailed, and sold enough reclaimed framing lumber and sheet goods to help Greensaw, a local green building and design firm, to complete a LEED platinum renovation of YIKES Inc.’s new mixed-use office and residential property at 204 and 206 E. Girard Ave. in Fishtown. They also used materials from The Resource Exchange for a kitchen renovation at 1205 South Eighth Street.

The Mural Arts Program’s Restored Spaces Initiative working (with The International Design Clinic) used reclaimed materials from The Resource Exchange to build chainlinkGREEN, an outdoor classroom at the Bodine High School for International Affairs that aimed “to create new public landscapes within underutilized urban spaces.”