Earlier this spring, we relocated our ReUse Warehouse to South Minneapolis near the “Minnehaha Mile,” a shopping district dedicated to recycled, reused, and reclaimed products. Most recently, Better Futures launched a brand-new online e-commerce site, Minnesota’s only online store featuring reclaimed building materials at a fraction of the retail cost.

“Deconstruction and used building materials provide an environmental and social vision,” says Better Futures Minnesota President & CEO Thomas Adams.

Better Futures Minnesota is the leading provider of deconstruction services, an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to typical demolition that ensures nearly 85 percent of a home or building is recycled and reused.

“Our social enterprise has stacked and multiple benefits—employing on average 18 men a day, and providing men with skill certification, work experience, and income they need to succeed,” says Adams. “These are men who have been chronically unemployed, and would not be working otherwise without the support of Better Futures.”

In 2015, nearly 700 tons or building materials were recycled or reused, thanks to Better Futures Minnesota’s deconstruction and reuse services, and 72 men were employed through Better Futures’ business services.

Better Futures partners with businesses, homeowners, and municipalities, including Hennepin County, to reduce waste in Minnesota.

“One of the things we are definitely looking at is how to minimize construction and demolition waste going to the landfill,” says Paul Kroening, a supervising environmentalist in the Waste Reduction and Recycling Unit at Hennepin County.

“Better Futures Minnesota is the only one providing deconstruction services, and it works very well with employment training and improving the lives of the men. It has a social benefit as well,” he adds.

Better Futures Minnesota’s deconstruction crews are specially trained to preserve the historic beauty and value in the reusable materials of a home, helping to reduce the amount of building waste that winds up in the landfill every year. In addition, Better Futures Minnesota’s appliance recycling services works to keep more than a million pounds of waste from going to the landfill every year.

As a unique social enterprise, we're working to make a positive impact on the lives of men, the community, and the environment every day.