Stardust Non-Profit Building Supplies, 3901 E. Thunderbird Road, has won a 2013 environmental award for its creative re-use of building materials. The award was presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Region. The regional environmental awards acknowledge significant contributions made in the past year to protect the environment and support communities.
“Stardust’s efforts have helped give Phoenix communities low-cost supplies needed to revitalize their neighborhoods,” said Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Salvaging building supplies that would have been otherwise discarded is not only a win for the environment, but also a win for local businesses and their workers.”
As part of its operations, Stardust removes usable building materials from homes and businesses at no cost to the owner and sells donated items from its thrift store locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area. By disassembling a building in such a way that building materials (cabinets, plumbing fixtures, flooring, electrical fixtures, doors, windows and more) can be reused, new construction needs can be met by simultaneously expanding job opportunities for local communities.
“Our mission is to inspire and encourage people to reuse, effectively depriving our local landfills of usable materials, and to receive this award is confirmation of our efforts,” said Karen Jayne, Stardust executive director.
As a result of Stardust’s work, 650 tons of product is diverted from local area landfills each year, reducing urban blight and supporting citywide rebuilding efforts.
For more information about EPA’s 2013 environmental award winners, visit http://www.epa.gov/region9/awards.
