Non-Profit Deconstruction Organization Launches in San Diegos North County

SANDecon Offers An Environmentally And Socially Sound Alternative To Bulldozing

OCEANSIDE, California -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- April 2, 2003 -- SANDecon (The Strategic Alliance for Neighborhood Development), a non-profit organization, announced the official launch of its environmentally-friendly deconstruction projects. The organization was founded with the mission of creating alliances between non-profit and private enterprises to rebuild low-income communities by creating employment opportunities, lowering demolition costs, and salvaging building materials for resale and reuse.

SANDecon provides professional deconstruction services and training that increase the amount of reusable or recyclable materials available for new construction, protect neighborhoods from toxic dust and hazardous material, and reduce the amount of demolition waste sent to landfills.

Peter Bedell, Executive Director of SANDecon, stated, We see the opportunity in Oceanside, which is undergoing a good deal of rebuilding, to offer low-cost deconstruction while teaching valuable skills and keeping money in the community. If we can do that while reducing waste and reusing materials, then its a win-win situation for everyone."

Services and Training
SANDecon will initially offer services that include: Interior Strip-outs, Selective Demolition, Hard Demolition, Site Clearing, New Construction Site Clean-up and Backhoe & Front-Loader Operation. New services will be added as the size and the scope of SANDecon projects increase.

Training is provided in Basic Carpentry, Selective Deconstruction, Hazardous Material Handling & Disposal, Equipment Operation, Computers, Management and Health Regulations. Additionally, workers will gain valuable experience in the economics of recycling and resale of building materials.

SANDecon helps workers advance into professional construction-related careers and other entrepreneurial opportunities in fields like land reclamation, historic restoration, remanufacturing, and lead hazard remediation.

Deconstruction Defined
Deconstruction is the planned and systematic dismantling of buildings. Deconstruction generally involves manual labor and the use of hand tools to disassemble structures and salvage building material. Salvaged materials can be utilized in several ways:                            
1. Materials recovered in good condition or in suitable shape for reconditioning can be resold. 2. Materials deemed unsuitable for direct resale can be sold as scrap for recycling.        
3. Working with the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and the cities of San Diego and Tijuana, potentially useful discards will be exchanged as a part of a border exchange program.

Oceanside currently has about 40 buildings that are slated for demolition and the EPA estimates that traditionally, only about 20% of the material in demolished buildings is recycled. Couple that with the fact that San Diego County produced 143,000 tons of building-related waste and its evident that we can do a lot of good here," said Bedell.

The financial support for The SANDecon comes from individual donors and foundations that recognize that employing local communities to rebuild those same communities is the most efficient and environmentally sound way to sponsor important life-changing projects.

About SANDecon
SANDecon of Oceanside, California is the low-cost, environmentally friendly alternative to demolition. SANDecon provides professional deconstruction services that increase the amount of reusable or recyclable materials available for new construction, protect neighborhoods from toxic dust and hazardous material, and reduce the amount of demolition waste sent to landfills. The organization's goal is to create high-wage, skilled labor jobs for low-income individuals to help reduce dollar drain and keep money within the local community. And, to leverage neighborhood resources to lower energy costs and minimize depletion of virgin materials. For more information visit http://www.sandecon.org .

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