By Marissa Allweiss, Salvage/PR Information Officer

In early November, I was delighted to have the opportunity of meeting Traci Claussen, founder of REpurposingNOLA Piece by Peace, and witnessing her wonderful creations firsthand. I had heard of Claussen’s REpurposingNOLA Piece by Peace brand and dedication to community organizations. She had donated proceeds from her 4th tray series to Rebuilding Together New Orleans contributing $300 in total. However, I was, admittedly, unaware of how diverse and environmentally conscious Traci’s products are. As we sat down together, brainstorming and discussing ways in which RTNO and REpurposingNOLA could further collaborate, the decision to co-host a series of community workshops seemed inevitable. As a result, starting Saturday, February 12th, we are thrilled to see this collaborative idea come to fruition as Rebuilding Together New Orleans’ Deconstruction and Salvage Program and Traci Claussen launch the first of a series of community workshops.

By conducting a hands on series of workshops (future dates TBA), where participants can recreate Claussen’s unique trays and additional designs using salvaged materials from the Preservation Salvage Store, it is our hope that we can further educate the community on how to work with reclaimed items in innovative and creative ways. In addition, Claussen states, “My philosophy is to ‘Be Cool; Do Good,’ and it carries into everything we do at REpurposingNOLA. It is why we decided to donate our popular salvage tray design to Rebuilding Together New Orleans as a way of giving back to the community with an educational purpose that may inspire others to consider re-purposing instead of disposing of perfectly good materials.”

The collaborative effort, in which Rebuilding Together New Orleans Deconstruction and Salvage Program and Claussen will lead participants step-by-step in the production of their own wooden tray on February 12th, will be held at the Materials Reuse Workshop, located at 1239 St. Ferdinand from 10:00am until noon. The cost to participate will be $35, and includes the opportunity for participants to take home their own handcrafted serving tray made entirely from salvaged materials. Because space is limited, advanced reservations and payment are required. If you are interested in participating in the upcoming workshops or would like to receive more information, call Marissa at 504-947-0038 or send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

ABOUT REPURPOSINGNOLA PIECE BY PEACE:
Launched in September 2009 by founder Traci Claussen, REpurposingNOLA is unique in itself in that it follows the triple bottom line concept: People, planet, profits, which embraces social, ecological and economic values and principles. Corporate social responsibility is key, namely in the form of community activism, employment of local workers, the utilization of repurposed materials, participation in mentoring programs, and support of philanthropic projects. Visit http://repurposingnola-piece-by-peace.com/about-us/info_1.html for more information.