Fellows mentioned in this story: Quinn Vittum

From Hawai‘i Business Magazine:

A typical day for Quinn Vittum, executive director of Re-use Hawai‘i, begins at the nonprofit’s 18,000-square-foot Kaka‘ako redistribution center.

The organization recovers and redistributes waste produced by the local construction industry, so its warehouse holds everything from reclaimed lumber, furniture and artwork to locally milled Monkeypod slabs ready to be turned into tables and shelves.

Vittum says the work that takes place at its redistribution centers in Kaka‘ako and Kona is key to fulfilling the nonprofit’s mission. Each year, the nonprofit distributes an average of 500 tons of salvaged materials to more than 20,000 people.

“You can salvage stuff all day long but unless you find someone to use it, you haven’t closed the loop and fulfilled the mission yet,” he says. “So half the battle is actually finding new homes for it and making sure we have strong redistribution centers that are open to the public and people come in and grab the stuff.”

Continue reading at HawaiiBusiness.com.