Big Blend Radio  

Green & Eco-Friendly Home Improvement
Join Nancy & Lisa on Garden Gossip home & garden radio and find out how to Recycle, Refurbish & Rethink Home Improvement with Jared Walker Dostie - Carpenter on HGTV's 'Rate My Space,' and Lorenz Schilling - Founder of Deconstruction & Building Materials ReUse Network, Inc.

Show airs live on Saturday, Aug. 8 from 10am PT / 1pm ET – Tune in at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Big-Blend-Radio/2009/08/08/Garden-Gossip-Green-Home-Improvement

Meet Jared Walker Dostie - Carpenter on HGTV's 'Rate My Space’: Jared Walker Dostie is used to people questioning his carpentry skills, but don’t be fooled by this former model, he comes from a long line of carpenters and builders and he is more than happy to prove it.  Jared began building tree houses at age seven in the plentiful woods of Maine where he spent most of his childhood. His mother describes him as “a curious kid that was always building or dismantling something”. He spent his summers doing any kind of work that kept him outside, from construction, to bailing hay, even stacking rocks at a stone yard. At nineteen Jared, a self proclaimed “movie buff”, headed west to Los Angeles in search of warmer weather and a chance to study acting and audition for film and TV roles.
After what Jared calls, “a little work, and a lot of luck”, he landed modeling work as well as some small acting parts. With small town roots and a blue collar attitude it was an uncomfortable fit at first. Jared has said, “My greatest acting performance to date was playing a male model.” But with the new gig came a chance to see the world. He traveled to Japan, Germany, and South Africa, where he appeared in catalogs, magazines, and TV commercials. During his travels he filled an insatiable craving for architecture and design while exploring every corner of each city he visited.
When Jared returned to Los Angeles he fell back on his skills to make ends meet. He took on painting, landscaping and handy man work, but his enthusiasm for woodworking drove him to hone his carpentry skills. His true passion lied in high end home renovations, so he teamed up with a contractor friend together they renovated and remodeled dozens of homes in some of LA’s priciest neighborhoods. Jared gained a reputation for doing construction projects with an emphasis on aesthetic and a willingness to involve the home owner in the process. Jared believes, “You have to get people excited and involved in the project, give them some ownership and pride in the finished product”. Now he gets to do just that on the popular HGTV show “Rate My Space”!

Meet Lorenz Schilling – Founder of Deconstruction & Building Materials ReUse Network, Inc: Lorenz Schilling founded Deconstruction & Building Materials ReUse Network, Inc. (Deconstruction Network), a nonprofit, that supports California’s green building movement by advancing the general environmental principal of "reduce, reuse and recycle" within the construction and demolition (C&D) industries. As President, Schilling works with homeowners, building professionals, other non-profits and local government to create waste management solutions and to help implement deconstruction practices, as well as, likeminded businesses and organizations endeavoring to reuse.
Schilling, who has been developing deconstruction programs since 2001, started Deconstruction Network in 2007 after identifying the need for user-friendly solutions to help homeowners choose deconstruction over demolition. He recognized that people wanted what was best for the environment, but needed a streamlined process to help them navigate through the unfamiliar practice of deconstruction.
Schilling is committed to developing deconstruction programs that offer simple solutions for homeowners to dismantle and reuse their home’s valuable physical assets rather than disposing of them. On average, a 2,000 square foot home may yield as much as 85% in reusable materials. In addition to the environmental benefits, the programs also help homeowners achieve significant tax savings based on their donation’s appraised value.
Partnering with regional Habitat for Humanity affiliates allows valuable reclaimed materials, such as windows, doors and appliances, to be reused or resold in the community. The organization also works with Corazon, a ministry that build homes in Baja California, to donate rough framing lumber. Schilling has personally delivered truckloads of lumber to Corazon that will be used to rehabilitate homes near their organization’s community centers.
Schilling says his background in hospitality management and technical recruiting has been an asset in the non-profit world, giving him the patience to listen and respond more effectively to industry challenges. As the president of Deconstruction Network, Schilling understands his responsibility to educate and empower others about the need for waste reduction and building material reuse. He embraces his mission and feels confident his hard work will help cities throughout California, and beyond, empower community members to achieve municipal waste diversion goals, while leading to the mainstream acceptance of deconstruction.