Circular Philadelphia

Members of Circular Philadelphia member RAIR's team at their annual Trash Bash event
(l-r) RAIR team members Sam Friedman, Theresa Rose, Billy Dufala, Fern Gookin (co-founder), Anthony Patrick, Kristen Neville Taylor and Lucia Garzón

Member Spotlight

RAIR

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RAIR’s mission is to challenge the perception of waste culture by providing a unique platform at the intersection of art and industry, and community. Situated inside a construction and demolition waste recycling company in northeast Philadelphia, RAIR creates and provides artist residencies, fellowships, new project commissions, interdisciplinary partnerships, and public programs.

Why did you become a Circular Philadelphia member?

RAIR had been an unofficial member by way of its host, Revolution Recovery, for years. And as a non-profit focusing on the creative reuse of materials, we figured it was time to officially become members!. The goal was to be in the “circle” with the most relevant circular economy practitioners and practices. We wanted to connect further with like-minded individuals, companies and organizations.

What does a circular economy mean to your organization?

It’s everything! From our residency program to our circular economy pilot to the way in which we organize (nearly) zero waste events, RAIR operates within the ethos of creative reuse and limited waste.

How is your organization practicing circularity?

RAIR’s flagship program is an artist in residency where we bring artists from around the globe to a construction and demolition recycling facility, Revolution Recovery, in Northeast Philadelphia. Artists have access to 650 tons of materials a day, as well as studio space, tools and equipment!

RAIR is also piloting a “Circular Economy” initiative where we source dimensional lumber as well as many other materials to community gardens in Southwest, West and North Philadelphia neighborhoods. From the materials, community partners create raised beds and outdoor kitchens, along with other support facilities to support their gardening efforts. The results include more people growing fresh fruits and vegetables at home and an increase in outdoor community-based events in the West Kensington neighborhood. We are also expanding our partners to non-profits like Tiny WPA and Food Not Bombs.

How can others advance the circular economy?

It takes time and effort to advance the circular economy but most importantly, it takes a broad understanding. Consider the idea that 650 tons of Construction & Demolition materials make their way into one, just one, recycling facility (Revolution Recovery) in Philadelphia in a single day. And even though Revolution Recovery diverts a large percentage away from the landfill, the landfills continue to fill up, to exceed capacity. How can we as humans on this shared planet help this situation? We can stop over-consuming for one. We can consider mending our things — items small and large – from clothing to buildings, we can talk to a friend about the issues, and we can support each other in this work.