DECON 09 and BMRA Update

The BMRA wishes to remind you that DECON ’09, held at the University of Illinois-Chicago, is rapidly approaching. This is the premier national event for the deconstruction and building materials reuse industry, and promises to be the best DECON yet! Visit www.bmra.org to view the program and register for the conference. Here are some updates:

Abstracts have been evaluated and selected, and the program agenda is complete. We have forty-eight outstanding presentation and panel sessions.

Keynote Speakers have been selected, and will feature Mr. Michael Jackson, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Mr. William Abolt, Shaw Sustainable Design Solutions of Illinois, Ms. Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Environment.

A Policy Summit on Deconstruction and Building Materials Reuse Best Practices, and Green Collar Jobs in urban environments will be an important feature of the Conference.

The post-conference tour will feature options; two “Green Loop” walking tours, and a bus tour of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue, (a LEED platinum building featuring extensive use of salvaged building materials), the Chicago Center for Green Technology, and the new ReBuilding Exchange, Chicago’s first non-profit used building materials store.

Post-conference workshops for deconstruction and C&D materials recycling are ready to go.

Lodging accommodations are available at the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro at a special DECON ’09 rate.

PlanetReuse will also be participating in the sessions. Nathan Benjamin will be moderating Session 9 -  "Panel Discussion on Green Building" and also serving as a panelist in Session 14 - "The Material Exchange Websites /Virtual Marketplaces I." The audience for this three-day international conference includes demolition contractors, deconstruction and architectural salvage businesses; construction and demolition materials recyclers; used building materials retailers;
architects; engineers; green builders; governmental agencies; LEED professionals; students in the architectural, engineering, planning, and environmental fields; and anyone else interested in responsible resource use. The BMRA is dedicated to transforming the way we build, renovate, and demolish structures for a resource-conserving future.