Join us! We are seeking new board members
The WasteShed Board
The WasteShed is also currently in the process of filling four Board seats beginning in February of 2023. In light of many of the organizational changes happening at the WasteShed (we have opened a new store and moved our flagship store!), we would like this to be an open and transparent process and welcome folks who are interested, have the time and capacity to support us during a time of transition, and have gifts and skills we could use to complete our board team.
We are seeking board members who bring a diversity of perspectives (arts/education/community-based/organizational support) and diverse identities (gender/race/ability/age/economic status) and have time and capacity to put into doing work (this board is a working board!) and have gifts and skills to share in one or more of the following areas:
· Familiarity with organizational finance systems
· Familiarity with technological infrastructure
· Familiarity with Media/Marketing
· Familiarity with Re-use market/ Sales
· Connections or familiarity with the Chicago philanthropic community or ability to support the WasteShed’s development efforts,
· Connections with CPS Educators or CTU.
Board terms are two years long and members can serve two terms before rotating off the Board. Please learn more about the role here. Our monthly meetings are 1.5 hours long and held once a month, but we expect board members spend about 5-7 hours a month supporting the organization.
If you are interested, or know someone we should consider, please fill out this brief interest form no later than 1/21/23 and we will follow up with you.
Thank you,
The WasteShed Board
The WasteShed's First 110 Tons
In 2019, we created a zine about the first 50 tons of reusable materials that we'd diverted from the landfill. in 2022, we updated the zine to reflect what we’ve done since then, and here it is on the internet!
The WasteShed: The 1st 110 Tons
In June of 2022, The WasteShed hit 220,000 pounds of materials diverted away from landfills and back into the community. That's 110 tons of art and educational materials that have gone back into use in Chicago's schools, art organizations, health services, studios, etc. (The interior of the zine features a list of accepted materials, plus a list of over 350 schools and organizations that use our materials).
We physically picked up and redistributed the weight of The Bean
(or if that's too abstract, 2 adult sperm whales plus an adolescent one). These materials represent an estimated $1,936,800 to Chicago's makers and teachers. *The number of people we have to thank for doing this important work will no longer fit on this page, but we are endlessly grateful to everyone who has put their time and backs into this undertaking.
The portion of this that has accrued to The WasteShed as income is significantly smaller, our retail operation covers basic costs and provides our awesome staff with a living wage (annual budget: $320k) (the love of our community is priceless)
Just for kicks, we calculated what part of Chicago's total annual household waste production this 110 ton intervention represents. If 365 days equaled 1.62 million tons of trash in 2020 (according to the Delta Institute's Chicago Waste Strategy report of 2021), that's 3 tons a minute, and The WasteShed's total diversion equals...
Just over half an hour: 35 minutes and 42 seconds out of an entire year.
Is this depressing? Yes! But aren't you glad someone is working on this?
In 2022, we are on track to divert 78,000 lbs, about 36% of our total EVER (and another $702,000 not landfilled)
Donate today to support our work to create a more sustainable and awesome Chicago.
When you donate funds to The WasteShed you are also supporting hundreds of local schools and nonprofits that rely on us for affordable materials
The WasteShed is MOVING! Help us grow!
The WasteShed will be moving into a new space in January of 2023!
In September of this year, we got the news that The WasteShed's creative reuse center on Chicago Avenue will be redeveloped into condos in 2023, and our tenancy here is at an end. We have negotiated a move out date of January 1st, 2023, and are currently working out our new location; we are committed to staying close to our Humboldt Park community.
The WasteShed (as a hermit crab) contemplates with some trepidation the move to a larger home (shell). Illustration by Anna Jo Beck
We are very sad to leave our lovely little block on Chicago Ave, with all our awesome neighbors, and the farm and the trains and the good lunch spots. In the spirit of reuse, we are choosing to see this change as an opportunity to reimagine the organization, expand our space and our programming, and metamorphose to better meet the growing demand for the resources we provide.
We need to raise $23,000 by December 31st to cover the costs of moving to our new location, including the deposit, first month's rent, hiring movers, new shelving and lighting for our new larger location, and staff time for coordinating the move and setting up the new space.
We are very excited for the opportunities presented by this new space; donate today and you'll be the first to know the details as they develop!
Thank you so much for your support during this absolutely wild year, we could never have made it this far without our wonderful community behind us all the way.
We are Hiring! Retail, Administrative and Marketing Positions
The WasteShed is hiring for 3 positions based at our Humboldt Park location! Please send a resume with a short cover letter to info@thewasteshed.com.
Work With Us
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Work With Us 〰️
Retail Assistant — Humboldt Location — Position closed
Marketing Manager — Humboldt Location — Position closed
Administrative Coordinator — Position closed
Thank you for your interest! Stay tuned for future postings.