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Photo by Marni Rothschild Durlach

Rebecca dreams of empty dumpsters. “I’m appalled at how much stuff gets thrown away,” she says, speaking of construction and renovation sites. “Ninety-five percent of the material from gutted or torn-down buildings here goes to the landfill.” So this single parent and mother of three got her demolition license and founded South Carolina Sustainable Deconstruction and the Sustainable Warehouse, a 501(c)(3), to take matters, and building materials, into her own hands. Her all-girl team will dismantle your building, reuse all possible materials, and give you a tax deduction. “I’m hands-on doing demo—absolutely! There are a lot of chicks out there ready to get dirty,” says Rebecca, who hails from a tiny Florida island where recycling was de rigueur. (“No quick runs to Lowe’s.”) Until she finds permanent warehouse space, Rebecca is holding periodic salvage sales. Check the website for the next one: sustainablewarehouse.org.

In addition to being a demo-derby queen, Rebecca serves on the recycling subcommittee for Mayor Riley's Green Committee and as programs chair for the local chapter of the US Green Builder's Council. "It's time to get aggressive," says Rebecca, who advocates for legislative action on this issue. "California mandates a 50% reuse-recycle criteria for all buildings. We have nothing."