BIG!NYC is a non-profit organization. In 2008, we are proud to have:
- Kept 450 tons of building materials of out the landfill.
- Provided $250,000 of material support to other non-profit and arts organizations.
- Saved New Yorkers nearly $1 million on purchases.
- Provided a site for 120 green collar trainees in partnership with CWE.
Build It Green! Staff
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Justin is the founder and Director of Build It Green. He's overseen its development from the beginning, having managed the 2 deconstruction projects for the Durst Organization that generated the materials required to launch BIG!NYC. Before BIG!NYC, Justin worked on Community Environmental Center’s efforts to establish a statewide loan fund for the installation of energy efficiency measures. He has also managed construction crews in residential development, worked as a Loan Associate with Low Income Investment Fund, monitoring loans to non-profit housing developers, and designed for an educational Internet company during the first Internet boom. Justin loved dumpster diving so much that he decided to make it into a full blown career. To the ongoing distress of Christine, all of their home furnishings and most of his clothes consist of found items and materials (except their mattress – not his choice.) -
Forrest is our Donations Coordinator and Event Planner, and has been with BIG!NYC since its inception. He initially helped unload trucks at our temporary warehouse and put together our first shelves in the dark & subzero conditions. He keeps our trucks moving and the great finds coming into the warehouse, and bears a striking resemblance to James Dean. From founding a theater in Chico, CA, to writing a film script in India to working Alaskan fishing canneries to delivering organic vegatables in Turkey to ghost writing autobiographical novels for famous to be left un-named politicians, Forrest has done pretty much everything. He's also been known to sporadically put on plays at Zebulon and various other local venues. -
Harvey is our Vocational Counselor, handling affairs in our ongoing partnership with the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE), among other things. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Harvey has an undergraduate degree in Biology, specializing in Ecology, and Master's in Sociology from the University of British Columbia. While he's worked in public service management for both the North Vancouver School District and in Eco-Restoration (reforestation) in Northern Canadian clear-cuts, it's his Master's thesis on Professional Wrestling which has proven most relevant. Harvey's claim to fame is that he played basketball against Steve Nash in high school on Vancouver Island, once, which provided him with street cred amongst his co-workers for about 5 minutes. -
Max spearheads the Deconstruction program at Build It Green, and is our most fashionable staff member. The recurring scene of perfectly good building materials crushed at the bottom of a dumpster led him here, and he’s never looked back. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Max attended Bard College in the late 90’s where he received a Bachelor of Arts in film in 2000. Since then he has really cultivated his skills as a precision craftsman, having worked as a fabricator, cabinetmaker and carpenter, all in NYC. He’s also worked in neon sign design and construction, as a behavioral health technician in Tucson, and dabbled in draping at the Fashion Institute of Techology. Max and Mira house a nuclear family of 5 cats, Georgie, Edgar, Alabamo, Winkie, and Bad Boy. You don’t see that every day. He is also perhaps our most well read staff member, having read every book ever written. Unfortunately that hasn’t translated into success in writing on his own novel, which he’s been working on since shortly after his premature arrival on earth. -
Dylan is our Coordinator of Marketing and Outreach, though he’s also our jack-of-all-trades, having done basically every job imaginable. He oversees all marketing; builds anything we need, quickly; and pretty much does anything else you can think of at Build It Green. Originally from Chico, California, Dylan holds an undergraduate degree in English from Oberlin College and a Masters from Cal State, Chico. Some of his skills/experiences include: film making; starting a theatre company in Chico; construction and carpentry; web design; writing and performing plays in New York and California; teaching Composition at Butte College and Chico State; and making delicious food out of anything. He’s also been seen, almost daily, applying hot glue to his broken glasses since he started working here. They finally died, and sadly, he got new glasses. -
Ellis is our Adaptable Resource Technician, specializing in everything. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ellis recently graduated from Bard College with a “hybrid degree” in Creative Writing and Literature. During a period of uncertainty while at Bard (which he does NOT like to discuss), Ellis also dabbled in Architecture, spending six months in Paris and six months at Columbia University through Columbia's Department of Architecture. In addition to being the world’s only “Adaptable Resource Technician”, he has an unparalled knowledge of obscure world music, and very strong legs, allowing him to jump over everybody on the court. He really likes doing that too. Ellis also responds to “The Seeker”, “The {Isenberg} Principal”, “Mescalito”, “Whippersnapper”, and most recently, “Man-child”. -
Cate is the driving force behind Build It Green. Originally from Pensacola, Florida, she recently graduated from the Massachusetts College for Art in Boston, specializing in Sculpture and Filmmaking. Cate’s very prolific. In her mere 23 years, she’s taught English in Korea, built rock trails in the Rockies of Colorado, constructed theatre sets in NYC, and even played Rush Limbaugh tapes on a conservative talk show in the “car city” district of Pensacola. Who does that?! She’s also an extremely talented singer/songwriter, filmmaker and sculptor. Cate really likes Bison. So much so that she’s dedicating her first New York exhibit entirely to that regal beast. Check it! -
Nate is the IT God here at BIG!NYC. He has a degree in Music from Boston University and is currently studying physics and calculus towards a second degree in engineering. Nate loves building, and working on just about any projects he can get his hands on. He is currently most interested in alternative energy installations and flexible form rammed earth (earthbag) building. Originally from upstate New York, Nate's really been around, having lived in Boston, Mexico, and even on Staten Island! Who knew?! Update: Nate has abandoned us, as he was accepted to grad school for engineering at UMass. It's not fair. Though he does come by once in a while to fix everything after we break it, so if you're lucky you may catch him some Saturday afternoon. -
Matt is the fix-it guru of Build It Green! NYC. If we have any mechanical problems in the warehouse, we know who to call. Matt works on a seasonal basis for BIG!NYC, in between leading South American housing construction projects for Habitat For Humanity and Global village. He is also involved in industrial archeology, and loves finding and studying unique pieces of industrial history. -
Lucy is Justin's feisty Jack Russell. She works hard to keep mice and small children in line at Build It Green! NYC, and can often be seen in her native habitat, the paint room, chasing anything that moves. Her favorite pastimes are eating, sleeping, and tearing apart stuffed animals.
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