Austin ISD and the Doss Elementary School Project Team are excited to announce the donation of nearly 600 pieces of classroom furniture from the Doss swing space.
During the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years, Doss was temporarily located at the former Lucy Read Pre-K site during the construction of their modernized facility. Now, as Doss prepares to move into their new campus in fall 2020, their swing space furniture is being reused and donated to an elementary school in Mexico.
This effort was led by the AISD Warehouse Department, who worked with International Reuse Network (IRN), a global leader in recycling and surplus asset management. On June 26, the team helped load 590 pieces of classroom furniture for donation, including desks, tables, chairs and bookshelves, onto a 53-foot semi-truck packed from floor to ceiling.
“We are so pleased to be able to partner with IRN for this impactful donation,” said Mark Curtis, Distribution and Logistics Manager for the AISD Warehouse Department. “They are a leading expert in reuse and recycling logistics, specifically for projects of this scale, and together we were able to quickly and efficiently facilitate this move. We can’t wait to see this furniture repurposed and enjoyed by the students and staff in Mexico.”
As a standard practice, the AISD Warehouse salvages and redistributes new and gently used furniture to schools throughout the district, giving extended life to these materials and keeping them out of the waste stream. These furnishings have surpassed their useful life at AISD, however they are still in serviceable condition for renewed use in Mexico. This donation eliminated a total of 150 cubic yards of material from landfills, while also saving the district expenses and ensuring a smooth move-out process from Lucy Read Pre-K . AISD is thrilled to give this furniture a new home in the international school community.
“Sustainability is a driving force of AISD’s mission to provide a high quality educational experience to all students,” said Darien Clary, AISD Sustainability Manager. “This initiative supports the district’s continued environmental actions and extends our efforts globally while supporting students in need — a truly amazing combination.”
AISD is proud to require a minimum of 75% waste diversion at AISD construction projects – above and beyond the City’s 50% requirement. The district is also aligned with the City’s Zero Waste goal to divert 90% of waste from landfills by 2040. To learn more about the AISD sustainability program, please visit www.austinisd.org/sustainability.
Thank you to all the staff, moving crew and project team members who helped facilitate this incredible donation!
