Hudson Valley Materials Exchange

Overview

Mission Statement

HVME is an educational waste prevention organization that fosters business and community development, art and culture, environmental protection, and sustainable living through its services.
Our Purpose

The Hudson Valley Materials Exchange is an environmental 501 c (3) organization focusing primarily on the development of effective waste management practices for businesses in the Hudson Valley. Our services include waste assessments, distribution of reusable business waste and workshops illustrating possible uses for our materials. We operate a "Community Warehouse" in Ulster County, N.Y. Our present primary outreach for these materials is to schools and artists. We are, however, open to the public and have users from all walks of life. Geographically, we focus on Orange, Ulster, and Dutchess Counties with the bulk of our recipients coming from this area. However, being one of only two "materials for the arts/education" type program open to the public in New York State, people have come from Connecticut, Massachusetts, as well as upstate and downstate New York.

HVME usually finds its materials by doing an on-site waste assessment with a potential generator. We will only take materials that are destined for the landfill. When a donor has materials in too great a quantity for us to handle at The Community Warehouse, we try to help them market them elsewhere.

The average consumer does not realize that about 75% of waste is created in the manufacturing process of products they purchase. When educators and homeowners shop at The Community Warehouse, we make an effort to educate them as to the origin of the waste and encourage them to share this information with their students. By doing this, we hope to promote a "think twice" attitude when they are shopping for items they may not need. Our materials are presently distributed to eight school districts and 25 schools in the tri-county area we serve and beyond. We presently have about 300 members.

We realize that this does not begin to make a dent in the waste stream. However, we think we are accomplishing our goal of protecting the environment by educating a more conscientious consumer. We disperse information about the materials. We enrich the learning experiences of the recipient students. And we save money for our schools and consumers.

Hudson Valley Homegrown Energy and Resource Map
updated 03/2012 by Hudson Valley Noteworthy Sites