Libraries are community centers that can help promote sustainable neighborhoods.

1. Story of a Chair A teachable moment at Cleveland Public Library in the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood of Cleveland

2. When Cleveland Public Library received new chairs for the branch—it provided a chance to demonstrate how design can promote REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

3. The chairs arrived during Architecture Month in Cleveland—April 2011

4. The manufacturer specifically designed the packaging for reuse—the challenge was getting 2 nd grade students to understand how the package design promoted reuse. We watched a short film produced by the Laurel School.

5. We challenged the boys versus the girls to come up with the least amount of steps to repackage a chair for reuse/recycle-girls formed a circle and choose an architect and a builder. The boys deliberated a bit longer.

6. Groups shared their ideas on the steps involved

7. Two different approaches

8. Box included straps, base and side walls—both sides understood that base was on the bottom.

9. Girls put straps down before the base

10. Whoops…what do we do with the straps??