It’s estimated that more than 12 million tons of wood is landfilled every year in the US. And this figure doesn’t even take into account the 46 million metric tons of urban lumber that is either landfilled, chipped or burned. In both scenarios, this is wood that still has tremendous economic and environmental value. And often, it’s wood that is rich with history and story.

Luckily, there are some intrepid entrepreneurs working to extend the life of this valuable wood by rescuing and processing it, and getting it into the hands of the design-build community. One such entrepreneur is Robin Janson, co-founder of Urban Evolutions, a Wisconsin-based supplier of reclaimed and salvaged wood materials.

In this episode, Robin discusses the valuable materials that can be found in the urban mine and how designers can unlock the richness and story that’s often embedded in these salvaged materials.