Current Projects

Currently Writng:

Building it Up: Crafting Circular Economies through Reclaimed Materials by Sara Badiali

What if waste wasn’t wasted? What if discarded materials could fuel creativity, strengthen local economies, and transform entire communities?

Building It Up: Crafting Circular Economies through Reclaimed Materials is a practical and inspiring guide to creating opportunities through reuse. Every community already has Makers who see possibility in what others throw away: artists painting on salvaged doors, welders shaping old tools into sculpture, quilters and woodworkers stitching beauty together from scraps. When these people are organized and supported, a movement begins.

This book shows how local reuse economies create revenue, jobs, stability, and hope. Following the framework established in Breaking It Down, this new volume shifts the focus to action, offering real-world examples of reuse economies in motion. Through real-world case studies, from grassroots collectives and reuse festivals to large markets and Makerspaces, you’ll see how communities transform waste streams into opportunity. Learn how small efforts like festivals evolved into thriving marketplaces, how German Christmas markets support entire regional economies, and how Makerspaces empower both students and professionals to create with reclaimed materials.

But this work is about more than saving the planet. It is about reclaiming economic power and building systems that reflect the needs and creativity of the people who live there. Traditional waste disposal is failing. Government budgets move slowly. Yet local innovation can move now. Reuse gives communities control over how they work, build, and care for the environment and keeps the money with the people doing the work.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• How to organize people who generate revenue with discarded materials

• Strategies for building community-based reuse businesses

• Examples of successful reuse models across industries

• How creativity becomes economic development

• How policy supports stable markets and scales up reuse efforts

Whether you're an artist, builder, designer, educator, organizer, or changemaker, Building It Up gives you the tools and inspiration to turn discarded materials into opportunity. Because when Makers and neighbors unite, reuse becomes a force that reshapes entire communities.

Current Collaboration:

I’m currently collaborating with Danny Salomon, founder of Second Story Builders, a Midcoast Maine-based business rooted in circular construction and "Radical Reuse." Together, we're supporting the Midcoast Solid Waste Corporation (MCSWC) through a waste audit aimed at identifying materials with high reuse potential at the local transfer station. This project combines field research with community education by involving high school students from Camden Hills Regional High School in hands-on data collection. It’s a strong example of how reuse, youth engagement, and environmental goals can align to create lasting local impact.

Current Fabrication:

Pacific NW Mushroom Chair