Reuse and Refresh: How Northeastern’s Capital Projects Team is Leading with Sustainability 

By Alison Swanitz  with Northeastern Sustainability

When most people think of campus sustainability, they picture a series of familiar sights: brightly labeled recycling bins, green composting stations, and sleek solar-powered buildings, all of which serve as visible reminders of Northeastern’s commitment to the environment.  But sustainability is just as much about what you don’t see – the quieter, behind-the-scenes efforts that keep materials in circulation and reduce waste are just as impactful.  These efforts help Northeastern steward our financial and natural resources, ultimately saving the University time and money. 

 One of those behind-the-scenes sustainability efforts includes finding new life for furniture and other equipment that might otherwise be thrown away, a mission currently championed by Northeastern’s Capital Projects Team, part of the University’s Planning, Real Estate, and Facilities (PREF) Division. 

“This project exemplifies how embracing circular economy principles through reuse creates more affordable and sustainable options for our community,” said Torrey Spies, PREF’s Senior Sustainability Strategist. “By reusing furniture and equipment, the University reduces costs and shortens delivery times, while also achieving environmental benefits such as diverting materials from landfill, conserving raw resources, and lowering the energy and carbon impacts of extraction, production, and transport.” 

Northeastern’s furniture reuse program, supported by a warehouse in Jamaica Plains, has been running for years. When spaces are renovated, all pieces of furniture removed from campus classrooms, offices, and lounges are evaluated. If still in good condition, the items are either redeployed for immediate use, stored there for future use, or donated locally for reuse. The warehouse acts as a kind of campus “shopping floor,” where Northeastern personnel can pick up lightly used desks, chairs, and tables at no cost. 

“It’s a really great resource and I think a lot of people are happy to have it. You can’t always buy new stuff and sometimes you just need a new chair or a desk, or an additional table, and so that’s a great place to be able to find that stuff for no cost,” said Jenna Beltram, Senior Project Manager on the Capital Projects team. 

This year, the program had a huge success. As Northeastern ended a lease at Broad Street, Capital Projects coordinated the removal and redistribution of a large inventory of furniture. Instead of paying to haul it away, the team found new homes for it all across campus. The D’Amore-McKim School of Business and Khoury College of Computer Science received new pieces, smaller classroom setups went into academic buildings, and the School of Law Library received the largest share. 

“It’s made a huge difference in sort of the feel and function of the law library. They said students have been very complimentary of it and they feel that it has given it a fresh look and really invigorated that study space and made it a lot more usable for them which is really great to hear,” Beltram said. 

Furniture isn’t the only material getting a second life. Capital Projects has also redirected AV and video equipment, placing technology where it could be most useful. This proactive approach not only saved money but also met department needs much faster than ordering new.  

Making reuse work takes planning and teamwork. The Capital Projects team works closely with Northeastern’s colleges, departments, and inventory and move manager Mark Storer in order to match available furniture with real campus needs. This often means reviewing dimensions, planning layouts, and coordinating storage and delivery.  

Ultimately, for Beltram and her team, the motivation is simple: reuse just makes sense. 

“The low hanging fruit of sustainability is being able to reuse things and not have to go buy new. It’s a great way that the university can save money and it just makes you feel good that this stuff isn’t going to waste.” 

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Written by Alison Swanitz, November 3rd, 2025