Pennies for Quarters
The Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) and Pennies For Quarters have reached an agreement on the construction of 24 tiny homes utilizing the CRTC’s Advanced Cross Laminated Timber (ACLT) System. This cross-laminated timber panel uses coastal western hemlock that has been thermally modified to make it mildew, rot, and bug resistant. The interlocking wall panels are integrated with recycled carbon fiber to add significant stiffness and strength. The panels provide the beauty and calming effect of wood on the interior and eliminate the need for drywall, while offering a very strong, highly durable, and quiet wall system that will hold up extremely well over the lifecycle of the housing.
The 24 homes, ranging in size from 240 to 400 square feet, will be constructed on the 7-acre Devanny Lane parcel that Pennies For Quarters owns in Port Angeles. The patent-pending Advanced CLT system provides for very fast construction, as each tiny home can be built in less than 3 days once the foundation is in place. The tiny homes will be highly energy efficient, with R-32 in the walls and R-40 in the ceiling, ultimately targeting zero total energy consumption. Fundraising is continuing as Pennies For Quarters pursues its vision of assisting homeless veterans.
"We are honored to be working with Pennies For Quarters," said Dave Walter, CEO of the CRTC. "This is a fantastic opportunity to assist our homeless veterans and demonstrate how an underutilized timber species like coastal western hemlock can be combined with carbon fiber to provide an advanced building material that is very strong and durable. The combination of timber and tech is extremely exciting. It will create manufacturing jobs in Clallam County while diverting significant quantities of carbon fiber from landfills and providing highly energy-efficient homes with a low carbon footprint."
"The Port of Port Angeles has worked very closely with the CRTC to find ways to increasingly utilize the vast timber resources we have in Clallam County," said Connie Beauvais, Commissioner of the Port of Port Angeles. "This effort will create jobs in our community while improving forest health by increasing the value of an underutilized wood species like coastal western hemlock."
"As a military veteran, I know firsthand some of the challenges that our brave service men and women go through during re-entry," said Matthew Rainwater, Founder and President of Pennies For Quarters. "Securing the needed funding is all that stands in the way of achieving our vision of providing a hand up to homeless vets by offering a clean, safe place to live where residents can get the counseling and other social services they need to help get their lives back on track."
The collaboration between the CRTC and Pennies for Quarters also received accolades from local State Representative Steve Tharinger (D). "This is about working together to help our homeless veterans," Rep. Tharinger said. "It's great to see the state supporting this effort through the Clean Energy Fund, and I hope this creative partnership is something we can replicate to help homeless veterans across the great state of Washington."
For additional information:
CRTC contact: Dave Walter at (360) 819-1203 or dwalter@crtc-wa.org Pennies For Quarters contact: Matthew Rainwater at (360) 775-4222 or rh2oh2@gmail.com
About the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC):
Founded in 2015, the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) is an innovative 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose mission is to inspire and grow the global composite recycling community through innovation in technology and manufacturing that transforms carbon fiber scrap into products that positively impact people’s lives and the environment. There are about 50 million pounds of carbon fiber scrap that go into landfill globally each year. This space-age material is as strong as steel at one third the weight and has a great fit in segments like transportation, energy, furniture, building materials, and high-performance sporting goods. The CRTC is accomplishing its mission by providing direct product manufacturing and technical design services, as well as making low-cost recycled carbon fiber available for other manufacturers to utilize.
The CRTC was made possible through commitments from the Port of Port Angeles, the US Department of Commerce-Economic Development Administration, WA State’s Clean Energy Fund, Clallam County, and the City of Port Angeles. Find out more at www.CRTC-WA.org
Those interested in making a donation to the project to help homeless veterans can do so at the Pennies For Quarters website at www.penniesforquarters.org/donate/
About Pennies For Quarters:
Founded in 2016, Pennies For Quarters is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is working diligently to provide a hand up to the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces and have fallen on difficult times and are homeless. Many fight addiction and challenging medical and psychological issues. Pennies For Quarters is raising funds to build 24 tiny homes of 240-400 square feet on the 7 acres of land that they own near Fairchild Airport in Port Angeles. These homes will provide veterans and their families with a clean and decent place to live while getting the assistance necessary to obtain the health and human services that they desperately need.