It was a little startling to see a cubicle on the fair's West Lawn. While entirely commonplace within an office, something about the grayness of its walls and austerity of its structure seemed wrong in this setting. After all, isn't the fair supposed to be, you know, fun?

But this particular cubicle was also spray-painted. As it turns out, the cubicle in question is an invention of Home Resource, a local business dedicated to the reuse of construction and remodeling materials that people have discarded.

Abe Coley, outreach coordinator for Home Resource since 2005, explained the purpose of the cubicle.

"This gives kids a hands-on experience to use stuff that would otherwise go into a landfill," he said, slathering some forest-green paint onto one wall of the cubicle.

None of the buckets or spray cans of paint that surrounded him were new, but they all seemed basically untarnished, and it was easy to think of just how much paint is wasted - thrown away, poured down drains - every year, when it could be reused.

Does the cubicle sound familiar to you? It's highly transportable and has been to the People's Market as well as the Shanty Town fundraising event held on First Street last spring.

The cubicle itself is made out of recycled materials, old wallpaper and wood.

Although Home Resource is currently located behind the Holiday Village Shopping Center, it will be moving to the 4G's Plumbing and Heating Building sometime around March. If you have any upcoming renovation projects, come on by.

Marielle Gallagher will be a freshman at Hellgate High School.