Snapshot: Dan Knapp, co-founder, Urban Ore

October 24, 2011 10:12 am by Guest contributor

Dan Knapp. Photo: Pete Rosos

By Pete Rosos

The son of a Wisconsin sharecropper/trucker/foreman, Dan Knapp is a co-founder of Berkeley’s Urban Ore, whose self-described mission is “to end the age of waste”. With a PhD in sociology, he’s been a teacher, academic writer, and community organizer. Long before recycling became fashionable he was a pro recycler.

When did you arrive in Berkeley?
In September 1979. I hitchhiked from Eugene Oregon. It took me two days.

What’s your ‘hood?
Urban Ore is in West Berkeley. I live in Richmond.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I was more interested in learning than in sports. In college, a happy intellectual.

Where and when are you happiest?
I love dealing with complicated issues, making order out of chaos.

Which living person do you most admire?
Paul Hawken who wrote The Ecology of Commerce.

What drives you mad?
Traffic.

If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?
A little more charming maybe, if I could figure out how to still be myself.

Who, or what, is the love of your life?
My wife of course. My grandkids. My two daughters.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
In 1976 when I completely dropped my professorship. That whole career, that whole thing I worked so hard for, after eight years, was no longer a concern, and I just decided I couldn’t be in that straightjacket anymore. I wanted out.

What three things would you take to a desert island?
A knife, some matches. I’d hope I’d have some water.

What does Berkeley mean to you?
Well, in spite of the City Council being prone to making mistakes sometimes, I think there’s a lot of common sense in Berkeley.

Berkeleyside’s “Snapshot” column, inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, is a new, occasional series by Pete Rosos in which we take a moment to get to know some of Berkeley’s most interesting people. Pete Rosos is a freelance photographer, husband, and father of two who lives in south Berkeley. Let us know in the Comments who you would like to see featured here.

8 Comments

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  • Fred

    Urban or seems to be over-run with feral cats these days, the smell of cat pee is very strong in many areas of the warehouse.

  • http://radar.oreilly.com/2007/09/local-recycle-reuse-hits-a-bur.html The Sharkey

    I have to agree. I love the concept of Urban Ore, but the stench of cat urine in many parts of the building (particularly the door section) is so strong that it is unbearable.

    I’ve ended up at Ohmega Salvage lately just because I can’t handle the stench of cat pee.

  • A A

    Why is everything so expensive at Urban Ore?  I know it’s not right in terms of sustainability but buying new is usually not much more out-of-pocket money.  I work 2 blocks from UO and have for years and I just can’t find any reason to ever shop there.

  • Irenestorch

    I agree. Most stuff at Urban Ore is way too expensive .

  • irene

    I agree. Most stuff at Urban Ore is way too expensive.

  • TN

    Keep in mind that Urban Ore is a FOR PROFIT business. It is not a non-profit organization. Buying something there doesn’t automatically benefit another organization or cause but it presumably keeps something out of the landfill. Urban Ore presumably sets its prices to the market like any other for profit business.

    Buying an used item is different from buying something new. A merchant selling a new item presumptively offers a “warranty of merchantability” that says that the item being sold will work as commonly expected. An used item is sold with no such presumed warranty unless so stated otherwise  by the merchant.

    So don’t go out of your way to pay more at Urban Ore or any other merchant of used items than you think it is worth given the risk that it is flawed. And don’t ever buy something there that is cheaper new elsewhere.

    All that said, I do shop at Urban Ore. But I know that just at any other business, how much I pay or not pay is my choice. I often choose not to buy something if the price is too high.

  • Dino

    I love Urban Ore. The variety of stuff the people. I rarely buy anything there anymore even though I’m a remodeler. 
    They are just too expensive. If an item is 50 percent more new and doesn’t require hours of labor cleaning it up and resizing I am going to go with new or try one of the recyclers in E. Oakland. 

  • Jim Rosenau

    I have been an avid customer of UO since it was a bootstrap operation at the landfill (now Cesar Chavez Park). Those who resent their prices do not appreciate what UO is up against. They pay commercial rent on acres of land to be able to offer us the chance to both divert waste and have 7/day per week access to a trove of materials sorted into reasonable categories. They pay wages to staff to pick, sort and clean up after you.

    The remarkable thing about the operation is that it continues to improve, slowly, over the years. Imagine what the place would look like if no one picked up after us as we pawed through all that stuff!

    My approach to shopping there is simple:
    >UO can be seen as an auxiliary warehouse to my own inventory of goods. I don’t have to store everything.
    >Go often. I work nearby and tour my favorite sections to see what’s common and what’s new.
    >If I see something unusual that is small and affordable I get it.
    >Never argue prices –as stated another– let them sell to another party.
    >Never leave without spending money. I want them to be there the next time I come back.
    >Don’t try to get credit or cash for small amounts of material from them–it’s not worth your time.
    (See also Freecycle and Craig’slist)

    And yeah, I’ve discussed the cat spray problem with Dan and was not impressed with his response, either.