Barrington Village - Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent

The Wall Street Journal Online has a piece today about Raleigh's Barrington Village and its developer, Builders of Hope. This neighborhood is one of the smartest uses of human and social capital and environmental responsibility I've ever seen. The idea is beautiful in its simplicity:

1. Instead of knocking down old homes to make way for new ones, homeowners donate the homes to Builders of Hope.
2. Builders of Hope moves the house free of charge.
3. The owner keeps a demolished home out of the landfill, gets a tax deduction, and avoids the evil eye of neighbors for tearing down the home.
4. Builders of Hope relocates the house to its development, rehabs it, makes it energy efficient, and sells it to someone that needs affordable housing.
5. Along the way, they employ homeless workers in the construction, giving them experience and skills they can then use to find other jobs.

Everybody gives a little, everybody gets a little - a beautiful way to protect our environment, housing stock, and build human capital.