Thursday, November 30, 2006
Fables of the Deconstruction
from New Orleans:
Federal policy allows government cleanup funds to be used when a building is bulldozed and the remains are hauled off to the local dump. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local officials should also give homeowners the option of “deconstructing” their houses — that is, taking them apart piece by piece and then selling or salvaging the reusable building materials, such as floorboards, roof beams and fireplace mantles.
Deconstruction preserves our cultural heritage because historic building materials are reused and helps the environment because less debris is tossed into landfills. It also creates jobs by putting locals to work dismantling houses and marketing the salvaged materials.
Read the New York Times op-ed by Chris Beck and Preston Browning here.
And yes, Preston is not only the coolest deconstructionist on the planet, he's also my brother.
