Builders of Hope raise green homes in southeast Raleigh

Professional builders and landscapers volunteered to build environmentally friendly homes in a southeast Raleigh neighborhood Saturday.

The Triangle division of the U.S. Green Building Council organized the day of volunteerism with Builders of Hope to transform old apartments into more energy-efficient, affordable housing.

Volunteers worked on the Villas at State Street, a community of environmentally friendly one-story, two-bedroom apartments, and attended education sessions on understanding and implementing green technologies in the home.

"By recycling homes and providing affordable green houses, we're diverting waste and usable products from landfills," volunteer George Russell said.

Russell said that the project also provides "housing for those people who are forced to live in outdated buildings whose utility bills are too expensive to afford."

The State Street project is expected to be completed this fall.