Renovation Angels: Non-Profit Demolition

  |  March 1, 2017

To reach true sustainability, our homes will need to go beyond the notable three tenets of green: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This will require a community effort on the part of homeowners, architects, builders, and the manufacturers of materials and products. Inspired eco-living will not just necessitate a lessening of environmental damage, but innovations with thoughtful intentions toward the practice of going greener, as we repair, rebuild, resell, restore, renovate, remake, reteach, redesign, recover, and rethink how we tread on the planet.

Very few businesses touch every one of these lofty environmental principles to get to the core of green building like Renovation Angel does. With its economical, ecological, and charitable mission,Renovation Angel has the ability to revolutionize the way we do business, as it transform the lives of many. Here’s how it works:
Renovation Angel is a nonprofit organization that provides recycled luxury kitchens and baths from demolition and renovated sites at 50 to 80 percent off market prices. The salvaged appliances, fixtures, and cabinetry are donated, recovered, and then resold for reuse. To sweeten the pot, the proceeds of the sales go directly to people in need. Renovation Angel is an “entrepreneurial charitable enterprise” that supports outreach programs for AAA (All Addicts Anonymous).

The obvious benefit for the buyer is clear; recycled quality appliances for a fraction of the cost. Renovation Angel also connects charitable folks who want to give with those in need of assistance to kick drugs, alcohol, depression, and food addiction. The donator gets a tax savings, reduced labor, and/or disposal, while the reduction of landfill waste from all those otherwise tossed appliances is a welcomed nod toward the environment.

I’ve been the recipient on one end of this eco-equation. A while back, the heart of my kitchen died—the stove. A big-ticket item for sure, and at the time, a coveted professional stove was not in sync with my pocketbook. Renovation Angel came to the rescue with an array of viable choices. When I visited their showroom, I felt like a domestic anthropologist. As I dug into the inventory of abandoned kitchen appliances, I uncovered a gem of a gently used professional stove. Being able to purchase a $4,500 (if new) DCS stove for just under $1000 was a win-win solution for my family and the environment. Knowing that I was contributing funds to a highly effective addiction-recovery program was the icing on the cake.

To go beyond green, we’ll need eco-friendly companies like Renovation Angels that rethink the possibilities of going green, and give back as they help create a just planet that is economical, equitable, and ecological.

This article was written by Ronnie Citron-Fink when Renovation Angels was known as Green Demolitions. It was first published in the March 2011 issue of Chronogram, and is reposted with permission.

About Chronogram

Chronogram is a full-color glossy magazine focused on the Hudson Valley lifestyle—where to go, what to do, where to eat, and much more. Each month Chronogram publishes unique content to enrich, engage, and enlighten the Hudson Valley.

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