A buzzword of the new millennium, social capital is said to be the key element in building urban and rural communities. An enormous resource generated from "people power," it is defined as the capacity of humans to work cooperatively-- through everyday interactions with family, friends, coworkers, and community organizations-- to solve problems. This in-depth analysis draws upon empirical work in Australian and international literature and employs both a theoretical and an empirical methodology to examine how everyday activities contribute to the store of social capital, which activities are most beneficial, which are irrelevant, and which threaten to deplete this precious resource or co-opt it for private agendas.