In light of the class project for this quarter wanted to share some of the information I’ve been learning about in regards to building materials and their relation to the environment specifically. Hopefully, this information will present itself as useful, or spark other ideas for the class.
My first step was to research and become more familiar with the impact building materials have on the environment. According to U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), buildings (and structures) account for an average of 41% of the entire world’s energy use, out consuming the industrial industry and transportation. Benefits of Green Building | U.S. Green Building Council (usgbc.org)
When buildings are renovated or demolished the
vast majority of those materials are driven to landfills or incinerators.
Neither is a great solution for the environment. And More than 75% of all construction waste from wood, drywall, asphalt shingles, bricks, and clay tiles ends up in landfills. EPA) This got me thinking about
finding a way to buy the usable materials from demolition, renovation, and building sites and recycling it for shelters for houseless communities. Potentially the money those building companies could save to not have to haul and pay for the materials to
be discarded themselves would be enough for them to be donated or sold at a very low cost? Some of
these building materials include wood, metal, plastics, and bricks. (image to
the right is from
My next step will be to look at existing
companies that recycle building materials to see how viable of an option this
is. More to come later.
Sara (they/she)
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