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An important aspect of "green building" is consideration of the materials used in the project. There are many questions to keep in mind when selecting materials:
As much as possible, materials were chosen for the Welcoming Center that were rapidly renewable or came from recycled content. Also, we tried to find resources that were local or regional. Of course, for certain things, it was impossible to avoid using wood. Therefore, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Wood was used for trellises, fences, posts, and doors, as well as the rough and finished carpentry. Using Certified Wood promotes environmentally responsible forest management and reduces destruction of old-growth forests. We cannot discuss materials without discussing what happens to them after we are done with them. During the building of our center, 99.7% of the construction, demolition, and land-clearing wastes were diverted to uses other than landfill. The cleared brush from the site was mulched and resold as topsoil while the rest of the waste was sent to various recycling programs. Naturally, recycling remains important now that the building is finished, and we therefore provide a separation and storage area to recycle paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals. Finally, many of the materials found within the Welcoming Center which did not come from recycled materials in the first place—such as the tables and chairs in our cafeteria—are 100% recyclable themselves, further reducing the amount of waste that ends up in the landfills. |
Construction Techniques in Detail
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Answering these questions
can take a bit of research, but putting in the time and effort to track
down eco-friendly materials puts us on the right path for a sustainable
future and makes it all that much easier for future builders to make
the right choices.
