quite the contradiction it seems. take away more of the earth’s natural resources to be considered a “greener” builder. at first i thought the same thing… why would you want to take away from the earth in order to help it? when “tough love” was outted as an option, i began researching everything i could find about green building. before, during and after. what makes a building green? how do you make it a practical and affordable project, and most of all why should i care?
after many weeks of reading and researching and decoding scientific studies comparing the green status of building materials and patterns, i began to see the light.
there are a few basic ways that make wood the number one green building product.
1. renewability
as the only self-renewable building material wood can generate without the assistance of any fossil fuels. also it takes very little fossil fuels to assemble wood into a suitable building product. case in point, you can replant trees by the thousands – concrete and steel must use outside energy to create the materials, and in the meantime create more pollution.
2. life-cycle assesment (LCA)
a term frequently used among green builders and environment advocates. this is an objective way scientists measure the environmental impacts of building materials and assemblies. it evaluates materials over the course of thier entire lives, from extraction to recycling. the impacts areas include energy use, global warming potential, air pollution and solid waste output. wood-framed buildings have a 100 year track record. check out the local historic district in your town and let me know what the majority of houses are made out of.
3. climate change
al gore made it trendy, but global warming has been on scientists radar for decades. however, using trees as a building product helps to fight climate change in two ways. 1. it uses less fossil fuels to produce and 2. ) limiting the number of decaying trees which produce carbon dioxide, the primary ingredient for global warming.
so if you are looking to build in your area, check out www.raisedfloorliving.com and click on “building pro locator” to find a contractor, engineer and/or architect in your area that is well versed in the effectiveness of wood-framed homes as the greenest option. also, check out www.beconstructive.com to find out more about wood and green building.
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