Building Green with Green571
In today’s green movement there are many new building products made from recycled materials, as well as products that help a home conserve energy. Taking advantage of these products when you build a home can save you money in the long run as well as help the environment.
ALTERNATIVE WOOD
60% of all the trees we log domestically are used to build houses. The average new 2,000 square foot home requires an entire clear cut acre worth of wood to build, that’s around 1000 trees! A growing number of consumers, builders, and architects are turning to a variety of more environmentally conscious wood flooring choices rather than choosing recently milled oak or maple. Some look to fast-growing bamboo harvested from Southeast Asia or to tiles of cork, made from the bark of oak trees in the Mediterranean. Another green option is wood that has been cut from forests managed sustainably. This is wood that has been certified by the U.S. Forest Stewardship Council, a Washington-based nonprofit group backed by industry and environmental organizations and affiliated with a similar international organization.
AVOIDING VINYL
Vinyl is less expensive and easier to maintain than most home siding materials, but that comes with an environmental price. The production of vinyl is incredibly toxic and the byproducts of that production often make it into our soil and water. If possible, opt for wood or brick over vinyl.
USE LOWS VOC PAINT
VOC stands for “volatile organic compounds”, compounds often found in paint that have been known to cause health issues including cancer. So next time you paint a room in your home, do yourself a favor and ask for low VOC paint.
THE FACTS
The average new 2,000 square foot home requires an entire clear cut acre worth of wood to build, that’s around 1000 trees.
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