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Build It Green: Environmental Building Tips
by Jessica Tolliver

Most people today acknowledge the need to recycle. Every week they dutifully separate brown and green glassware, bag the newspapers and rinse out empty cans and milk cartons before carefully setting the entire itemized collection out by the curb.

Many even consider the environment when choosing appliances and products for their homes. After all, efficient dishwashers and toilets reduce water bills, while high-quality windows and doors cut heating and cooling costs.

Most don't realize, though, that the opportunity to live in an earth-friendly home begins the day the builder breaks ground�or even earlier.

Efforts to minimize and recycle job-site waste during the building process, as well as to use building products made partially or completely from recycled materials, are growing in popularity.

Whether you call it sustainable, environmentally friendly, green or ecological, the movement to build new homes with more than just a nod to Mother Earth is growing.

Politically conscious organizations like Ben & Jerry's, The Body Shop and The Audubon Society have taken measures to build offices without taxing the environment. With a little commitment, you, too, can limit the toll your building project takes on the environment. From the foundation to the framing to the rafters, products made partially or completely from recycled products are now available.

Manufacturers make ceramic tile from old light bulbs, carpeting from recycled soda bottles and interior wallboard from newspaper and gypsum. Newspaper is also used to make insulation, ceiling panes and subfloors. Recycled concrete is used for drywall, and sheep's wool for carpets.

Some insulation now includes recycled, low-density concrete, while decking can include recycled milk cartons. Manufacturers sell paint made from old paint, shake shingles from aluminum cans and nails from melted-down cars. Fly ash from burned coal can even be used to make concrete.

The list of available products continues to expand. A number of suppliers across the country concentrate on selling building products with recycled content. Two catalogs, Environmental Construction Outfitters and Shelter Supply, list thousands of environmentally sound building products. Environmental Construction Outfitters also has a retail store in New York, and a store called Environmental Building Supplies sells green building materials in Portland, Oregon.

When choosing products with recycled content, pay close attention to the price tag. The cost of some of these materials can run significantly higher than their "nongreen" counterparts. Do your research beforehand and, for many of the products, you will find a cost-effective alternative.

If you have your heart set on a higher-priced item, chances are you can recoup some of that money by cutting costs in other areas.

For those who believe the hunt is half the fun, building-material recyclers salvage and re-sell leftovers from building remodeling projects. Two San Diego companies, for example, specialize in salvaging materials from local projects. Depending on the day, a bargain hunter can find plumbing fixtures, mini-blinds, cabinets, windows, doors or flooring�at a fraction of the cost for new products.

If you have the time and the tenacity, these building-material recyclers provide unique and affordable choices.

Another important consideration when building green is waste disposal, which can account for a significant portion of building fees. By reducing and recycling job-site waste, however, you can save a notable amount of money.

In addition to helping out your checkbook, reducing waste at the job site also benefits the environment. Waste from building construction and demolition�including asphalt, concrete, rubble, wood products, glass and roofing materials�accounts for between 23 percent and 33 percent of municipal solid waste.

With a little communication with your builder, a plan can be set up to minimize waste at the site. Let him or her know that green building is important to you, and a plan can be set up for the subcontractors to follow.

Some chapters of the American Institute of Architects even publish guidelines to inform prospective contractors that a project requires a recycling plan. A format for estimating costs is included.

A number of resources across the country, including consulting firms and literature, advise builders of the most up-to-date products and techniques for environmental building. Some builders even make green building a priority.

Keep the environment in mind when building your new home. While an environmentally friendly building project calls for extra care on the part of everyone involved, the end product will be something we can all live with.

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