Recycled-Content Materials
Materials Reuse
Minimization of Construction Waste
Water Conservation
Green Roofs

Recycled-Content Materials 

There are many building products available today that are manufactured from recycled materials. For example, organic asphalt shingles contain recycled paper, and some shingles are made from re-manufactured wood fiber. Cellulose insulation is manufactured from recycled newspaper. 

Alternative building materials can conserve resources, as well. Technologies that allow more efficient use of lumber include stress-skin panels; engineered framing products, such as I-beams, glue-laminated products, and finger-jointed lumber. These products allow for the use of "scrap" lumber that might otherwise be landfilled and for use of small-dimension lumber.  

Links 

OIKOS 
Site includes a free searchable database of more than 1,700 companies that offer green building products. 

Green Building Resource Guide  
Provides information on The Green Building Resource Guide, a database of more than 600 green building materials and products. The Guide is available for purchase as either a reference manual or a CD-ROM database.  

Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements
This online E-Guide from the NCAT Center for Resourceful Building Technology provides descriptions and contact information for the manufacturers of more than 600 recycled and resource efficient building products.

Recycled-Content Product Directory
A searchable database provided by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Building products can be searched by Construction Specification Index listing.

Materials Reuse 

Lumber and other products, such as windows, doors, cabinets, and appliances, can be salvaged when buildings are demolished or rehabilitated. It makes sense to employ materials that are still useful, rather than destroying or disposing of them. This approach not only uses resources more efficiently, but also conserves valuable landfill space. 

Other building techniques use "waste" materials such as straw bales and used tires to as building elements. These materials reduce costs of construction while maximizing resource efficiency. Native, or "indigenous," materials, such as clay or stone have low embodied energy and can serve as resource-efficient building materials.  

Links

Used Building Material Association
This trade association offers information on companies and organizations involved in the acquisition and redistribution of used building materials.

Institute for Local Self Reliance
The Waste to Wealth program helps demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of recycling, including building deconstruction. Publications and articles on deconstruction are offered, as well as training.

Alternatives to Old Growth
Rainforest Action Network lists suppliers of innovative building alternatives, recycled/salvaged lumber suppliers, certifiers of sustainably produced lumber, and builders of alternative housing (such as straw-bale and rammed earth). 

Lighthook’s Strawbale House Page  
Provides information on strawbale building technology, as well as links and resource lists. 

On-line Publications  

House of Straw--Straw Bale Construction Comes of Age
A U.S. Department of Energy publication that discusses the technique of straw-bale construction and its benefits. Includes answers to frequently-asked questions, as well as a list of resources for additional information. 

Minimization of Construction Waste 

Construction-related waste accounts for about one-fourth of total landfilled waste in the United States. Yet many construction materials can be recycled, including glass, aluminum, carpet, steel, brick, and gypsum.  

Construction and renovation waste can also be reduced by salvaging, rather than landfilling, items that have some remaining life, such as appliances, household goods, office equipment and furniture, building materials. 

Construction waste can also be reduced/minimized by designing buildings to use standard-dimension lumber and through adaptive reuse (renovating existing buildings, rather than destroying them and erecting new ones). 

Links

The Construction Recycling/Green Building program of King County, Washington, offers several tools for developing waste management plans, including sample waste management specifications, sample plans, and waste analysis worksheets.

On-line Publications  

The National Association of Home Builders Research Center offers both online and print publications, as well as links, related to Construction Waste Management.

RecyclingPlus Program Manual: Best Practices for Construction Site Recycling is distributed by Clean Washington Center to provide contractor guidance in implementing a job-site recycling program. The entire manual is available online in PDF or HTML.

Recycle This! is a promotional brochure available from the Associated General Contractors of America. AGC also offers fact sheets on recycling asphalt, concrete, steel and wood.

WasteSpec: Model Specifications for Construction Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling from the Triangle J Council of Governments, offers sample construction specification language. The entire WasteSpec notebook can be downloaded as a PDF file, or a four-page summary of the waste specifications is available in PDF.

Water Conservation 

Installing energy-efficient appliances and fixtures, and changing irrigation practices and behavior can reduce water consumption by 30 percent. Low-flow shower heads, faucet aerators, and water-conserving toilets can conserve a considerable amount of water, energy, and other costs, such as water treatment costs. Many water utility companies offer rebates or incentives to install water-conserving fixtures and appliances. Contact your local utility for more information on available programs and for advice on reducing energy consumption. Or, contact WaterWiser, a national clearinghouse on water efficiency at (800) 559-9855. 

Graywater--water used for bathing, clothes washing, and similar tasks--or collected rainwater can be used to water landscape or for irrigation purposes.  

Links 

For many resources on water conservation, consult the Water Efficiency section of the Smart Communities Network.

Colorado Water Knowledge  
Provides links to water-conservation-related Web sites. 

Indoor Water Conservation
This section of the Sustainable Building Sourcebook offers guidelines and resources related to residential water efficiency.

Software

Residential Water Conservation Techniques is a computer software program available through EPA that addresses residential water conservation techniques. Covers the hydrologic cycle, in-home applications, and outdoor applications. Also examines the potential water, energy, and dollar savings resulting from the replacement of water-using devices with more efficient models.  

Publications 

Rocky Mountain Institute provides information on Household Water Efficiency, including downloadable publications "Water Efficiency for Your Home" and "Water Efficiency: The Next Generation."

Graywater Guide: Using Graywater in Your Home Landscape, 1994, California Department of Water Resources, Water Conservation Office, P.O. Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236-0001. Phone: (916) 643-1097  Prepared to help homeowners and landscape and plumbing contractors understand California's graywater standards, and to help them design, install, and maintain graywater systems. 

Green Roofs

Choosing an environmentally responsible roofing material can be one of the greatest challenges of green building. Roofing materials tend to be expensive, damage- and failure-prone, and often contribute to demolition waste. An option which has long been popular in Europe, and is gaining increasing favor in the United States, is the vegetative-cover, or green, roof. Designing a roof with plant cover has several environmental benefits. It can reduce rooftop temperature, in turn reducing building cooling costs and even preventing urban heat islands. Additionally, green roofs are an important tool in stormwater management, because they prevent runoff. Finally, plant-covered roofs can play a role in providing urban habitat for songbirds and butterflies, and in improving air quality.

Links

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
This Canadian coalition of private sector firms is working to foster a market for green roof products and services. Past editions of Green Roof Infrastructure Monitor, a quarterly report, are archived at the site.

Greenroofs.com
Billed as the resource portal for the greenroof industry, this site offers an international database of greenroof projects, as well as articles, discussion, and a directory.

Earth Pledge Foundation Green Roofs Initiative
Supports the citywide development of green, vegetated rooftops in New York City to lower urban temperatures, improve air quality, and prevent stormwater runoff pollution.

Ecoroof Program
The City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services is home to the ecoroof program. Their website offers a PDF publication on Ecoroof Questions and Answers, and a list of contacts and service providers.

Heat Island Group
This website discusses the heat island effect and provides information on both the energy savings potential of cool roofs and the cooling effect of vegetation on the built environment.

Penn State Center for Green Roof Research
This center is working to demonstrate and promote green roof research, education, and technology transfer in the Northeastern US.

Vegetative Greenroof Research Program
This Michigan State University Department of Horticulture Research Program accompanies a project that installed 3,500 square feet of green roof on the campus' Plant and Soil Sciences building.

Articles

"Green Roofs: Stormwater Management From the Top Down"
An extensive and detailed article on green roofs from Environmental Design & Construction magazine, by Katrin Scholz-Barth, Director of Sustainable Design for the HOK Planning Group.

"Green Roofs Cool City Rooftop Gardens in Chicago to Fight Smog, Heat"
An Associated Press piece on the green roofs of Chicago's municipal buildings.

Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center Ecoroof Project
The Natural Capital Center in Portland, Oregon, features an ecoroof.

People's Food Co-op Watershed Stewardship Grant
The detailed text of a grant application for an ecoroof in Portland, Oregon.

"The greening of Portland's rooftop skyline"
Portland State University's Broadway residence building features a green roof.

Last updated: November 19, 2004

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