When conscientious people gather to discuss carbon foot print topics and advocate to reduce fossil fuel usage, the elephant in the room may be… the room itself. Look around. What is the room made of?
Although the carbon footprint of operational aspects of buildings, like lighting, heating, cooling, and cooking have been widely discussed, has your group discussed the structural elements themselves?
According to the UN’s environmental website (UNEP.org) and the BBC.com, the global construction industry accounts for a whopping 37% of greenhouse gases, 33% of global waste products, and 20% of plastics. Statistical sources vary by air pollutant, but in some of them, construction overshadows the deleterious impacts of the transportation industry.
One construction material people might not consider as a pollutant is concrete, which contributes 8% of global emissions including 2.2 billion tonnes of CO2 (in 2016), 7.8% of nitrogen oxide emissions, 4.8% of sulfur oxide emissions, 5.2% of particulate matter emissions smaller than 10
A variety of plastics are incorporated in almost all aspects of building construction because they are versatile, lightweight, cheaper to transport and require less energy to produce than many alternatives. Some plastic materials are strong enough for load bearing walls. PVC (the #1 plastic in construction) replaces metal in pipes and fittings and wood in flooring and doors. Polycarbonate replaces glass. Polypropylene resists heat and shattering, so it is widely used in electrical cables and insulation. Acrylic and polyurethane contribute to paints and varnish, and the latter to foam insulation. Market analysts predict a doubling of global plastics production by 2050. (3.rics.org)
Unfortunately, we all know that plastics have several long term disadvantages. Some take 1000 years to degrade, and others break up into microplastics much faster, ending up in the oceans, fish, soil, and even rain. The inhalation and ingestion of many plastics are associated with toxic outcomes and diseases. Almost anyone recognizes the folly of lingering in a closed room with new paint or new nylon carpet, or inhaling fibers from insulation.
What about recycling plastic construction materials? Many clever installations showcase the potential, including bridges, bus shelters, windows, decks and docks. However, the toxic aspects of plastic do not magically disappear when recycled.
Few people concerned about fossil fuels and pollution will abandon their current structures for buildings made of straw bales or mud. Few want to live like my husband and I do – off-grid in a simple log cabin heated by firewood we gather. I understand that.
But for people who wave placards at state buildings and colleges to divest from oil and gas companies and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, a first step is to itemize their own, personal dependence on these materials. Apply a modicum of self-reflection and personal action so that their advocacy is not hypocritical. How dependent are they on products made from petroleum? What alternatives are they willing to buy or make instead? What is the cost differential? What are they willing to do without? Air conditioning? Heating? Nylon rugs?
A current hot topic may be gas stoves, but the house or building that surrounds that stove, flanked by a cement sidewalk, is a much bigger culprit.
Learning Projects for Families, Communities, Congregations, and Schools
· Take a written inventory of construction plastic in your home or group meeting room. Look under the sink at pipes, check the ceiling tiles, flooring, counters, sheetrock, insulation, windows and trim, doors, banisters, counters, cabinetry, shelving, light switches, gutters, decks.
· Research and record the costs/benefits/deficits of construction alternatives. Examples: contrast the merits of PVC vs metal plumbing pipes and gutters or wood vs plastic doors, flooring, trim. What alternatives exist for plastic in wiring? What is the R factor of insulation made from non-plastic materials?
· Develop a pie chart of the percentages of various plastics in construction
· Develop a pie chart of biggest polluting industries (for differing greenhouse gases), including utilities, transportation, construction, and packaging.
· Research the many clever uses of recycled, repurposed and upcycled construction materials. (For example, DIY websites list 1000 reuses of wooden pallets, from fences to wine racks, and reuses of plastic bottles as windows.)
· Engage a local plastics recycler or construction contractor as a guest speaker to answer questions about the production, use, and disposal of construction materials in your town.
· Utility companies in many locations offer a free energy assessment to senior citizens and other residents. Publicize this to your community.
· Invite an architect or contractor knowledgeable about LEED certification to answer questions about the carbon footprint of various construction techniques.
· Research innovative or ancient construction techniques without plastic, concrete, and metal, including straw bale, adobe, and log buildings.
· If your home, office, or church is considering renovation, ask for carbon footprint/trash information before you compare bids.
Advocates for reducing dependence on fossil fuels may be noble or foolish, but those who focus only on the transportation industry and drive an electric car are naïve about their own complicity.
The buildings that shelter us from nature are also damaging it. You may not move into a straw hut, but you will know a lot more about the shelter you occupy and how much you rely on the materials you may be advocating against. Sometimes, truth is hard.
Resources: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0733-0
UNEP.org
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46455844
(3.rics.org)
UUMFE: Plastic furniture and decor
· Earthday.org has a personal use plastic calculator per year. It focuses on container products like water bottles and plastic bags.
· Take an inventory of plastic furnishings and decor in a meeting room or a room in your home. Consider paint (acrylic or oil based), plastic chairs and tables, melanine shelves and cabinets, “glass-like” light fixtures, carpeting, flooring, trim, window coverings like blinds or fabrics, TVs and screens, computers and screens, white boards and markers. Clocks, laminated posters.
· Now go on line to calculate the cost of non - plastic alternatives to some of them. Examples:
o Cost of a chalk board and chalk vs a white board and markers
o Cost (and longevity) of a sisal or other rung vs. the nylon carpet
o Cost of a wooden table and wooden chairs compared the same number of plastic tables and plastic chairs
o What are alternatives to current ceiling and wall surfaces?
o How much would fans reduce A/C and heat expenditures?
o How much would doors and dividers cut down A/C and heat expenditures?
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