What do you think is one of, if not, THE largest thing that you can reuse/ recycle? Furniture? Power equipment? Vehicles? How about a.... House! Seriously, buying an old house over a brand new one, or having one custom built (unless by a certified eco- friendly builder) is one BIG way that you can help the planet. Why is this? Well there are several reasons:
1."Pave Paradise, Put up a Parking Lot" Over the past few years the amount of open or forested land is quickly disappearing. In Hampton Roads, including Chesapeake, developers are eager to buy up land and plant the "piano keys" of houses, on what was farmland. There is no longer a "green line" it seems. Run off, poor grading causing flooding, and the destruction of open land for wildlife are just a few effects.
2. Landfill - Have you ever watched a house being constructed? Have you looked at the dumpster sitting next to it? Have ever really looked in that dumpster? I have. It is full to the brim with wood! Whole sheets of plywood and 2x4 big enough to construct your own mini house. Stuff that anyone could find a use for but at the end of the job they throw it away. (note...we are not advising anyone to go trespassing!) We were aghast at the waste! And in my "neighborhood" alone there were 5 of these dumpsters at five building sites. Multiply this by the 100's of developments going up in our area alone ...its just staggering how much landfill space that would take up. It made me sick how wasteful this is. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) study, in 2009, an estimated 8,000 lbs of waste is created from the construction of a 2,000 square foot home. The majority of the 8,000 is wood, cardboard, and drywall. Almost all of that waste ends up in landfills. The EPA has estimated that waste from construction accounts for up to 40% of the nation’s solid waste.
3. Fumes - That new house smell is off gassing of construction materials. Toxic formaldehyde and styrene from new carpets, paint, particle board. These fumes can cause headaches, flu symptoms, and long term exposures can cause cancer. This topic will be expanded at a later date, since this also includes that "new car" smell.
What you can do?
Buy old and remodel smartly. Reuse what you have ( save money & the earth). Habitat for Humanity has building materials, sometimes new, donated from the green building companies (@ a fraction of the price!)
If you must by new:
Go to www.lowimpactliving.com to find green builders in Virginia. This website is also a source for green living home companies in our area, everything from lighting to geothermal heating. Research. Think about your impact on the planet.
Look for low off gassing materials and furniture. Use sustainable hardwoods. Paint with low voc paints. Use carpet sparingly, better yet don't use it at all.
Be Green.
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