We’re ahead of most of the country here in Portland, where Eco-friendly ‘green’ building has been a trend for awhile. The rest of the world is quickly catching up, and it’s increasingly common for there to be local laws and code regulations that save energy and support other sustainability efforts. Here are some ways that you can make a positive impact on the environment for your next project:
Reduce Travel
If you can lower the distance that your craftsmen – and equipment – need to travel to, this will reduce carbon emissions and increase safety! Reconsider how much time you really need the team onsite, and whether you can coordinate that more efficiently. This is one of the reasons many companies are moving to a model where some of the initial work is done offsite.
Use Updated Machinery
Updated machinery will also emit less CO2, and could possibly help increase the speed and efficiency of the work. If you know your equipment is towards the end of its life cycle, it may make sense to replace it sooner than later. And examine how you can manage the equipment you have better while on site. It doesn’t need to be running at all times, for example, so don’t keep something powered on if it’s not being utilized.
Use Sustainable Materials
Eco-friendly building materials like bamboo, straw bales, and cork will significantly reduce the impact to the earth. And while concrete is one of the biggest contributors to environmental pollution, there are new kinds of concrete that have been improved to release less gas into the atmosphere. Using recycled plastic and wood is also a great way to reduce costs while helping to prevent unnecessary landfill.
Practice Proper Disposal
There’s a lot of destruction that happens onsite, so think about how you’re going to dispose of the waste. Many materials can be recycled, and there are waste removal services that can help you make sure that things don’t get hauled to the dump unnecessarily.
Build it in
When you’re planning the heating, lighting, and water sources for the building, use those that utilize new technology that saves energy and helps the earth. There are so many innovations such as smart lighting, geothermal heating, and utility sources that further sustainability long after the building is done.
There are some amazing new innovations that are making Eco-friendly building easy! If you’re looking to hire craftsmen that can help you with sustainable practices in your next building project, give Madden Industrial Staffing a call today.
