For those embarking upon construction projects around the home, or a complete house build, there are many ways to follow best practices for using resources wisely and become good stewards of the earth’s natural resources.
Construction and demolition waste accounts for 325 million tons of waste each year in the United States — about half of which can be directly attributed to residential construction. In addition, the U.S. Green Building Council estimates that building construction accounts for a full 40 percent of materials used and 30 percent of the total waste stream in the United States.
Reclaimed Historic European Cobblestone
Using resources wisely applies to the landscape / exterior area of a home as well. The American Society of Landscape Architects web site published this article, Sustainable Residential Design: Using Low-Impact Materials, which discusses how “integrated site design” can improve water, energy efficiency and reduce waste in landscape areas. It explains that new and non-recyclable materials used in homes and landscapes consume enormous amounts of resources to produce and distribute, and then create additional waste when they are demolished. In addition, homeowners can significantly increase the quality of the environment through the use of innovative low-impact materials such as, recycled, recyclable ,non-toxic materials. This can minimize consumption of newer materials, enable a continual reuse of limited natural resources, and decrease waste and environmental pollution.
We are pleased to be a part of the effort by providing reclaimed antique cobblestone and curb – material that if not reused, would have been destined for landfills. There are many resources such as this available for your garden design. Searching the internet under ‘reclaimed wood’, ‘reclaimed stone’ or similar is a great place to start!
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