Are you about to embark on a home renovation? Building and renovating can end up requiring a large amount of resources, which are not only costly for the pocket, but also the earth. Choosing materials can be a fun experience, as you begin turning your Pinterest dream board into reality, but have you thought about selecting materials that mean less waste is generated?
About 42% of the waste created in Australia is building waste, lots of this coming from home construction and renovations. Materials and the way you use them have a total amount of energy embodied within them. This includes the original natural resource extraction, manufacturing, transport and the end product. When trying to decide how sustainable one material is over another, you need to think about its whole lifecycle, how did it come to be created and what is going to happen to the material once you no longer need it? How will you dispose of it? The more products and materials you can reduce, reuse or recycle the less impact your home is having on the environment. Your Home is a great starting place to learn more about building a dream home that also delivers on the sustainability front! It is available free online and can be found at our local libraries in the Sustainable Living Collection.