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Showing posts from October, 2015

Construction Waste or Resource?

How we build is a both a sign of our affluence and effluence.   Spending on U.S. construction projects rose in August to the highest point in more than seven years, fueled by home building and government projects.  It rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.09 trillion, the highest level since May 2008.  Construction has a significant impact on the environment, accounting for one of sixth of the world’s freshwater withdrawal, one-quarter of its wood harvest, and two-fifths of its materials and energy flow. These structures also impact areas beyond their immediate location, affecting watersheds, air quality and transportation patterns of communities. [2] Green Building is being embraced by the construction industry because of simple economic and environmental reasons. Also more sustainable building practices are evolving more effective design and operations because of competition and new performance requirements. An estimated 136 million metric tons of building constru