Green Buildings BC

If you're not buying recyclables, you're not recycling!

--Mark Roseland, Toward Sustainable Communities, 1998

• BC Recycling Hotline: 1-800-667-4321 from anywhere in BC or R-E-C-Y-C-L-E (732-9253) in Greater Vancouver, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
• The BC Materials Exchange: One company's garbage is another's gold. The BC Materials Exchange (MEX) provides a way for the two to find each other.
• The Household Hazardous Waste Toxics Toolkit: This guide gives alternatives to household chemicals.
• The Members online: this gives a comprehensive guide to recycling programs and those involved throughout BC.

• "Greening Your Practice: Minimizing Waste in the Design Industry." This is a free-to-download seminar outline which provides an overview of what architects and designers can do to be more resource-efficient in building design.
• "Directory of Resource-Efficient Building Products" The Directory assists design professionals with incorporating resource-efficient products into their construction and renovation projects. It provides a listing of products that contain either recycled or salvaged materials. All 149 products listed use raw materials in a more efficient manner or conserved water and all are available in the Lower Mainland.

• Recycling program for businesses
• Waste reduction at home

Any design element that has only one function is probably a mistake or a missed opportunity. We ought to strive for multiple and diverse functions of each element so we pay once and get many benefits.

--Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute, 1998

• This site has technical information regarding the ecological performance and efficiency of materials.
• It would be useful for the designer that wants to do some research before making choices about design.

Hundred-foot long heavy timbers were salvaged for use in the C. K. Choi Building at the University of British Columbia. The frame for the new building was joined using mechanical fasteners so that it can be disassembled in the future.

--Rocky Mountain Institute, Green Development, 1998

• "Directory of Salvage Contractors." The listed contractors offer salvage services to residential and commercial demolition projects, but also can be used to find salvaged materials. Outside of the GVRD, this list may also be of some use. If not, we suggest contacting the local government or regional district to see if similar resources exist.
• "Greening Your Practice: Minimizing Waste in the Design Industry." This is a free-to-download seminar outline which provides an overview of what architects and designers can do to be more resource-efficient in building design.
• "Directory of Resource-Efficient Building Products" The Directory assists design professionals with incorporating resource-efficient products into their construction and renovation projects. It provides a listing of products that contain either recycled or salvaged materials. All 149 products listed use raw materials in a more efficient manner or conserved water and all are available in the Lower Mainland.

• EcoSmart(tm) concrete is produced by replacing cement with a maximum percentage of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) determined by construction requirements, typically over 50%.
• EcoSmart concrete has been shown to enhance engineering and architectural properties such as strength, durability and aesthetics, and it produces less CO2 than conventional concrete mixes.
• The EcoSmart Concrete Project is a government-industry partnership aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by encouraging the use of High-Volume Supplementary Cementing Materials in concrete.

• The LA SRCRD produces a number of excellent publications on waste management, available for free.
• The following are particularly useful for salvaged material specification in construction and demolition:
• Wood You Recycle? 1998: A guide to Wood Re-Use and Recycling in the Los Angeles Area, but much information is applicable anywhere.

Selecting materials and products for high performance buildings involves consideration of environmental and health issues in addition to more traditional criteria such as cost, durability, performance, and aesthetics.

--New York City Department of Design and Construction, High Performance Building Guidelines, 1999

• A newsletter for architects and building professionals on indoor air quality.
• Written in an accessible style.

• Cutter produces several technical, professional newsletters, directories, monographs etc. for the building industry, environmental and management sectors.
• IEQ Strategies is their indoor air newsletter. California Department of Health Services (Alevantis, L.E.)

Green building specifications can help create more sustainable, healthy, and environmentally sensitive buildings. Specifiers should consider greening specifications in three areas: (1) procedures, (2) products, and (3) applications.

--Lynn M. Froeschle, The Construction Specifier, 1999, http://www.csinet.org/s_csi/sec.asp?TRACKID=&CID=179&DID=4327

• The reference work for architects and building specifiers on green products by generic type.
• Dense, but information packed; covers life-cycle environmental impacts of many building materials.
• Purchasing information on the web.

• an international, independent, non-governmental organization promoting environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forest.
• FSC accredits certifying organizations, who in turn, certify forestry organizations that meet FSC developed Principles and Criteria and other specific standards identified at the national and/or regional levels.

• The comprehensive database on CD ROM that gives information on over 900 wood species.
• Information on uses, distribution, environmental profile, woodworking properties, strength properties, and mechanical values.
• Over 3,000 peges of information illustrated with pictures.

• The purpose of SmartWood is to provide independent, objective evaluation of forest management practices, forest products, timber sources and companies, enabling the public to identify products and practices that do not destroy forests.
• Through certification, and use of the SmartWood label, the program provides a commercial incentive for forest managers to adopt sustainable forestry practices. SmartWood certifies forest products that come from "sustainable" or "well-managed" forests ("sources").

Often the information available combines recycled, efficient, and salvaged materials. This section provides the resources that combines these areas.

Doesn't every schoolchild know that the resources of this planet are limited and that if they are expended faster than they are recovered, we are doomed?

--Vaclav Havel, Civilization Magazine, 1998

• This database is offered as an assistance to building designers.
• It is a guide to over 60 technologies that are environmentally sensitive.
• The following environmental issues are covered:
  • indoor air quality
  • daylighting
  • non-toxic materials
  • waste management
  • electricity production
  • water conservation
  • energy efficiency
  • recycled materials

• GreenSpec: information on how to order this comprehensive guide of over 1200 green building products and materials.
• Green Building Advisor
• Product reviews
• E Build Library 3.0
• Green Building Resource Guide: over 200 books, periodicals, and other resources on green building and related topics organized into six topic areas.
• The EBN newsletter current and issues

http://www.crbt.org/index.html
CRBT, Box 100, Missoula MT 59806 (406) 549-7678

Mumma, Tracy, ed., Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements (GREBE), Center for Resource Efficient Building Technology, sixth edition, Center for Resourceful Building Technology, Missoula, MT, 1997

• The "Iris Catalog"--a green building online / phone-in bookstore.
• The "Resources For Environmental Design Index" (REDI)-- a database of environmentally sensitive materials and equipment which includes listings from over 1,800 companies.
• The "Product Gallery"--A editor's pick of new and interesting green building products.
• The "Library"--A compilation of recent articles and information arranged by subject.
• The "Energy Source Builder"--Records of the Oikos newsletter that contain ideas for energy efficiency in new construction.
• The "Green Building Mailing List" and "Big Green Mailing List"--tow e-mail discussion groups: one directed towards smaller buildings and one towards larger ones.

• The CRBT is a non-profit group who promotes environmentally sensitive construction practices. Its mission is "to serve as both catalyst and facilitator in encouraging building technologies which realize a sustainable and efficient use of resources."
• It does this through research, education and demonstration.
• It's research includes its flagship publication, The Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements. This is an annual reference directory of over 425 building materials that a/ make efficient use of limited natural resources; b/ demonstrate recyclability or renewability; or c/ use lower energy.
• CRBT fulfills its mandate to educate the public through a variety of formal and informal means, including a K-12 curriculum for school kids (called the Building Our Children's Future-- Traveling Trunk); and workshops, presentations and seminars for professionals.
• Its demonstration mandate is fulfilled through numerous sustainable house examples.

• Sustainably Harvested Wood
• Ecological Floor Treatments
• Low Toxic Paints & Finishes
• Recycled Building Materials
• Other Eco Building Items
• Green Building Services
• Green Retailers & Distributors

• Adhesives and Sealants
• Appliances
• Architectural Paints and Coatings
• Ceiling Systems
• Consumer Products
• General Construction Materials
• Hard Surface Flooring
• Insulations
• Office Equipment
• Office Furniture
• Textiles
• Wallcoverings

• The Sourcebook gives reviews of materials, product manufacturers and trade organizations.
• Also has useful links to green building web sites.

• BEES software examines life cycle-based ecological and economic impacts of materials.
• This tool is currently under development, with version 1.0 currently available for evaluation.

If today is a typical day on planet Earth we will lose... 40-100 species, and no one knows whether the number is 40, or 100.

--David Orr, "What is Education For?" 1991

Increasing materials recycling in the US to at least 60% could save the equivalent of 315 million barrels of oil per year.

--John Young and Aaron Sachs, "Creating a Sustainable Materials Economy," State of The World, 1995

• Three quarters of the building's materials are either salvaged or recycled.

• Many salvaged materials were used, i.e. courtyard pavers.
• Salvaged glulam beams and structural decking form the seminar wing's exposed structure.
• Concrete and cement were minimized through an efficient structural system that combines precast hollow core planks and cast-in-place frames using high volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete.
• Fly ash is a waste material that displaces cement in the concrete mix. In the GVRD, cement manufacturing produces 80% as much greenhouse gas emissions as automobiles.

• The entire structure of the original building was re-used
• Interior fixtures were reused

• SkyTrain
• Residential: Cranberry Commons
• High Rise: feasibility study
• Precast: Successful testing of up to 50% fly ash in precast concrete.
• Intergrind: Testing of blended cement
• Other Projects: UBC's Liu Centre for Global Studies, the BC Gas Operations Centre, and the Granville Island artist studios

• The Energy Resource Center at the Southern California Gas Company has won awards for being energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
• A virtual tour will show you the extensive energy efficient, recycled and salvaged materials features in the building.
• Roughly 80% of ERC construction materials, interior furnishings and displays are either recycled, contain recycled materials, or are made of renewable resources.