Our Ideas For You
Please Consider:
- 44,000 commercial buildings are demolished annually in the U.S. (EPA, 1998)
- 25-33% of all landfill is waste from construction, renovation and demolition. 57% of that is from commercial buildings (U.S. EPA)
- 1,502,000 tons of commercial furniture goes into landfill every year.
- Commercial buildings use 17% of all energy in the U.S. (U.S. Dept. of Energy)
- 12% of drywall in new construction ends up as scrap (California Integrated Waste Mgmt. Board, 2002)
- 155 pounds per square foot is the solid material waste generated from a gutted space
- Each U.S. citizen uses approximately 2650 cubic feet of solid wood every year (Natural Resources Defense Council).
- 30 million recyclable water bottles go into U.S. landfills every day
- If a million people stopped their unwanted mail, it would save up to 1.5 million trees a year.
Steps To Help:
- Only use interior finishes (floor covering, dry wall, etc.) where necessary for functional reasons. .
- Consider reducing your space and the individual footprints inside. By doing so you will use less energy, use fewer building materials, and have less to maintain.
- Plan for change, and buy products that allow you to do so with agility.
- Choose products and finishes that have recycled content, and that are recyclable.
- Buy quality - quality products last and stay out of landfills.
- Create a beautiful environment. No one wants to sustain ugly!
Not coincidentally, everything listed above also represents solid, long-term aesthetic, functional and financial business decisions.
