The importance of addressing environmental issues for a construction project that will benefit the community and local construction firms is vitally important on everyone’s agenda; it will help firm’s reputation with the local community and authority massively.
This can be from using locally sourced materials e.g. materials that can be used without any bad effect on the environment, and which are produced locally, reducing the need to travel. There are key criteria that can be used to judge whether a material is sustainable or not: To what extent will the materials used in this building cause damage to the environment when using locally sustainable materials it is essential that those materials are renewable, non-toxic and safe for the environment. Ideally, they will be recycled, as well as recyclable. To what extent will a building material contribute to the maintenance of the environment in years to come, Alloys and metals will be more damaging to the environment over a period of years as they are not biodegradable, and are not easily recyclable, unlike wood, for example which is both biodegradable and recyclable. To what extent is the material used locally replenishable, if the material is locally sourced and can be found locally for the foreseeable future, travelling will be kept to a minimum, reducing harmful co2 fuel emissions.
It is also important to communicate clearly with any contractors you use in order to ensure that they use locally sustainable materials. It is possible to specify in the contract that you require the use of locally sustainable materials. Make sure that contractors are not wasteful with materials and do not buy more than they need. A list of suppliers and contractors who use locally sustainable materials can be found easily on the internet. If your local council support sustainable building they