Conserve materials
Conserve materials
Why?
Nearly 40 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions originate from the building sector. Seventy percent comes from building operations. The remaining 30 percent comes from the mining, manufacture, transport, installation, and maintenance of materials used in building construction. This is called upfront or embodied carbon.
You can learn more about actions you can take to reduce embodied carbon in the Carbon Architecture page of Regeneration.
Refurbish before replacing (building owner)
Using existing structures and materials is the best carbon-smart solution. Demolishing existing buildings and re-constructing new ones is a huge source of embodied carbon emissions and a waste of precious natural resources.
If your hardwood floor is looking old, try refinishing before replacing. If your kitchen cabinets are outdated, try a fresh coat of paint or just replace the fronts, not all the cabinets. If you do need something new, try finding salvaged or recycled materials first.
Luckily, Petaluma is a mecca for antiques, thrift stores, and salvage yards. Check out the local businesses and the endless supply of stuff that can be found at garage sales, Craigslist, Facebook, etc.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore - Santa Rosa building materials, furniture and antiques
Heritage Salvage - Petaluma reclaimed building materials store
Ray's Trading Co - Sebastopol store that buys and sells old doors, windows, hardware, furniture
GreenLynx - Santa Rosa salvaged material store and deconstruction services
https://www.maselliandsons.com/rustore-design
Use low-carbon concrete (building owner)
It doesn’t get a lot of attention, but cement (used to make concrete) represents six to eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a really tough problem to solve. Manufacturing one ton of cement produces roughly one ton of CO2.
Concrete is the most widely used substance on the planet after water. If concrete were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses on Earth, behind only China and the United States.
Companies are working on creating greener alternatives. But the best solution right now is to use other materials, use less concrete, or -- when only concrete will do -- be sure to use low-carbon concrete.
