Building Green - Getting Started Part II
Here is the green picture for the day; it is a beautiful lily flower resting effortlessly on a pond's surface. It reminds me of the hikes I used to go on when I was younger, through creeks, ponds and lakes.
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| Beautiful Lily Flower |
It is amazing how much you can learn when you search for ways to enhance or improve upon a traditional way of doing something. You will find that you learn much more about the tradition itself, the principals behind the tradition, as well as alternative ways of performing the same tradition which in many cases is easier, cost-effective, efficient and brings us more benefits than if we had not look for these ways. New ideas and innovations are born this way.
Sustainable building innovations are born each day, as we have found that our traditional building methods cause many environmental problems. By searching for alternative ways of building, we have developed new products that are less harmful, are recycled and can be recycled. Traditional products have even been designed to do their job much better. Lights that bring more light with less energy, insulation that keeps more heat in and let less heat escape, lumber products that are stronger and straighter. We have benefited from these innovations, but so will the environment and the wildlife that inhabits it. At the end of this post, there will be links to some helpful resources.
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| Crystal-Clear Pond |
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| Curious Blue Jay |
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| Butterfly Get-Together |
Sheathing
Sheathing comes in four major types: plywood, oriented-strand board, gypsum board and fiberboard. There are unique benefits to each of these types of sheathing.
Plywood
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| Plywood |
Plywood is a great green option. Plywood has the potential to come from a sustainable source if you choose bamboo plywood or poplar plywood. Poplar, like bamboo, grows quickly and so, is renewable; there is little energy used when plywood is manufactured; plywood is a very natural product, and so, there are no toxic chemicals used in plywood manufacturing; and, to top it all off, plywood can be recycled.
Oriented-Strand Board
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| Oriented-Strand Board |
Oriented-Strand Board is usually made from aspen, and recycled wood waste. Aspen is also a fast-growing tree species, and is a renewable source of wood. However, oriented-strand board consumes much energy in manufacturing and uses a chemical called phenol formaldehyde in most products. Phenol formaldehyde can off-gas and be harmful. There are products that do not contain this chemical, however. So look for formaldehyde-free products.
Gypsum Board
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| Gypsum Board |
Gypsum Board is highly recyclable. The gypsum in the board can be reused, most often back into other gypsum products, but can also be used in concrete production. Also, gypsum board has the highest resistance to degradation. Gypsum board uses much energy in manufacturing, but not as much as oriented-strand board.
Fiberboard
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| Fiberboard |
Fiberboard is made from high amounts of recycled fiber and wood materials. However, fiberboard consumes much energy in manufacturing and uses a chemical called urea formaldehyde in most products that can off-gas as well. Also, fiberboard is difficult to recycle because of the chemicals used to manufacture it.
Of the above choices, plywood is the most sustainable type of sheathing. Gypsum board comes in a close second.
When looking for green sheathing products, remember to check for Forest Stewardship Council Certification. Their certification label is shown in Building Green - Getting Started Part I of this blog. This label ensures that you are getting lumber products from well managed forests.
Sheathing accounts for a large portion of a building's construction materials. Choosing sustainable sheathing plays a major role in creating a green building!
Links To Some Helpful Resources
For all Canadian builders, here is a site about Taproot Distribution. This company is a Canadian supplier of bamboo panel and sheathing products, including plywood.
For Western Canada residents, here is a site about the Canadian Plywood Association. This company is a Western Canadian supplier of bamboo panel and sheathing products, including plywood.
For all Canadian and U.S. builders, here is a site about CertainTeed. This company is a sustainable building materials supplier, and is a provider of gypsum board among many other green products.
Thank you for reading, I hope you learned something new. Stay posted for
more information and helpful resources on the Belac Construction Green
and Sustainable Building Blog.
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| "I think our nest dropped down there." |
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