From PropertyTalk.com Community Wiki
Contents |
Environmental and Ethical Considerations
Renovating a property can create an incredible amount of environmental impact even for a small renovation or improvement. In this era where just about everything is cheap and disposable, it is easy to forget about the impacts of our actions.
Below are a few considerations which, if followed, can drastically reduce the environmental impact of a renovation. In many cases there are conflicts between the business need to keep costs low and the "hidden" cost of the impact on our environment. It is up to each individual to decide how to balance those conflicts. If everyone does only one thing differently and better in their next renovation the overall reduction in environmental impact would be enormous.
Product Choice
The choice of which products to use in a renovation has one of the biggest overall impacts.
Local products
Products produced locally require far less transportation than products shipped from the other side of the world. Whilst products mass-produced in China are often cheaper than locally produced products, locally produced products may be of better quality and will keep New Zealanders in work.
Raw materials
It is conceivable that many of the raw materials going into the products we buy are transported from all over the world to one central place for processing and are then shipped to New Zealand as the final product. Timber from New Zealand, ore from Australia and oil from the Middle East are all raw materials which are sent to China and then processed into the final products to be sent back to New Zealand. This has twice the environmental cost of unnecessary transportation!
Packaging
Many products are heavily packaged to protect them during transportation, and enhance their "shelf appeal". Clear plastics and polystyrene are heavily used in packaging. Both are created from oil (a non renewable energy source) and are not readily recycled in New Zealand. Choosing unpackaged products, or as little packing as possible, reduces the environmental impact.
"Green" products and choices
The more environmentally friendly products are often called "green" products. Such products include:
- Natural (e.g. wool) insulation instead of synthetic
- Insulation instead of extra heating
- Rainwater tanks for flushing toilets and watering gardens, rather than using town supply water (especially relevant in areas of water restriction)
- Low energy appliances
- Environmentally friendly paints
Suppliers and Manufacturing
Few suppliers blatantly flout environmental and ethical considerations in their business, so it is often difficult to differentiate them. Where possible, do consider suppliers who have known good or bad reputations. Their reputations may be known for reasons such as working conditions and pay for staff, management team ethics, or manufacturing processes (energy required, wastes and pollutants in the process.)
Repair
Given that some products are so cheap, it is often easier to dispose of the old and replace it with the new. This doesn't always have to be the case. Often a good clean, some simple repairs, or minor changes (such as repainting) will have the old product looking and working like new again.
Consider the time it would take to find, get, and install the new product, then remove and dispose of the old product, and repairing may be a viable alternative to simply replacing.
Reuse
Many products can be reused to save cost and environmental impact. Examples include:
- keep the old underlay with new carpet over the top
- sand and re-varnish the old timber benchtop
- de-nail and reuse timber framing
- make a feature of that old iron washing line
- keep the old 10 litre paint buckets for convenient rubbish bins on a building site
Recycle
Instead of throwing all the "rubbish" into the jumbo bin, look at what can (and should be) recycled:
- paint tins (plastic)
- appliances
- gas bottles
- green waste
- glass
- cardboard packaging
Most local council websites provide a comprehensive list of what can be recycled, and provide free recycling facilities at landfills.
Another form of recycling is to sell the old products and waste. Scrap metal traders pay good money for old copper piping and other metals, and a huge variety of products can be sold through Trademe. Even if you only receive only a few dollars for selling something, this is a better result than simply throwing it into the landfill. Appliances, carpet, and other flooring often fetch good prices through Trademe.
Clean-up and Disposal
Unthoughtful clean-up and disposal can result in waste products and dangerous goods harming people and the environment. It is often easier and cheaper to be ignorant of such matters, but the impacts are high. Special consideration should be given to clean-up and disposal of items such as:
- painting clean-up (to ensure it does not get into waterways)
- lead based paint
- asbestos based products
