Environmental Benefits

• Green by Design: Renewable, Durable, Sustainable Wood
• Addressing Negative Perceptions and Campaigns
• Build with Wood and Help Protect the Environment
• Selecting Environmentally Friendly Flooring
• Build that New Fence with Wood and Help Protect the Environment

Green by Design: Renewable, Durable, Sustainable Wood

The ATHENA™ Sustainable Materials Institute’s ultimate goal is to encourage the selection of material mixes that will minimize the environmental impact of a building over its life-cycle. The ATHENA computer model was used to compare alternative wood, steel and concrete structural designs for a three-story office building. The ATHENA findings are the result of a five-year research program involving architects, environmentalists, economists, engineers, and representatives from the steel, concrete and wood industries. ATHENA™’s life-cycle research found that wood building products have the lowest environmental impact when compared to other major building materials, based on raw materials and energy use, emissions to air, water and land.

What are the facts?

• Total energy use: The wood building used the least energy. The concrete option required 1.7 times the energy for wood. The steel option required 2.4 times the energy. Wood simply does not require much energy to manufacture.
• Greenhouse gases: The wood building had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. The steel building generated 1.45 times and the concrete building generated 1.81 times the greenhouse gases for wood.
• Air pollution: The wood design had the lowest air pollution index. The steel building produced 1.42 times and the concrete building produced 1.67 times the air pollution index.
• Solid waste: The wood design had the lowest solid waste. This takes into account both manufacturing and on-site construction waste. Steel produced 1.36 times and the concrete produced 1.96 times the solid waste. This means there is virtually no waste during the manufacturing process and the use of engineered wood products has radically reduced the on-site construction waste.
• Ecological Resource Use: The wood design had the lowest ecological resource use index. Steel was 1.16 times and concrete was 1.97 times the index for wood. This factor compares the long-term effects of resource extraction. Although forestry affects a large area, reforestation means the effects are short term. Sustainable forest management practices help ensure that disruption is minimized.
• Conclusion: The office building built with wood had lower environmental impact for energy use, greenhouse gases, air and water pollution and ecological resource extraction than the steel or concrete building. A similar case study of residential buildings (comparing wood, steel and concrete construction) produced similar findings in terms of wood’s superior environmental performance.

These facts and others based on the ATHENA life-cycle findings can be found in a new primer put out by the Canadian Wood Council & the Forest Products Association of Canada have put out a primer, “Green by Design”.

“Green By Design: Renewable, Durable, Sustainable Wood.” Canadian Wood Council & Forest Products Association of Canada. (CWC & FPAC)

A primer on the environmental comparisons of wood and other materials in home and building construction.

This brochure explains why asking for Canadian wood products is the best environmental choice. It shows how taking a life cycle approach to building design will result in wood being the winner over competing products such as steel and concrete.

Addressing Negative Perceptions and Campaigns

According to the Wood Promotion Network, the last five years have witnessed mounting efforts by competing industries and environmental groups to reduce the market for wood. Their recent studies show that between 1997 and 2000 lumber alone lost 2.5% of the residential market for floors, walls and roofs. Significant environmental campaigns have been aimed at putting pressure on major corporate buyers of wood products. As a result, the public has been led to believe that forest are diminishing, that industry practices are not sustainable, and that the world needs to use less rather than more wood.

The Wood Promotion Network is N. America’s largest ever coalition of wood product and allied industry companies and related associations, representing more than two-thirds of N. American wood production. These companies have joined together to educate builders, DIYers and homeowners throughout North America on the benefits of wood building materials and the abundance of today’s North American forests.

Thus, the WPN goals are to secure and expand wood markets in N. America and to increase confidence about forest abundance and sustainability. While the goals may seem ambitious, the hard facts show that wood is the best environmental choice, hence it is not surprising that their campaigns to date have resulted in major achievements in terms of improving building and consumer perceptions of wood.

What are some of the messages that the Wood Promotion Network gets across:

• N.America’s forests are abundant and growing, based on satellite imagery.
• Wood is the best insulator against heat and cold, which makes it the most energy efficient material that can help keep home energy bills in check.
• Regardless of market volatility, wood is the most affordable building material you can use. Framing an average 3-bedroom home can cost up to 30% less with wood versus other framing materials.
• New innovations in engineered wood products and pre-made panels and trusses help builders and homeowners keep framing costs down. (WPN AR2001).
• The production and use of wood is easier on the environment than any other building material. It takes less non-renewable fossil fuels and less energy to produce wood framing materials than alternative framing materials. (WPN AR2001).
• Wood is the world’s only 100% renewable building material and is manufactured with the organic power of solar energy. (WPN AR2001).
• Wood is the only major building material that is renewable. Canada’s sustainably managed forests ensure that there is an ample supply. New manufacturing technology allows every part of the tree to be used so that nothing is wasted. Advanced engineered wood products make use of fast growing species to produce high strength products without requiring large dimension timbers to meet building needs. (WPN AR2001).

Build with Wood and Help Protect the Environment

Over 80% of Canadians believe that sustaining the environment is a major priority. Many of us do our part, by recycling newspapers, refusing or reusing shopping bags, and composting waste.

But we may not realize that we make a much bigger impact on the environment through our choice of building materials.

Due to sustainable forestry practices, the volume of wood in Canada’s productive forests increased by 35% between 1976 to 1991. Last year alone, over 700 million seedlings were planted. That’s about 25 trees planted for each Canadian.

But how do we replace the thousands of tons of ore that went into steel beams or aluminum siding, or the millions of litres of petroleum that went into making plastic components?

The answer is – we can’t. Those resources are finite. Once we consume them, they are gone forever.

A study by the Canadian Research Alliance examined the relative environmental impacts of various building materials. The results clearly demonstrate not only that wood is a renewable resource, but also that the manufacture of wood products is cleaner, less wasteful, and consumes less energy than the alternatives.

Life-cycle analysis shows that a steel wall requires 3 to 6 times more energy to extract, manufacture and construct than a wood wall. The steel wall also uses 25 times more water in its manufacture, and releases 3 to 6 times more carbon dioxide emissions.

The manufacture of concrete produces 2 to 3 times more carbon dioxide than wood, and results in 5 times more solid waste.

The production of aluminum generates 8 times more polluting emissions in the air and 300 times more in the water, than the manufacture of wood. The manufacture of aluminum siding requires 5 times more energy than wood.

Construction is a $25 billion a year industry in Canada. That’s the equivalent of almost $900 for each Canadian, much of it spent on building materials.

Source: http://www.cwc.ca/environment/green_facts/

Selecting Environmentally Friendly Flooring

Thinking of replacing that worn flooring in the front hallway?

By shopping around, you can get information about the price, style, and maintenance of commonly-used flooring products.

It is much harder to learn about the hidden impact of these products on the environment. To make an informed choice, consumers also want to know about the composition and manufacture of various flooring materials.

Synthetic sheet flooring, such as cushion flooring, is made from non-renewable petroleum resources. Because it is non-biodegradable, scraps cannot be recycled. The manufacturing process is energy-intensive, depleting the supply of fossil fuels.

Ceramic tiles are made by firing clay, a plentiful resource. However, the kilns used to fire the clay consume large quantities of energy. Ceramic tiles are not recyclable.

Linoleum is made with renewable ingredients (linseed oil, cork, wood dust and dyes) that have been heat-cured and sealed, but it is not recyclable. Various chemicals are used for manufacturing, although less than are required for synthetic floor materials.

So what can you select that is environmentally friendly as well as being durable, easy-to-care-for, beautiful and affordable?

The answer is wood. Oak and maple hardwood flooring – solid plank, pre-finished wood flooring systems, parquet tiles and veneer – comes from wood, a renewable resource. Part of the energy used in the manufacturing process comes from wood waste materials.

Veneer flooring is comprised of a surface of high quality hardwood laminated to a plywood or particle board backing, and packaged as tiles. Wood fibre waste from low grade wood is used in the backing, and high-grade wood is used in the surface veneer.

When you’re shopping around, ask your retailer or contractor for more information from the flooring manufacturer. That way you can select a product that is attractive to the environment AND to your home.

Source: http://www.cwc.ca/environment/green_facts/

Build that New Fence with Wood and Help Protect the Environment

When you shop for materials to build your new fence or deck, you probably think about things like appearance, ease of installation, and cost. But what about the cost to the environment of the building materials that we buy?

Over 80% of Canadians believe that sustaining the environment is a major priority. Many of us do our part by recycling newspapers, adding extra insulation in our homes, and walking to the video store at the corner instead of driving. But we also make a major impact on the environment when we choose building materials, often without realizing it.

Wood is a popular and attractive choice for many outdoor landscaping projects. Due to sustainable forestry practices, the volume of wood in Canada’s productive forests increased by 35% over the last 20 years. Last year alone, about 700 million seedlings were planted. That’s over 20 trees planted for each Canadian.

But what about that chain-link fence, those concrete patios stones or that vinyl lounge chair? How do we replace the thousands of tons of ore that went into the manufacture of steel, or the millions of litres of petroleum that went into making plastic components?

The answer is – we can’t. Those resources are finite. Once we consume them, they are gone forever. And the manufacturing process has added to the world’s pollution problems.

A study by the Canadian Research Alliance examined the relative environmental impacts of various building materials. The results clearly demonstrate that the manufacture of wood products is cleaner, less wasteful, and consumes less energy than the alternatives.

Life-cycle analysis shows that a steel wall requires 3 to 6 times more energy to extract, manufacture and construct than a wood wall. The steel wall also uses 25 times more water in its manufacture, and releases 3 to 6 times more carbon dioxide emissions.

The manufacture of concrete produces 2 to 3 times more carbon dioxide than wood, and results in 5 times more solid waste.

The production of aluminum generates 8 times more polluting emissions in the air and 300 times more in the water, than the manufacture of lumber. The manufacture of aluminum siding requires 5 times more energy than lumber.

So when you go to buy the materials for that new fence or deck, consider the alternatives – and make an informed choice.

Source: http://www.cwc.ca/environment/green_facts/
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