green tree : : : local

What appears to be the most environmentally sound building material choice in the world can rapidly lose its edge if it must be transported inefficiently to a building site thousands of miles away. By contrast, a local product that doesn't initially look like a stellar environmental choice could actually involve far less transportation energy and pollution than an imported product that travels a great distance to the building site. In addition, the impacts of extraction and manufacturing for local products are usually well recognized, and even keenly felt. Frequently the local end-user can have some say in the mitigation of those impacts, lessening the overall environmental consequences of a product choice. Furthermore, using locally-made products can help promote sustainable local economies by maintaining value within the community.

Apart from building products made in the community, there may be the option of using building products derived right from the building site itself, truly localizing the impacts of building construction. Architects and builders have used wood grown on site, plants grown on site, and the earth of the site itself to create the most local of buildings.

Begin by assessing local resources:

What materials are available at the site?

What materials are available within the community?

What materials are regionally available?

Where are the raw resources for locally-manufactured products obtained?

What are the environmental features or drawbacks of these local products?

Does transportation savings for local products offset potential energy penalties?

How are materials transported to the manufacturer, to the distributor, to the site? Where do the energy costs of transportation outstrip the costs of manufacture?

When does it make sense to use a product obtained from far away?

When no local material is available, assess the relative impacts of non-local choices:

Where are products produced?

Where and what are the environmental impacts of harvest?

Where and what are the environmental impacts of manufacture?

Learn about considerations for local Foundations, Wall Systems, and Flooring