Hello Everybody,

Here are below some interesting points, i think you should consider while going for the green selections:

Renewability - Are the products made from material that is rapidly renewable such as cork or bamboo? Wood products are also a renewable resource. Choose wood products that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. Many engineered wood products are made from fast growing trees such as aspen and require less wood to make them than conventional lumber.

Recycled Content - Using material with recycled content not only reduces strain on our landfills, but reduces the need for raw material. Paper, cardboard, plastic, steel and aluminum are a few of the most commonly recycled materials. Recycled paper is used in cellulose insulation and paper countertops. Plastic is used in carpet. Metals that are recycled can be made into their original form.

Reusability and Recyclability - Many products, such as metals, can be recycled after their useable life. Others can be salvaged and reused somewhere else.

Durability - Choose products that will stand the test of time and require little maintenance. This will save time, money and energy on repairs at a later date.

Embodied Energy - This is the energy used to produce, transport and install a product or material in the place where it will be used. Choose local products when possible and products that do not require a large amount of energy to produce.

Air Quality - Products like carpet, cabinetry, plywood and paint can contain petroleum products or formaldehyde and off gas VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). There are now many products available that give off little or no VOCs. These products will give you a healthier home to live in. When you are not able to find suitable products, ventilate the new or remodeled space prior to moving into it. Open windows and doors when possible to remove the VOCs from the home.

Waste Reduction - Choose material that does not create a lot of waste and can be used efficiently. Order material in sizes and lengths that are efficient for your job.

I guess, this brief tips will be of some help in your selections.

Runka

What about life cycle costing? While an item may be recyclable, the amount of energy that it takes to recycle can often outweigh the benefits. Aluminum was touted for years as the ultimate in recyclability, but the truth is, aluminum takes loads of energy to produce and more than you would expect to recycle.

Life cycle costing would show what happens to a product from raw material to product and through waste/recycling stream.

I think it is also important to understand the difference between recycling and downcycling. Most of what we consider recyclable, is not. Downcycling is the norm in today's products.

On the topic of recycled content, its also important to understand the difference between types of recycled content.

- Post industrial content is that which comes from the process of making other products. This could also be considered pre-consumer content. This is actually where most "recycled" content comes from and in my opinion isn't all its cracked up to be. To me it says that our production and manufacturing processes are wasteful to begin with and the post-industrial content is a way to "fix" the problem without fixing the problems in efficiency.

- Post-consumer content is the real gold mine in recycled content. It is comprised of materials that are put through the system after being used by the consumer. Plastic bottles, office paper, metal cans, etc etc. This is where we need to make the biggest steps forward in how this material is put back into the system.

I think that's a great list. I also think that life cycle costing is important as john_t said. I think most people also want to look at ROI (return on investment). Green products often cost more and some of them have quantifiable returns. I know that many products don't but the ones that do need to be analyzed on likelihood and duration to pay the extra cost back. For certain systems it needs to be calculated to pay the whole system back, like solar panels or a wind turbine that don't have a correlative fixture in standard homes.

I wonder though, how many people will actually go to the trouble of doing this type of analysis for their purchases. I think for large ticket items and for more expensive options, this is feasible, but I wonder how many people are out there doing this type of analysis for everything they put into their home.

I understand why people don't, but I wonder if it will ever be the norm for people to put real thought behind their consumption.

Very nice list. If more people would approach green renovations and purchases from this perspective, the market could change and more products would become greener and greener

Runka, thanks for the list. I think that is a great checklist when looking at making sustainable purchases, especially the big dollar ones.

Hey Runka, have you read Cradle-2-Cradle. I think you would like it. They discuss some of the issues surrounding how our products should be manufactured, sold and disposed of. Its on a different track from what you are saying here, but a good read none the less.