| A MESSAGE FROM HOLLY SCHROEDER
 Last chance for sponsorship of BIA/SC’s “Buy New. Buy Now.” Campaign.
At our recent March on Sacramento, CBIA unveiled a valuable resource in the form of a new study by ConSol Energy Consultants. This study paid particular attention to the environmental impact of new housing versus existing housing – and the findings were quite insightful.
During the construction process, homebuilders also recycle more than 50 percent of construction and demolition waste.
During the construction process, homebuilders also recycle more than 50 percent of construction and demolition waste.
The bottom line is that there are already building measures, technologies and processes in place that make new homes much more environmentally-friendly than homes built in years past. This means that a dollar spent improving an older, existing home yields five to ten times more in energy savings than a dollar spent in a new home. The carbon emission reduction potential in an existing home also far outweighs that of a new home – 8.5 metric tons of CO2 annually versus 1.1 metric tons.
It’s also important to look at those figures with some sense of perspective – new housing only accounts for one percent of the housing stock and is responsible for producing less than one quarter of a percent of current emissions.
As cities throughout Southern California continue to implement green building ordinances, it will be more important than ever for those of us that work in the industry to play a strong role in the development of those policies. We cannot simply create building policies that affect one percent of the building stock and, effectively, ignore the other 99 percent.
As an association that represents companies that are directly and indirectly involved in the home building industry, BIA/LAV applauds local governments’ efforts to protect the environment and we are proud to be at the forefront of the development of greener homes. Our leaders need to address the entire picture, however, if we are going to have any hope of creating a region that is truly environmentally friendly.
~ Holly
|
