Strategies for Sourcing Sustainably – GreenBuildingAdvisor

A key component of green building is sourcing sustainable materials. As with anything, this sounds easier in theory than it is in practice. For one, understanding the chemical makeup of each and every product on a granular level is not only unrealistic; in many cases, it’s impossible.

Plus, in the grand scheme of things, sustainable sourcing is only one element of residential construction.

“When a project is being designed and built, sustainability is an important factor that needs to be weighed against costs, and schedule, and performance, and even aesthetics,” said Charley Stevenson, principal at Materially Better, a consulting firm based in North Adams, Mass., that helps architecture, engineering, and construction professionals with materials selection and management. “It’s rare that the only thing that matters is sustainability.”

In this context, Stevenson suggests prioritizing the sustainability goals for each project.

For example, perhaps a homeowner client is more concerned about embodied carbon and the health of their family. Stevenson says this would lead designers and builders to target the areas of a house that tend to feature the highest levels of embodied carbon, such as the foundation and structure, the enclosure, and the insulation. To address the human health factor, the focus would be on choosing healthier interior finishes.

Reducing Plastics

Formerly the Healthy Building Network, Habitable, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C., works with the scientific community to provide research and tools that help built-environment professionals adopt more sustainable practices. Informed, its free benchmarking and guidance tool, rates materials on a color-coded basis (red is bad, dark green is best-in-class; yellow is good and light green is better) to educate practitioners and assist them in product selection.

“We have to empower these decision-makers with science-based, simple frameworks, like a food pyramid,” said Habitable CEO Gina…