44 Ways #27: Choose for Low Carbon Footprint

Hello! This is Episode 427. This is Way #27 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Six: Choosing Materials, Fixtures and Finishes.

In this section, I’m covering specific criteria for choosing the products, materials, fixtures and finishes for your future home. Last episode, in Episode 426, Way #26, I talked about choosing for longevity and durability, and the five financial costs of any material decision.

Way #27 is: Choose for Low Carbon Footprint.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/427]

Selecting your interior and exterior products and materials with this in mind can be one key way to improve the sustainability of your home, especially in the impact that lower embodied carbon can have over the lifetime of your home overall.

Calculating the embodied carbon of buildings has been occurring in other parts of the industry for some time now, especially in public and commercial projects. And now, I’m seeing this be considered in residential projects as well.

You (or your team) can now do formal carbon calculations that take into account the life cycle of any products and materials you’re using in your home. This measures the carbon used in material and product sourcing, manufacture and production, transport, installation and end of life as well.

As you can imagine, this can get quite involved, so it’s great to see carbon calculators making this simpler for homeowners, and manufacturers and suppliers discussing the carbon content of their products. From low carbon products such as timber, through to innovations in high carbon products like concrete to reduce its carbon content, you have lots of options.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/427.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/427