Sustainability Action Plan

Local and Sustainable Materials

the Action Plan for this principle

Below is the Sustainability Action Plan for Local and Sustainable Materials

This is only the Plan so far, and more actions are always being added by us and by you, as ideas on this site. Vote on all the new ideas we are considering on the Ideas page.

Some of the actions below you can do right away, and others are long-term actions that may need some organisation or funding to get underway. They are all equally important!

Action you can take now:

Green refurbishment and interiors
• Buy second hand goods - this not only saves money but also saves precious resources (see waste section for more ideas)

• Try to buy natural materials such as wood rather than plastic and if possible go for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) wood as this guarantees the wood comes from a sustainable forest.

• There are now lots of green building and design products available, for example the Green trading company: t: 0870 043 4857, 77 Chiswick Road, Chiswick, London W4 5RE. www.greentradingcompany.co.uk or www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk t: 01484 461705
or www.ecomerchant.co.uk t : 01795 530130

BedZED Showhome
BioRegional have also recently refurbished the BedZED show home using lots of recycled, reclaimed and low impact materials. The show home is free to visit and is open from 9.30-5 Mon- Fri, so pop by and get inspired! The BedZED Centre, 24 Helios Rd, Hackbridge, SM6 7BZ

BioRegional came up with this idea.

Action you can take now:

LETS - Local Exchange Trading Systems or Schemes

LETS are local community-based mutual aid networks in which people exchange all kinds of goods and services with one another, without the need for money.

Contact: Penny Mouncey on 020 8395 2521 or for full details about Sutton LETS and how to join try their website.

BioRegional came up with this idea.

Action you can take now:

Reduce the impact of the consumer items you choose

• Buy eco products such as Ecover or Faith in Nature washing up liquid, these avoid harmful chemicals and so are better both for you and the environment. You can get a free Ecover sample here http://www.its-ecological.com

• Jewellery - the process of extracting precious metals from the ground requires vast amounts of energy, which is why we included this item in the questionnaire. It also has important social impacts, for example, in La Oroya in Peru at the site of a gold, silver and copper producing smelter, a study by the Peruvian Ministry of Health revealed that 99 per cent of the children have severe lead
poisoning. If you are buying jewellery consider buying second hand or antique jewellery or jewellery made from lower impact materials such as wood or ceramics.

• Consumer goods such as power tools also have a huge impact, because of the energy and emissions produced during their manufacture. Try and share with your neighbours or hire them instead.

BioRegional came up with this idea.

Long-term Action:

Setting a planning requirement that 2% of building materials by value in new build should be reclaimed.

Benefit:

Reduced embodied energy.

Cost:

This could be cost neutral or cost saving for the developer.

Who:

All new development in Sutton.

Long-term Action:

Any demolition in Sutton to have a mandatory independent pre demolition audit to determine whether there is a potential to retain the building and if not what proportion of the materials can be re-used. In London typically a large Victorian detached house with a 30m garden could be demolished to make space for a block of flats. But it may be possible to retain the original building and extend it to provide the same number of new homes with a much lower carbon footprint than demolition and replacement. If it is not possible to retain the building then it should be deconstructed rather than demolished and the materials re-used.

Benefit:

Ensuring that our new buildings have lower embodied energy.

Long-term Action:

Local and sustainable materials should be encouraged for new build through planning policy. Foe example, developers could be required to: - audit embodied energy of new build homes and associated infrastructure - reduce embodied energy by 25% compared to the average for that build type, for example: Volume house builders are currently at 600-800kgCO2/m2 so the target should be 450-600 kg CO2/ m2; Offices are 500-1,100kgCO2/m2 so the target should be 375-825 kg CO2/ m2.

Benefit:

Reducing the embodied energy of our new build by 25%

Cost:

Using lower impact materials can be cost neutral for the developer, for example by using reclaimed materials which may be cheaper than virgin. There would be a cost associated with the audit.

Who:

BioRegional to submit recommendations to the London Borough of Sutton's planning team through consultations on policies such as the Local Development Framework.

When:

Feb 2008 for the LDF but ongoing