Sustainbility and Renewable Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sustainbility and Renewable Technologies - Essay Example Discussion The Benefits of Sustainable Construction According to the UK’s Strategy on Sustainable Construction published in June, 2008, sustainable development can only be achieved if the construction industry also engages in sustainable construction practices. The strategy laid down several initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable construction. It focused mainly on effort that would ensure the United Kingdom construction sector engages in long-term sustainability efforts that would ensure the UK meets its sustainability targets. It emphasizes on the need to build new homes that are free from carbon and new commercial buildings that are rated, zero carbon. It proposes amendments to the regulations that govern building and construction which will see CO2 emissions from new homes reduced significantly. The policy requires those new houses are constructed in such a way that they are water efficient and have standards for minimum efficiency. It also emphasizes on the use of rene wable energy and effective management of wastes by encouraging reuse and recycling. Being a joint government and industry policy to ensure sustainability in construction, it is imperative that the company considers sustainable construction. This will be within the regulations of the country and local authority. The benefits of sustainable construction to an ISO 14001 certified insurance company that is committed to meeting high environmental standard are many. This discussion aims at explaining these benefits and their implications to the business at large. As opposed to standard building approaches, sustainable construction employs practices that give emphasis to efficiency, quality and long-term affordability. The quality of life and comfort increases as a building is developed using sustainable construction best practices. This leads to a decrease in the negative effects on the environment and a substantial increase in the projects ability to sustain itself. Less raw materials, w ater, land and energy are consumed if a building is sustainably constructed. The negative impacts on the environment by the building and construction sector are far reaching. This severely damages the earth’s ecosystem that is currently at a critical stage. The damages are irreversible and rob the ecosystem of its critical life supporting function. It is a known fact that more than more than 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions globally, 40% of energy used, 40% of generated solid waste and 30% of used raw material are due to building and construction in OECD countries. Sustainable construction reduces these adverse effects on the environment by a much greater percentage. It helps minimize pollution, waste and energy use. Re-cycling and reuse is also maximized thus reducing costs. This helps preserve the earth’s ecosystem that is currently threaten. Most people spent about 90% of their time in buildings. This has seen the rise in sickness related to buildings thereby inc reasing the cost related to treating such sicknesses. Sustainable construction practices emphasizes use of less toxic paints for indoor paintings and construction of big, wide windows that allow natural light and fresh air into buildings. This ensures confortable and healthy indoor environments. Such environments significantly contribute to human well-being and health. Diseases and sicknesses caused by poor and unhealthy indoor env