Statistics
Buildings impact the environment and community through resource consumption, air pollution, and waste generation. A few staggering statistics for commercial and residential buildings include:
Each year, the U.S. building industry generates 136 million tons of waste.
9% comes from new construction
38% comes from renovation
53% comes from demolition
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004)
80-90% of construction and demolition waste is estimated to be either reusable or recyclable.
Only 20-30% of this waste is presently recycled.
(McPhee, 2002)
Every year, approximately 170,000 commercial buildings are constructed, and nearly 44,000 commercial buildings demolished.
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1998)
The cost of gutting and renovating a building is often about 30% less than new construction.
(INFORM Inc.)
If 25% of the buildings demolished every year were deconstructed, approximately 20 million tons of debris could be diverted from landfills.
(National Association of Home Builders, 1998)
Between 1990 and 1998, the estimated cost to U.S. consumers of all waste disposal was more than $1.1 trillion.
(Zero Waste America, 1998)
Total waste from an average 2,000-sq. ft. home adds up to about 8,000 pounds taking up 50 cubic yards of space.
(National Association of Home Builders, 2001)
An initial investment of $100,000 to incorporate green building features into a $5 million dollar project would result in savings of at least $1 million over the life of the building, assumed conservatively to be 20 years.
(U.S. Green Building Council, 2003)
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