What makes a sustainable construction company?\u00a0 That\u2019s a question we ask ourselves every day.\u00a0 We\u2019re constantly looking to identify ways we can improve our firm-wide approach to sustainability\u2026both on and off the job site.<\/p>\n
In honor of Earth Month, we\u2019re sharing some of our efforts to be leaders in sustainable construction; from reevaluating our company-wide processes to creating sustainable construction projects.<\/p>\n
Providing high-quality training and education to our team is critical.\u00a0 We\u2019re bringing in industry experts \u2013 on topics as far reaching as jobsite recycling to advanced energy design\u2014 to ensure our people have access to the most up-to-date and cutting-edge information available.\u00a0 And that\u2019s not only building awareness\u2014 it\u2019s also getting our team excited about sustainability.<\/p>\n
Currently, our Director of Sustainability, Steven Burke, and Supply Chain Manager, Jon Burton are collaborating on an initiative (with the assistance of a team of Babson MBA students) to reevaluate how we\u2019re managing construction waste.\u00a0 Typically, most consideration is given to recycling on the front end of a project, such as salvaging materials during demolition; this team is evaluating reuse options at project close. Since waste is the single biggest environmental impact we have as a company, minimizing it is the greatest positive impact we can have.<\/p>\n
There are many metrics within our industry that evaluate the \u201cgreenness\u201d of construction companies, which are a great start. At Consigli, we use a system of qualifications that goes beyond our revenue on green projects in a given year.\u00a0 This extends from our environmental impacts to the health and wellness of our employees: our office space, employee benefits program, retention rate, training options, and encouraging our employees to invest their time in philanthropy and volunteer hours.<\/p>\n
In many ways, delivering a LEED-certified job has become the baseline for sustainability.\u00a0 We work with our clients to offer sustainable choices, whether they have LEED aspirations or not.\u00a0 Many cities have implemented specific regulatory requirements that require higher green standards, including Boston, which requires buildings over a certain size to meet LEED certified levels.\u00a0 In these locations, the additional cost for actual certification is minimal.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re focusing on improving our company processes in the field. \u00a0For example, we\u2019re taking anti-idling measures during materials deliveries to minimize negative air quality impact; we\u2019re also protecting delivered materials when they\u2019re on site to prevent them from becoming wet and thereby expose occupants to mold.<\/p>\n
The current version of LEED (V4) has led more manufacturers to disclose the environmental impacts of their products.\u00a0 In addition to communicating the new transparency standards to our tradespeople, we train them on why these standards are important and what they\u2019re providing.\u00a0 And while currently the new standards are more about the disclosure of the impact than about changing the products themselves, it is resulting in a marketplace shift; over time manufacturers who build better products with less harmful ingredients will be rewarded, leaving a more positive legacy for future generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What makes a sustainable construction company?\u00a0 That\u2019s a question we ask ourselves every day.\u00a0 We\u2019re constantly looking to identify ways we can improve our firm-wide approach to sustainability\u2026both on and off the job site. In honor of Earth Month, we\u2019re sharing some of our efforts to be leaders in sustainable<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[83,84],"class_list":["post-9743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","tag-innovation","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n