When discussing green building materials, wood remains the top choice. It is renewable, sustainable and takes much less carbon to produce than other materials.When trees are cut down for their wood, new ones are planted, grown for their wood and the process continues. When handled responsibly without deliberate clear cutting, forests are renewable and impacts on the environment are minimized. Reports show forests in North America are flourishing due to management practices and long-term planning.Wood has countless uses, from furniture to paper and cabinetry to framework. We depend upon wood for thousands of products. It can be used in exterior and interior projects, painted, stained, assembled and shaped. Wood can be reclaimed and used to make something else without depleting resources, or even be returned to the ground to biodegrade. Compared with other building materials, a larger percentage of wood materials can be used which creates less waste. Wood scraps can be used to make other wood products, as a heating source or made into shavings for animals.One of the goals of green building is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and ideally, produce a carbon neutral building. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings consume 72 percent of electricity and 39 percent of energy in the United States, accounting for 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. Trees absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and return oxygen into the air. Wood also stores carbon until it is burned or decomposes, making it a carbon negative material.According to data published by the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI), the amount of carbon needed to produce one metric ton of framing lumber or medium density fiberboard (MDF) is significantly less-or thousands of pounds less-than any other material including steel, concrete or aluminum. Plastic takes the most carbon, accounting for more than 5,000 pounds per metric ton. When the amount of carbon stored in wood is factored in, wood and MDF have negative carbon emissions, creating the base for a carbon neutral building.In addition to its green benefits, wood is durable, long-lasting and aesthetically pleasing. It is available in many different species, grains and colors. Other materials like stone, iron and coal, are limited in supply and cannot be replenished or recycled like wood.As a woodworking company dependent on wood, Green Cabinetworks is focused on the greenest, most sustainable products available. Green Cabinetworks is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody certified and supports the organizations policies of responsible forestry. With long-term management practices in place, wood will be available for generations to come and remain the greenest, best building material on the planet. For more information on green building, visit the Green Cabinetworks site.
Building Material
Wood Is the Greenest Building Material
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