Recycling in General
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Q: Having somewhat recycled myself, (completely starting over from having essentially nothing, to getting two degrees, to starting out in the workplace at almost 60 and building a life for myself) I am interested in the idea of purchasing a building that is scheduled for demolition and moving it to a site where I can renovate it and add on using green materials such as papercrete/paper adobe, natural plasters and paints, and energy efficient heating, cooling, power, etc. I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so I certainly have the advantage of plenty of sun, and the precedent setting by numerous green built projects throughout the state. Any suggestions as to how to get started or sources for used buildings?

A: A good starting point would be your local Habitat for Humanity or other used building material enterprises. I believe Alb. has several. Then try the department of transportation. They usually have buildings that have to be taken down to make room for new roads or expanding existing roads. I got started by just driving around and looking for abandoned homes and asking about them. Your local county assessor would be able to tell you who owns what. I enjoy the process as I find out history of place in so many cases.

Q: I read almost every word on the site but I did not see anything on recycled lumber. I use a tremendous amount of recycled lumber in my business, most of which is pure labor cost, nothing for the materials. The materials I use come mostly from demolished buildings and I obtain a lot of material through local green waste recycling centers. Additionally most of the doors and windows I use are recycled or at the least bone yard picks. Of course design is different when recycled materials are used, since the materials need to be ascertained before the design is finalized.

A: (Kelly) I am totally into using recycled materials, including lumber, for building homes. I have used a lot of recycled lumber myself over the years, and have built whole houses with it. Recycling makes such intrinsic sense when you evaluate materials according to their embodied energy.

Q: I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Years ago I purchased about 50 feet (7 sections, roughly 7 feet wide by 5 feet high) old, heavy, wrought iron fencing. It is a simple design, square, and really sturdy. I have stored it for years waiting for the right place to use it. However, I have to move and would appreciate greatly any thoughts you have on who might be interested in purchasing it in my area. What do you think? I'd really love for it to go to a good home.

A: There is a wonderful resource for finding the right home for items you have harvested from the world - www.craigslist.com. I would recommend that you offer it to anyone willing to come and pick it up. Harvesting items is the first step in recycling, obtaining a yield completes the process. Other ways to find a home for the fence is to post signs within a 5 mile radius of your home in supermarkets. Try to think of success outside of financial gain. Success is honoring Gaia.

Q: My husband is a general contractor and has been building for many years. I am interested in organizations or building standards that exist in Boulder and Larimer counties of Colorado so that he could produce "green built" houses. I have seen homes marketed as "green" and I wondered what justifies this? Before we met I have had a few homes built by larger companies such as Richmond and Melody homes and they marketed some of their homes as green built.

We are currently building a home in the mountains and I have a strong desire to use recycled woods, metal and other products. I have been very impressed with some decorating designs that I have seen in New Mexico, so if you have ideas of where I could look for items to be used for finish work/decorating and general building please let me know. I would be willing to make a trip to the area to get the materials if needed.

A: Boulder is a great place to find recycled products. My favorite recycle yard is Resource 2000 out near the Recycle Center. It has a great selection and is always changing. There is another place that specializes in plumbing stuff but I can't remember its name. Check out the yellow pages or ask at Resource 2000.

There seems to be some confusion as to what a Green Built Home is and it has become a marketing term that is getting abused. The closer your home gets to zero energy input the greener you will be. Once you start to actually produce more energy than you can use then you become beneficial to your environment. Remember that you have to calculate your embodied energy costs (the cost to the environment to produce any building materials which includes transportation costs, read as pollution, ). This is a challenge and you need to be diligent in your beliefs. You will be constantly tested when talking with contractors that can only work within their own comfort zone. Just because someone can design a house or pound nails does not mean they can do it consciously.

Q: I'm investigating the re-use of lumps of weak concrete that was originally cast in jute bags to build mounds in an explosives factory. Is there information available on the reshaping and re-stacking of this form of concrete?

A: (Jennifer Corson) This is a tough one. I'm not familiar with reuse of concrete to any great extent, nor the size of the 'lumps' that you are referring to. It would seem to me that any cured concrete would need to be tumbled, or crushed, back into an aggregate form for potential reuse. Depending on the availability of a crusher, and the charges for the service, it may be an expensive option. Otherwise, as is, I'm unsure of the ability to reincorporate it into a construction product. Is it in a brick-like shape that could be used in a wall construction? Sorry not to be of much help.

A: I am interested in your advise about how to approach the sustainable building/recycled materials/alternative building industry as a possible career. As I continue building my own cordwood and timber frame cabin on my family farm in Tennessee, I'm realizing my love for this type of work and want to pursue it more. I've collected used/broken power poles from a local utility company for the cordwood walls. I enjoy the combination of design, hands-on building, and the good tension that comes with building sustainably and responsibly. What companies or individuals do I need to connect with to pursue this work as a career?

A: There are many great sites to get you started in the biz. To get you started try http://www.deconstructioninstitute.com/ The links page will connect you up with many other sources. My own site also has some good info and sources also. www.therestoreincrestone.com

A word of advice and caution. Make sure you have a place you can grow into to stock your inventory. Relocating the harvest can be quite the chore. You may want to check with your land use department to see what types of businesses are allowed in different areas of your county.

Q: Was one of your incentives for pursuing green architecture trying to save the environment? If so, do you feel like you are doing so, and do you know how much material you have recycled over the years?

A (Kelly): In answer to your question "Was one of your incentives for pursuing green architecture trying to save the environment?", I say emphatically YES...this is the primary incentive!

"If so, do you feel like you are doing so?" Everybody has a part to play in trying to fashion a sustainable future for our planet and the life forms on it. Yes, I feel like I am doing my bit; www.greenhomebuilding.com averages over 2500 unique visitors each day, and every one of those people leaves with some greater understanding of what the issues are and how each one of us might approach solving them.

"Do you know how much material you have recycled over the years?" No, but I can tell you that I have been an inveterate scrounger ever since I can remember. I tend to save practically anything that might have some value in fabricating something sometime, and I do a lot of fabricating, from eyeglass repairs to whole houses...even a solar vehicle.

Q: I am a student of interior design and my thesis is on eco-friendly interiors. I have limited my study to recycled and natural materials. Can the study be further limited to only natural materials or only recycled & recyclable materials? If yes, how and what criteria should be considered with respect to sustainability? Should I also study the manufacturing processes or just study the properties? I am a bit confused. It will be very helpful if you clear my doubts.

A: Having been in the field for a number of years now I have found that the first line of investigation is how sustainable is the use of a material in a given project.  Stepping back further you need to find a truly all-encompassing definition for sustainability that considers our ability to survive on this planet 7 generations into the future.  Once you understand the inter-relatedness of everything on the planet then you may be able see the answer to your question from a much more perceptive place.

Q: If a person was to use non sustainable materials to build a house, and got these materials from a recycled source or rubbish would this house be classed as sustainable? This is my rubbish house.

A: (Kelly) Absolutely. Recycling materials is one of the most sustainable practices going.

Q: What resource can give us for the locations/costs of inexpensive old buildings/houses that need to be relocated?

A: Check in with your local building department.  They may have a list of folks that deal in moving old homes.  Real estate agents are another source.