Environmental+sustainability

What is Environmental sustainability? Read the document below for an outline:

You can also watch this video that provides an alternate viewpoint on the consumer society. media type="youtube" key="gLBE5QAYXp8" height="243" width="293" In the construction Industry environmental sustainability is producing environmentally sustainable, energy efficient buildings, producing minimal waste throughout the building life cycle while providing an amenity that is functional and built to standards.

How do these philosophies impact uppon the shopfitting and detail Joinery industry? So what can you do to help make your businesses more environmentally sustainable. Ask Suppliers for better materials - ask them what they do with their waste as parto f your decison making process. Look for better products - i.e. particlboard without formaldehyde based adhesives - no more whitemelamine perhaps? Its really about making sensible choices based on information for everyone. You won't get the answers if you don't ask the questions.
 * By the products we make - double glased windows, louvre windows,
 * From the material we use - Granite and stone bechtops Vs Laminated particle board, metal drawer sides and runners or melamine drawer sides ( from otherwise waste Material).
 * By the processes we use - **Recyle** (packaging scrap materials) **Re-use (**hardware, cabinets components) **Reduce** (packaging, energy consumption)

Case studies- environmentally sustainable building
The following link is to the TAFE NSW sustainability hub case studies: The case studies outline how some office fit out, commercial furniture, wood panels and construction and building companies are working towards a more sustainable future.check out the various industries for links to the individual case studies. [|http://www.environment.gov.au/archive/settlements/industry/corporate/eecp/industry.html#5] This presentation and guide set examines the environmental impacts of making timber and timber products and compare them with the impacts of other major building materials such as steel and concrete. Open and view the following powerpoints and download the guide.
 * Timber as a sustainable building material**

Both NSW Government and industry have a vested interest in sustainable development. Some useful weblinks below will help you find information about Environment Sustainability for the construction industry: Nature Conservation council of NSW: [] Housing Industry Association of Australia: [] Master Builders Association of Australia: [] The Building Commision (Victorian Government): [|http://www.buildingcommission.com.au] Australian Building Code Board ( BCA online) Australian Institute of Building Surveryors: [|Australian Institute of Building Surveyors] Australian Insitute of Health [|www.aieh.org.au/] Construction & Property Services Industry Skills Council (CPSISC): http://www.cpsisc.gov.au NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change: [] Forest and Wood Products Association: [] =NSW BASIX -= The NSW Government introduced BASIX, the Building Sustainability Index, to help owners and builders use less potable water and be responsible for fewer greenhouse gas emissions by setting energy and water reduction targets for house and units. You can register and use the website to pretest your project / building and see if it passes the energy efficiency target. []

**Federal government websites:**
[|Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities] Your Home website: [] excellent downloadable document with tasy to fllow information on sustainability. Environment Protection and The Heritage Council: []

ESD design guides for office and public buildings;
at this page there are useful documents and videos relating to sustainable building design principles and practices. [] Wikipedia has more information and links to sites dedicated to envronment sustainability: []

Australian Conservation Foundation are committed to inspiring people to achieve a healthy environment for all Australians. ACF work with community, business and government to protect, restore and sustain our environment. Ths website has an enormous amount of information tips and tools to help you manage your environmental sustainbility. []
 * Other useful websites**
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 * Eco Specifier**: Is a knowledge repository for a lot of eco-products, materials, technologies and resources. It claims to be "the leading global source of sustainable development & life-cycle assessed green product information".

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 * Greenpeace** resources: have some resources on a sustainable timber industry:

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 * CFMEU** Has OHS and S information that can be related to envrionmental sustainability:

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 * NatHERs -** The **Nat**ionwide **H**ouse **E**nergy **R**ating **S**cheme uses computer modelling and simulations to assess the inbuilt thermal comfort of Australian homes on a scale of zero to 10 stars. The more stars, the less likely the occupants need cooling or heating to stay comfortable.

The Ecological Footprint Calculator for Retail Tenants is an interactive tool to allow property managers and retail tenants to measure the Ecological Footprint of a store or shop. The tool builds on work done for office environments and provides a simple way for property owners and managers to simply engage tenants as to what the impact of their activities are. Click on the link below to try it out. [] =TAFE NSW= [|TAFE NSW] - has developed a new website for students that is interactive and has the aim of providing an online induction training program to increase your awareness of sustainable work practices and show you how to include these "green skills" in your life and teaching practices. Theresection that allows you to reflects and developen an action plan on how to incorporate sustainability into your work and learning environments and personal life When completed a verification form can be completed and sent back to your teacher. You can follwothe resourceslinks to find case studies od sustainable building practivces and eco calculators to test how green your projects are: [] ** TAFE NSW __for teachers__ - has developed the Sustainability hub to support delivery in sustainbility issues. it includes a lot of videos and case studies and othergood stuff to support you delivery: see link below. **
 * Ecological footprint calculators for retail shops -**

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Recent research:
In a recent NZ research report July 2009 using a real six-story concrete building being erected at the University of Canterbury as the template, researchers "built" another three virtual buildings with the same characteristics as the template. One is "constructed" using timber as the main structural material, another using steel, and a third being "timber-plus", in which non-structural elements also use wood and wood-based products. The objectives were to fill an information gap about what is the greatest amount of wood that can be used in the construction and fit-out of commercial, large-scale buildings in New Zealand; and to provide Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) information about the benefits of maximising the use of wood in buildings. Read more at this address: []

=University of Tasmania:=

Centre for Sustainable Architecture in Wood:
The Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood is a multidisciplinary research and education group that aspires to be a national leader in sustainable architectural design and building with wood. []

=PATHE - Partnership Advancing the Housing Environment: A Better Built Environment= "PATHE was developed by HIA in collaboration with Environment Australia and Greening Australia to develop, demonstrate and promote the technologies, design principles and practices that can improve significantly the quality of Australia's built environment." - excert from environment.gov.au website. []

=The Dusseldorp Foundation= has many useful sustainability resources and videos related to the sustainable building Follow the link below []

Want to save energy? You can check out this video to find some energy saving ideas for the building and building mangement industries: []
 * Saving Energy**


 * Sustainable furniture manufacture and architecture:**

here's the link: [|http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/Web/view/learncast/resources/12541.htm?Signature=(fda7f338-c2f0-4655-956a-2b583cf32c2b)]
 * Sustainability through furniture design: - Marc Shamburg**

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 * Sustainability through architecture - Chris Bosse**

If you can't access these videos contact the Centre for Learning Innovation - CLI - []

=What About YOUR global Footprint?= How much energy and resources do you think you need to use to sustain your current lifestyle? You can check it out at the following website:

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