Environmentally Responsive Building Materials
BETTER FOR BUSINESS -- BETTER FOR HAWAII

By Gail Suzuki-Jones

As the most remote land mass in the world, Hawaii relies on imported sources for most building materials. However, several products are made right here that can be used in many building applications. Among these are products that are considered environmentally responsive" because they are made from locally recycled waste materials.

Lumber constructed from recycled and remanufactured plastic; tiles, cabinet pulls and blocks made from recycled glass; and insulation from recycled newspaper are a few examples of environmentally-responsive building products currently made in Hawaii. The manufacturers strive not only to produce products that fulfill strength and aesthetic characteristics of conventional building products, but utilize materials that would otherwise be disposed in our landfills.

Using these products extends the life of existing landfills, reduces the amount of energy used in shipping imported materials and supports local businesses. Recycled-content products are good for the environment, the local economy and the community.

Benefits outweigh Cost

The perception of higher costs for recycled content materials can prevent designers and builders from exploring the possibility of using them. However, products such as cellulose building insulation made with post-consumer recovered paper use manufacturing technology that is relatively simple and cost competitive.

Other recycled content products require more complex manufacturing technologies and initially may be higher priced than conventional materials. However, other benefits of the materials should come into consideration. For example, lumber made from recycled plastic may not be cost competitive initially, but its durability, termite resistance and maintenance-free nature offer a very short payback time.

Products from bamboo such as laminated bamboo plywood can be potentially produced here in Hawaii. The Bamboo Society and other agriculture-related groups are currently testing a few varieties of bamboo for potential as a structural product, and Maui and Hawaii Counties have approved the construction of bamboo housing structures.

Planting kenaf or eucalyptus to produce building products and other materials has also been discussed. These proposals go beyond design and construction issues to those of community and economic development.

Buy Recycled

Containing Recovered Materials requires federal agencies to buy products with recycled content when purchased in amounts exceeding $10,000 per year on a designated item. Construction materials including building insulation, structural fiberboard, laminat-ed paperboard, cement, concrete, polyester carpet, patio blocks, floor tiles, playground surfaces, running tracks, hydraulic mulch products, waste receptacles and office paper are listed with recommended levels of recovered material content.

Hawaii Administrative Rules Subchapter 4, Chapter 3-124, Recycled Products, promotes the use of recycled products by state and county purchasing agencies. In accor-ance with Hawaii statutes there is a 10 percent price preference for recycled products in Department of Accounting and General Services projects. Several publications are available on recycling and recycled materials. The Clean Hawaii Center has published Recycled Products and Recycling Services in Hawaii. The City and County of Honolulu Recycling Office offers an overview, You Can Recycle on Oahu.

The State of Hawaii Procurement Office publication, Buy Recycled in Hawaii, describes the benefits of supporting recycling and recycled products. A state materials exchange database program, HIMEX, can be a source of salvaged or reusable building materials that would otherwise be headed for the landfill.

In addition, numerous databases, guides and World Wide Web sites list various environmentally-responsive building products and systems. The University of Hawaii School of Architecture has created a Web page that includes the publication Hawaiian Design: Strategies for Energy Efficient Architecture. The AlA Environmental Resource Guide and a bi-monthly publication, Environmental Bluilding News, are two excellent information sources for design professionals interested in environmentally responsible principles and products.

Efforts to recycle reusable materials have extended throughout the community. Recycling increases awareness of resource consumption and contributions to reducing solid waste disposal. Hawaii schools benefit from funds raised at local recycling centers, while students learn that recycling is a worthwhile cause. Landfills, power plants and drinking water systems are nearing a-pacity levels. As designers, builders and consumers we can close the loop by specifying and purchasing products that contain recycled materials and supporting companies that produce those products. By incorporating other principles of reducing, reusing and recycling into our po-fessional and personal practices we can minimize negative impacts on our environment for present as well as future generations.

Gail Suzuki-Jones is co-chair of the Honolulu AlA Energy and Environment Committee. She is project coordinator of the Green House Hawaii Project and Advanced Building Technologies Program.

This article is reprinted with permission from the March 1997 issue of Hawaii Pacific Architecture.
For more information please contact Editor Jamie Campos at (808) 621-8200, extension 237.