MNN - Mother Nature Network

One of the most significant trends in the world of green building is deconstruction, or whole house recycling, an alternative to standard wrecking ball-and-dumpster demolition projects where as much as possible is diverted from landfills — 50 percent of landfill waste in the U.S. comes from construction/demolition projects — and reused.

 

Past posts include a profile of Lorenz Schilling, founder of the DeConstruction and Reuse Network, a California-based nonprofit that encourages green builders to “Think Outside the Roll-off!” and a look at “renew-it expert” Shannon Quimby’s REX Project in Portland, Ore. More recently I shared photos of Australia's Hill End EcoHome, a stunning home constructed primarily from salvaged building materials. 

 

Today I’m happy to share a brief but informative video that takes a look at deconstruction methods. It's pulled from Wendy Koch’s always-excellent USATODAY.com Green House blog.

 

According to Koch’s accompanying article, the nascent deconstruction movement is a “hot-button issue” that’s going gangbusters for reasons both environmental and economical. This is evidenced by the fact that new Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations are opening across the country “almost daily” with 100 new stores expected to open in the next year. Wow.

 

Read the entire article here and watch the video below. Have you jumped on the whole house recycling bandwagon?