Saturday, February 29, 2020

Buildings must be recycled and reused to help tackle climate change

To meet the government’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050, we must recycle, reuse and responsibly adapt our existing historic buildings. 

The former Lincoln School in Wakefield, Massachusetts, was repurposed into affordable housing. 

Early research shows that sympathetically upgrading and reusing existing buildings, rather than demolishing and building new, could dramatically improve a building’s energy efficiency and would make substantial energy savings because the CO₂ emissions already embodied within existing buildings would not be lost through demolition.

Click on this link for a recent study

This is a critical component of the message I'm trying to spread: If we're really serious about the environment--truly committed to making a difference--we can't turn our back on the impact of demolition. Please share widely.