DISRUPTING THE FUTURE WITH OUR SINKING “ PROGRESS ”
A R C
F 386 M
JUNE 2020 CAS7643
01
ARE WE REALLY MAKING PROGRE
ESS?
dis rup tive
i. causing or tending to cause disruption
As we look back on history we are thankful for our ancestors before us for their progression and innovation to give us the lifestyle that we have today. The earliest humans survived on creation from raw material. Through evolution, man learned to manipulate what they had to create even more. But when do we stop? Our world today follows the lifestyle of the ones before us, to innovate, to create something to make our lives easier. With the advancements in technology that we have today we have learned that some of our old ways are actually doing more bad than good. We are getting greedy, we want more. We are getting lazy, we want life easier. These desires are leading to over-production, over-consumption, and gigatons of waste. This zine will uncover the path to real “progress�, and will reveal what is sinking it. This information will determine the steps needed to take to make sure that our future is not disrupted.
dis rup tive
ii. innovative or groundbreaking
I.
II.
III.
05
DEFINING “MATERIAL”
07
THE MATERIAL TIMELINE
11
THE MATERIAL CHALLENGES OF THE PRESENT
18
APPROPRIATE MATERIAL CRITERIA
20
ASSESSMENT METHOD
23
CASE STUDY
25
DISRUPTING THE FUTURE THROUGH PROGRESS FOR THE PRESENT
30
STRATEGY | DIMINISHING PRESENT CHALLENGES
31
STRATEGY | INNOVATIVE DISRUPTION
33
BIBLIOGRAPHY
36
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
DEFINING A material can take on many forms, it is everything from the ground we walk on to the products we use and wear. It is used to build, construct, and make everything we see. Specifically, material is a complex structure that can transform and be used to create endless other materials. I say endless because material construction and technology has not stopped, it is only getting more complex. It is key to understanding that every product we use, including our own bodies, comes from a greater thing that is made up of many smaller things.
“We are the product of a grand evolutionary sequence - cosmic evolution - of which we are only occasionally aware.� Carl Sagan, Time-lapse of the Universe
Materials change and manipulate over time. It is part of the evolution of product. The evolution involves taking raw materials from the Earth and transforming them over and over again into a manufactured material. The creation of material is a timeline that grows and evolves as time goes on, consisting of many structures that are extracted, manufactured, transformed, then distributed and used.
05
defining material
MATERIAL It is almost too hard to incorporate all that material does for the world. It is too hard because everything built on Earth and everything that makes up the Earth, is a material. Though material comes from the Earth, there is also a backwards reaction of material on the Earth after it is built, used, and manufactured. Material can have both a positive and negative impact on the environment. One could consider material to be “living�. After a material is introduced the process to get it there lives on, creating lasting effects on our planet. Materials consist of energy, are made using energy, and some after they are made then produce energy. Materials can be consequential living things when considering the energy that went into making it and the energy required to use it. Materials have a direct effect on the planet, the place they originated from, and their life-cycles can be detrimental to it as well.
defining material
06
First stone tools
2,700
5,400
400,000
800,000
1.8 MILLION
2.5 MILLION
BP
ANCIENT MATERIALS
PRE-HISTORIC HOMINIDS
THE MATERIAL TIME
Earliest Shelter Mastery of Fire
The discovery of raw materials; plants + stone
Organized Trade with writing
CE
Start of an “economy”: invention of coins for trade.
Start of the Manipulation of raw material Unhealthy extraction of raw material 07
material timeline
Overseas trade leading to pollution
An unbalance econom leading to influx in cheap [un-recyclable material
Steel used for building systems Engineered Timber
Reinforced Concrete for building systems
PRESENT
Invention of float glass for mass production
Idea that everything should be made faster + in bigger quantities
my
e]
1959
1950
MODERN MATERIALS
Material Regression in Rome
Advancements in science: microscope + telescope
1890
1852
INDUSTRIAL AGE 1600-1670
400
MEDIEVAL MATERIALS
ELINE
Deforestation + resource deficiency
Construction Waste
“WE DEPEND ON PLASTIC. NOW WE ARE DROWNING IN IT” NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Material, as you can see from our evolution, has greatly changed and “progressed� overtime. At the bottom of our material timeline we can see the detrimental outcomes that have hurt our environment from our material progression. Next we will discover our main issues that spark from material progression. These issues include over-consumption, overproduction, and waste.
material timeline
10
HOW HAS THE ROLE OF OVER-CONSUMPTION OR WASTE CHANGED DURING YOUR LIFETIME? People don’t keep things as long...like technology advancements in appliances or cars. People swap out more frequently, to keep up with the "newest thing". Or products are made to be more affordable, most often meaning then the quality is less efficient so the idea that it will last is diminished or there is less guilt to get rid of it. Melissa Staniford, 63
11
challenges of the present
THE CHALLENGES OVER-CONSUMPTION
leads to
Over-consumption is an issue because we are not consuming sustainably. Part of society believes that living a sustainable way of life will not suit nor fulfill their needs. Accelerating consumption is driven by population growth and material consumption based on economic development. Over-consumption drives cheap & fast manufacturing, most of this production being overseas. Local material harvesting is necessary to saving our future. When transportation of mass production is overseas, pollution rises and creates a problem separate from the energy it took to manufacturer your low-cost product made from non-renewable/non-recyclable materials. For sustainable consumption to occur society need to move away from a mentality of “hedonism”. “a pleasureseeking tendency and orientation toward high consumption which discourages”
MATERIAL
Material waste can come from many sources; over-production, products “end of life”. Materials with a limited life-cycle account f growth estimate we will double our carbon footprint in the next buildings. Are we going to reuse what we have to prepare for t The actual production and usage of materials also can produce w wasted and over 90% of energy used produces carbon dioxide. E enormous amounts of w 13
challenges of the present
S OF THE PRESENT fed by
OVER-PRODUCTION
Societies unsustainable consumerism leads over-production. We demand too much too quick, and supply will keep fulfilling these demands. Why is this a problem? Overproduction leads to unhealthy material extraction and manufacturing, pressure on water resources, and potential climate change impact. As we saw from our material timeline the deforestation of Europe came from the energy-intensive production from smelting. This, in-turn, created a “progress-trap�. After the Industrial Revolution, there was a steady supply of iron, new sources of fuel, and high efficiency machines. So, at what point did we take production too far?
L WASTE
non-reusable construction material, and consumer waste from a for 70% of all construction debris in the U.S. With the population 35 years, leading to the construction of 2 trillion sq ft of new that or will there be a detrimental amount of waste following it? waste in another form, energy waste. Almost 60% of all energy is Extraction, production, construction, and product use all drives the waste we are living in. challenges of the present
14
America has transitioned from a focus on consumption to a focus on consumerism, which involves the ratcheting up of consumption, extending into addictive, obsessive, and conspicuous consumption. Brooklynn Wynveen
challenges of the present
16
To make change regarding the challenges of the present we must decipher what makes up an appropriate material. Changes to only sourcing material that follow this appropriate criteria will have a major positive impact on our environment and ecosystem.
Many material products, and buildings, don’t ever reach the end of their physical breaking points - they’re discarded or replaced well before that occurs, due to other factors that are aesthetic, economic, or social in nature. Jennifer Wong
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appropriate material criteria
RE-IMAGINING VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE Michael Daane Bolier and Dorus Meurs
[1]
APPROPRIA LIFE-CYCLE
Every material and products lifecycle are extensive, and each stage of the cycle has an impact on our environment. The main stages include material acquisition and extraction, manufacturing, use and maintenance, and end-of-life waste. Each stage holds inputs, being energy, and outputs, being emissions. Selecting appropriate materials should take thought, time, and consideration. Appropriate materials are ones that in comparison to others, have less of a negative impact on the environment. One must consider a materials full timeline. A product labeled as “recyclable� may produce more waste, more energy, and more emissions to recycle it than a similar non-recyclable alternative. Making better-informed choices regarding the life-cycle of a material will contribute to solving one of the three challenges, waste. Over-consumption, driving fast & cheap manufacturing, can be caused by consumers not taking the time to think about the negative impact their products have on the environment
[3]
PROTECTS HUMAN & ECOLOGICAL HEALTH
Harmful chemicals go into many of our everyday products, and our air inside and out. Though there are current standards in place to track the levels of contaminants in ambient air, water, soil, this does not mean that all these elements are clean. Chemicals can be released through many ways including oxidation, pollutants from climate change, abrasion, degradation of materials, and volatilization. There are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market today and there are many resources, especially for designers, to find out what non-toxic materials you should be sourcing.
As we know, toxic chemicals cause negative impacts on our health and our environment. But they can be severely detrimental to the employees laboring to make our products. Not only do they hurt the workers, but the industrial and manufacturing processes create solid and hazardous waste. Like the reasons for over-production due to transportation, demand for fast and cheap material boost toxic chemical release.
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appropriate material criteria
ATE MATERIAL CRITERIA [2]
LOCATION
An appropriate material should be one that comes from the ground around you. Vernacular architecture, shaped by cultural and local influences, requires building material to be of a close proximity. A large percentage of energy expenditures comes solely from the transportation of a product. Take a product’s life cycle into account: there is energy used to transport the raw material to the manufacturing site, to a shipment facility, and then finally to get the product to you. Some products will need to go to multiple sites and there is the transportation costs to get the technology and material to the site, to build that product. LEED, the most common building standard, requires regional materials to be within 500 miles of the projects site. The “Ecology of Building Systems” states that a principle for an ecological building industry should give priority to, “production methods that use less energy and more sustainable materials, and with transport distances reduced to a minimum (54).” High demand of cheap product feeds into over-production where a lot of this product is coming from overseas, causing an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Everything made requires a carbon footprint, but it is the sourcing of local materials that lowers it.
ASSESSMENT METHOD The assessment method to apply the 3 criteria of an appropriate material will be graded on a point based system. Each of the 3 categories: Life-cycle, Location, and Health, will be out of 5 points, totaling at 14 points. I believe that there are many materials, especially building that can acheive above a 10 and be an appropriate material. Below a 10 should be insufficient. To evaluate the environmental consequences associated with materials lifecycle it is important to consider: If the material is reuseable or recyclable but the intended use does not allow for that due to construction with other non recyclable materials. (i.e. glue) If the material causes more waste, emissions, or energy during extraction or maintenance. The environmental trade-offs associated with one or more specific products/processes. Compare the potential environmental impacts between two or more substitute or comparative products/ processes. The potential impacts during waste management.
To evaluate the environmental consequences associated with sourcing a materials it is important to consider: The mode of transportation: plane, train, ship, truck. The distance it would be traveling along with the mode of transportation The total distance it takes for a material during production through receiving the final product.
To evaluate the environmental consequences associated with sourcing a materials that does not emit or contain toxic chemicals at any point in it’s lifecycle: That it does not contain a chemical already listed within the six classes of toxicity That it does not require toxic chemicals that could harm laborers or cause pollution during production. That it does not release toxic chemicals during off-gassing or oxidation. That is does not experience chemical degradation due to water or sunlight and that is does not release small particles or dust due to abrasion.
20
assessment method
[1]
LIFE-CYCLE
Does it allow for reuse or deconstruction? YES= 1 pt NO= -1 pt Is the extraction of material renewable or not from a low concentrated source? YES= 1 pt NO= -1 pt Is there a substitue material that output less waste? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt Is there input energy required for maintenance? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Is there a substitue material that requires less input/output during manufactoring? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt
[2]
LOCATION
Is the material sourced by plane? YES= -2 pt NO= 1 pt Is the material sourced overseas? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Is the material within 800-500 miles by truck or 2,400-1,500 miles by train/boat? YES= 2 pt NO= 0 pt
[3]
PROTECTS HUMAN & ECOLOGICAL HEALTH
Does the material experience toxic chemicals or create hazardous waste in production? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Does the chemical contian a chemical of concern within the 6 classes? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Does the material experience volatilization, off-gasing, or leeching? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt Does the material experience chemical degradation or abrasion? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt Does the material release toxic chemicals during oxidation? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt TOTAL: 14 PT
PLASTIC BOTTLE Does it allow for reuse or deconstruction? YES= 1 pt NO= -1 pt Is the extraction of material renewable or not from a low concentrated source? YES= 1 pt NO= -1 pt Is there a substitue material that output less waste? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt Is there input energy required for maintenance? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Is there a substitue material that requires less input/output during manufactoring? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt
Is the material sourced by plane? YES= -2 pt NO= 1 pt Is the material sourced overseas? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Is the material within 800-500 miles by truck or 2,400-1,500 miles by train/boat? YES= 2 pt NO= 0 pt
Does the material experience toxic chemicals or create hazardous waste in production? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Does the chemical contian a chemical of concern within the 6 classes? YES= -1 pt NO= 1 pt Does the material experience volatilization, off-gasing, or leeching? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt Does the material experience chemical degradation or abrasion? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt Does the material release toxic chemicals during oxidation? YES= 0 pt NO= 1 pt TOTAL: 4 PTS - NOT APPROPRIATE
L
ASSESSING A PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE
LIFE-CYCLE
Plastic bottles would receive -1 points for the first question due to the fact that they can not really be reused or disassembled. Since the materials to make plastic bottles are not coming from a low concentrated source they would get one point for that and one point for that there is no waste in the making of the bottles. Each bottle is filled through a blow mold process so there is no left over plastic, and if there is it can be reheated. Plastic bottles would also get a points for the 4th question because they require no maintenance at all. For manufacturing we are to compare two substitute materials. There are glass and stainless steel water bottles. Both require less energy input and waste and emission output then a plastic bottle. In this case, the plastic bottle would get 3 points, but lost one due to is not being reusable. Total: 2 points
LOCATION
Plastic bottles are made of resins from oil or refined petroleum and natural gas. Some of these gases have to be transported far distances emitting fossil fuels. The size of the carbon footprint relies on mode of transportation. If we are grading an Ozarka plastic bottle that is all sourced from Texas, where the petroleum and natural gas comes from it would have less footprint than a plastic bottle company coming from Northern California. Total: 4 points If bottle manufacturer is in Texas, sold in Texas.
PROTECTS HEALTH
During the production of plastic bottles harmful chemicals such as dioxins, lead, cadmium, and more are release. A plastic bottle would receive a negative point for the first question. There would also be a negative point given to the second question because plastic bottles contain bisphenols & phthalates, one of the six classes of harmful chemicals. Bisphenols & phthalates are used to make the plastic stronger. It would also not receive a point for question three due to the leeching of these toxic chemicals into the water. No points would be given to the last question due to the chemicals released when plastic bottles are burned. This is the same for the fourth question as well because although there is no abrasion, there is degradation when sunlight or the heat from a car melts the plastic. These chemicals are then released into the water. Total: -2 points “Walking into a modern building can sometimes be compared to placing your head inside a plastic bag that is filled with toxic fumes.� John Bower, Founder, Healthy House Institute
dis rup tive
i. causing or tending to cause disruption
As we circle back to the beginning, we find that there are two definitions for “disruptive�. [1] One being, causing or tending to cause harm and the other being [2] innovative or groundbreaking. We have also learned that at some point in our timeline we lost the true meaning of progress. This declaration is to remind us of the true meaning of progress, moving further away from overconsumption, waste, and over-production. Progress moving closer to products and buildings manufactured with materials that have long life-cycles, are sourced locally, and protect human & ecological health.
dis rup tive
ii. innovative or groundbreaking disrupting the future
25
DISRUPTING THE FUTURE We, as a society, are getting lazy, needy, and greedy with what we have been given. The people walking on their own planet are the ones also killing it. We need a means of asserting new values back into our system and a major culture shift. This shift must take place within our own thinking, our purchases, our buildings, and our waste. This shift must take place now if we want a future for the planet earth. Society seeks materials that have a sort of aspiration, no sense of taboo, and that are sophisticated. Materials have aspiration because society made it that way, this is not going after rare and expensive material, this is going after the mimicked material that society is obsessed with. Materials mimicked to replace aspirational raw materials are solely because people want to look expensive but in the end most of this mimicry ends up in the landfills because it is not reusable. Taboo materials are taboo because of societal standards, not because the material does not perform well. Taboo materials should be left solely to describe materials that are toxic, unrecyclable, and reusable. There is a cost to material taboo and a serious benefit to overcoming it. Lastly, we seek sophisticated material, but sophisticated materials are the way they are because we have allowed them to go through development, testing, and implementation. All materials should be given the opportunity at sophistication. Society has fallen into the illusion that “even if I change my own actions, nothings going to change, so I am just going to leave it up to someone else�.
To prepare for a future with the hopes of it must declare the current strategies for 1. Change your mindset, be open to switching to alternative appropriate material substitutions. 2. Your actions do have an impact on the Earth. What you do alone can help/hurt. 3. Shift to circular materials. Close the loop. 4. Remember that reduce is before reuse, recycle. 5. Managing stability of material flows through dematerialization. 6. Paedomorphosis, stepping back to our old ways. 7. Minimizing waste through an additive manufactoring process.
“Human nature is to due what
Collin Beave
These strategies, long overdue, mus progress. Many people within our society are be implemented. Hard facts and lack of educ this. The evidence needed to declare these s trends that define our material use: a shift fro relatively low-volume but high-energy use of products, and the growing consumption of
THROUGH PROGRESS FOR THE PRESENT
being innovative and groundbreaking, we first r progress that must be implemented. 8. Skeuomorphism - the shift to appropriate material substitution. 9. Taboo materials should be toxic materials. 11. Diffusion of innovation to shift the status quo of appropriate technology. Tech that aligns with appropriate materials. 12. Stop wanting more, stop buying more, stop building more. Remember, less is more. 13. Don’t source unless it is locally. At least more local that overseas by aircraft. 14.Why would you want to have something that is constant maintenance, you pay more and you output less on the atmosphere. 15. To become a “No Impact Man”
everybody else does.”
en, Surviving Progress
st be implemented if we want to see real e oblivious to why these strategies need to cation on these topics can be to blame for strategies necessary all come from the three om renewable to non-renewable sources, the f critical materials in a many manufactured materials per capita (Wong. Module 4).
To discuss further, consumption is a problem, non-renewable resources make up 96% of our total material use. Material consumption is even guaranteed to increase because of the building materials needed to accommodate the growing population. It is estimated that we will double our carbon footprint in the next 35 years, meaning construction of 2 trillion sq. ft of new buildings (Wong. Module 4). The question is, are we going to reuse the mass amount of manufactured material already here to renovate existing structures or are we doing to demolish it all to rapidly increase our waste? Over-production is a problem, 56% of greenhouse gas emissions comes from industrial processes and 12.4% of greenhouse gas emissions comes from construction and manufacturing (Wong. Module 5). This production and output of emissions will also increase following the increase of material consumption, supply will meet demand. With the prediction of increases, waste will also follow. 90% of our buildings are thrown away in the US. Construction and demolition waste make up 570 million tons in the US, this exceeding municipal solid waste by more than double (Wong. Module 9). As you can see this evidence is enough to show society that there is a need for change, but it also gives them a place to start. We cannot change everything at once, but construction, demolition, and manufactured building materials is an effective place to start. disrupting the future
26
WHERE DO WE START?
Following this declaration, you may question, what is next? How can I, one person, make a change? I will first discuss a material strategy that is a step forward to helping diminish present challenges, specifically waste. Secondly, I will discuss a positive disruption advancement for the future. An advancement that will set designers and architects on the right path to design-build thinking strategies.
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material strategies of the 21st century
MATERIAL ST DIMINISHING PRES
“Between 2010 and 2015 in England alone, WRAP initiatives reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 55 million tons.” WRAP
TRATEGY #1 SENT CHALLENGES With the copious amounts of current damage there is not a single solution to diminish present challenges. It takes communities of people, a society, to work together. Waste management and reduction, as we have discussed, is one of the larger challenges that we are facing today in the material world. A strategy to approach this is to follow initiatives done by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), an organization in the UK. This will briefly gloss over many of their successes and positive impact strategies that they have already put in place. For an indepth plan, WARP created a five-year plan called “Resource Revolution: Creating the Future”. It maps out strategies for businesses, organizations, and consumers to re-invent, rethink, and re-define how they use materials. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) helps organizations achieve greater resource efficiency through information, tools and practical advice that help governments, businesses, and consumers to diminish present challenges. They work primarily with resource management in the UK. Their mission is to “accelerate the move to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy by: re-inventing how we design, produce and sell products, re-thinking how we use and consume products, and re-defining what is possible through re-use and recycling.” Their work is broad but effective and problem solving.
WRAP has worked with many organizations to push more sustainable food and drink production, packaging, and consumption. Another action they took was in creating the UK Plastics Pact which is an initiative that will create a circular economy for plastics. This is a large project for them where they are targeting that by 2025: 100% of plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable 5% of plastic packaging will be effectively recycled or composted 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging
Though this may seem unattainable, it is initiatives like WRAP that pushes society to the greater good. There are many waste management resources but it will take time and sophistication to mainstream these ideas to the US. Something WRAP does well to reach out to its communities are through their consumer campaigns. They give practical advice and some grants & financial support to consumers to empower them to take action. WRAP specifically recently received funding to help them scale their efforts globally. They began this by helping with reducing food waste in Mexico, increasing recycling in Singapore, and are beginning to look at re-use clothing models for India, Europe, and the US.
strategy | diminishing challenges
30
MATERIAL ST INNOVATIVE DISRUPT There has been an up-and-coming “trend” in construction that could change the way build for the better. Pre-fabrication has been around for a long time, but it is not until recently that it is being mainstreamed and “accepted” in the US on a high-end scale. In Japan prefabricated homes are seen as luxury products and in the US, it has been mainly seen to “solve” the issue of low-income housing. The problem here is that a lot of the large sq. ft residential homes in the US are built to be custom, with little care to where the materials are coming from and where the excess waste goes. But we are slowly moving to a turning point where design-build projects are projected to take a market share by 44% by 2021 leaving a reduction to traditional bid-build at less than 20%. Construction costs could be reduced by 30% through use of prefabricated building components, standardize designs, and value engineering (Wong. Module 7). A company that does this well, and supports an innovative disruption for progress, is Method Homes. Method Homes is a fully integrated construction service, including engineering, architecture, and site coordination nationwide. They can build anything that can be prefabricated, including custom designs. Sustainable design and healthy homes are the core values of Method Homes. They specialize in residential homes and commercial structures that are built to obtain LEED, ENERGY STAR, 31
strategy | innovative disruption
Living Building Challenge, Passive House, and other environmental certification standards. Their buildings also work to achieve Zero Net Energy, a building that produces the same amount of renewable energy onsite as it consumes. Comparing Method Homes to our appropriate material criteria they check every box. Since the homes are prefabricated, they cover a healthy life-cycle of the material where everything can be deconstructed. They build with local products to achieve location. Lastly, they achieve non-toxicity by use of low or no VOC paints and adhesives, which means less chemical off gassing and no UA formaldehyde in any building materials. If a majority of the residential homes worked like this it would be easier to customize for the next homeowner. Other advantages of building this way are: Build off-site inside, eliminating exposure to the elements. Centralized building location minimizes construction waste to less than 10%. Building off-site reduces time + activity spent on site, lightening the environmental impact from construction. Designs are elegant (have an easier time achieving status quo), are energy–efficient, + environmentally responsible
Disadvantage
of
this
strategy:
May have harsh delivery impact, but over-time + with more success they can expand and make it local to everyone.
TRATEGY #2 TION FOR PROGRESS
“One key goal in the new green frontier is to create net zero carbon emission developments.” Method Homes
BIBLIOGRAPHY “About the Six Classes Approach.” SixClasses, Green Science Policy Institute, 25 July 2017, www.sixclasses.org/about. Berge, Bjorn, and Bjorn Berge. The Ecology of Building Materials, Taylor & Francis Group, 2009. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/. Francisco, Erick. “Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP).” SafetyCulture, safetyculture.com/checklists/site-waste-management-plan/. Methodhomes. “Design Build Source.” Method Homes, 17 Oct. 2012, methodhomes.net/architecture-source/. “Our Vision.” Our Vision | WRAP UK, The Waste and Resources Action Programme, 8 Sept. 2014, www.wrap.org.uk/about-us/about. “Sustainable Materials Management Coalition’s Guidance on Life-Cycle Thinking.” MDB, Inc., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 8 May 2018, www.michaeldbaker.com/portfolio-items/sustainable-materials-management-coalitions-guidance-life-cycle-thinking/. “Sustainable Materials Management: A Life-Cycle Perspective.” The EPA Blog, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 29 July 2014, blog.epa. gov/2014/07/29/sustainable-materials-management-a-life-cycle-perspective/. “Why Healthy Materials.” Healthy Materials Lab, Parsons School of Design, healthymaterialslab.org/. Wynveen, Brooklynn J. “Perceptions of Sustainability and Sustainable Living Among Non-Environmentally Motivated Individuals.” Society & Natural Resources 28 (12) 2015.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CORDELIA STANIFORD
After three long years at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, I will be finishing up my last this coming year. I am studying interior design and have loved [almost] every second of it. Materials hold an important place in my heart after going through this program. I have always been drawn to the creation and development of new material. Technology has brought material to an incredible place, though at times can be detrimental to the Earth. I enjoy studying new material and new ways of creation that actually give back to the environment. I look to the future in the hopes that society can adjust to the new technologies that lower the amount of building and product waste, the carbon footprint, and the amount of non-renewable and non-recyclable materials.