Title: Reading and Audio Visual
Course: GFM 101 Fundamentals of Green Facilities Management > Section: GFM 101 Fundamentals of Green Facilities Management

Reading and Audio Visual

“Cradle – To – Cradle” Approach

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As the growing global economy expands the demand for raw materials, it is no longer sensible to throw away much of what we consider construction waste. Using a "cradle-to-cradle" approach, the "waste" from one generation can become the "raw material" of the next.

When developing specifications, product descriptions and standards, consider a broad range of environmental factors including: waste prevention, the use of recycled content (see EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines), environmental preferability, energy & water efficiency, and other factors such as life-cycle cost and end-of-life options.

During the construction/renovation design and development process, federal projects must have a comprehensive, integrated perspective that seeks to:

- Salvage and utilize existing facilities, products, and equipment whenever possible, such as historic structures, previous brownfield or greyfield sites, and reconditioned fixtures and furnishings.
- Evaluate the environmental preferability of products using lifecycle thinking and lifecycle assessment (LCA).
- When new materials are used, maximize their recycled content, especially from a post-consumer perspective.
- Specify materials harvested on a sustained yield basis such as lumber from third-party certified forests.
- Encourage the use of recyclable assemblies and products that can be easily "de-constructed" at the end of their useful lives.
- Limit construction debris, encourage the separation of waste streams, and encourage recycling during the construction process.
- Eliminate the use of materials that pollute or are toxic during their manufacture, use, or reuse.
- Give preference to locally produced products and other products with low embodied energy content.

Click here to read definition of Cradle-to-cradle design.
Click here to read definition of Optimize Building Space and Material Use.

Video on World’s First Specifically Designed “Cradle-to-Cradle” Product.

Click here to view video on World’s First Specifically Designed “Cradle-to-Cradle” Product.