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Written on April 20, 2009 by Howard Newman
Eco One exceeds LEED standards by wide margin
CASE STUDY
By working with Eco One Solutions, Taulman Construction was able to recycle 96.2 percent of the waste and surplus materials from a recent laboratory renovation project at Yale University – while reducing recycling costs by 25 percent. In so doing, Taulman Construction not only earned extra LEED credits for the project, qualifying for an Innovation Credit for Exemplary Performance in Waste Management, but also significantly lessened the environmental impacts of the work.
“Eco One was the key to our success in reaching construction waste management and recycling goals,” said John F. Raccuia, president of Taulman Construction Company. “Their ability and willingness to educate and inform our subcontractors and staff is exceptional. Eco One’s expertise and their network of industry contacts are valuable resources.”
Recycled materials included concrete, masonry, wood, gypsum and cardboard (from new property packed in boxes). The higher recycling rate was the result of a more thorough sorting process, which also makes the materials more valuable to recycling companies.
Compared to a LEED MR2.1 rating (50 percent recycling), this project prevented the emission of 874 tons of greenhouse gases, equivalent to removing 46 cars from the road for one year.
EMISSIONS REDUCTION
Eco One Solutions/Taulman Construction recycling project at Yale University
Completed: Feb. 2009
Tonnage of recycled materials: 147
Building size: 7,600 sq. ft.
Recycling rate: 96.2%
Greenhouse gas reduction (compared to simple disposal, no recycling):
1,389 metric tons
Equivalent to removing 74 cars from the road for one year
Source for calculations: Northeast Recycling Council (www.nerc.org)
“These types of projects can have a huge positive impact on the environment,” explained Rick Roberts, project manager for Eco One Solutions, a subsidiary of Integrated Green Building Solutions, LLC. “For example, manufacturing new steel from scratch is far more energy intensive than producing it from recycled steel. The same holds true for all of the other recycled materials.”
As part of the project, more than 26 tons of furniture and other school property were recycled through charitable donations – instead of piling up in Connecticut landfills. In addition, Eco One monitored the indoor air quality (IAQ), creating a safer working environment for contractors and cleaner air for future occupants. An IAQ report that meets LEED specifications also earns additional LEED credits.
With New England rapidly running out of landfill space, high levels of recycling are more cost effective, and socially responsible, than ever before. That’s why the Eco One plan makes sense – for everyone.
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