From Food Miles to Bathroom Tiles: Embodied Energy and Sustainability in the Food and Housing Industries

As a foodie and an avid cook I have long beenbeing made in design, construction and renovation
aware of organic food production, local foodwith affordable and green solutions now
movements and seasonal eating as a way toavailable.   Within the building construction
reduce my carbon footprint.  I am aware thatindustry there are some very successful
there is much more to the picture than I reallyprograms such as Leadership in Energy and
know when simply chopping up kale at home orEnvironmental Design (LEED), R-2000 and its
shopping for the best head of garlic at my localexport version called Super-E, Built Green Canada
market.  Food requires water, labour and energyand Energy Star, to name a few.  There are also
to be produced, and then even more energy tospecific building standards in place such as the UK's
be harvested, processed, packaged andCode for Sustainable Homes (CFSH).  These
transported to my local grocery store.programs provide builders with standards and
In living green, some of us may attempt to eatguidelines that aid them in building more energy
mindfully by buying organic produce or free-rangeefficient structures.
meats.  However, have we ever really thoughtOne of the most challenging aspects of energy
about how much energy is expended to process,efficient home building is the purchasing and use
package and deliver our food or how much fuel isof materials.  Each choice contains hidden
burned to transport our oranges and broccoliimpacts.  Imagine the evaluation of whether the
from warmer climates during the winterbuilder will use wood or concrete to build the
months?  A significant amount of energy is usedhome: Wood is commonly known as a less
to put food on our tables, and not just theenergy intensive material as it sequesters carbon
energy that our refrigerators require to keep itdioxide and its processing and harvesting produces
fresh or the energy used by our stoves to cookfewer emissions and pollution than the
it.  This expenditure is commonly known asmanufacturing of cement and concrete.  Materials
‘embodied energy', or ‘food miles' whenlike drywall and cement are ample and locally
concerning food, and it refers to the amount ofavailable but the process of manufacturing drywall
energy required to produce, supply, use, and thenand cement and the disposal of these materials is
dispose of the product.energy intensive.  Add transportation to the
For the conscientious foodie who wants to reduceequation and the carbon footprint of your home
their carbon footprint, there are programs in placebecomes much larger.  Hardwood flooring is a
such as the 100 Mile Diet or Slow Food.  Thesepopular choice for interiors but, in using it, we are
programs demonstrate that buying locally candepleting hardwood resources.  Bamboo flooring
reduce our greenhouse gas emissions whilehas become a popular alternative to hardwood as
supporting the local economy at the same time. it is a renewable resource that, once harvested,
However, it is not only in the area of foodcan regenerate quickly.  However, the majority
production that changes are being made toof bamboo flooring products are manufactured in
reduce our carbon footprint.  Steps are beingAsia and then shipped to the local markets.  Thus
taken across all sectors.the transport of this product can create a
I speak the language of food.  My father, on thedilemma for green-minded builders.
other hand, prefers to talk construction.  InSo how does the builder get around this?  By
conversation with him this week we discussed thebuying locally, by reclaiming and recycling local
similarities between green programs in place withinmaterials, or by offsetting the energy used during
the food and housing construction industries.the transport of more sustainable but
My father has been working in the energyforeign-sourced materials.   Clearly, a lot of
efficient home-building industry for over 35thought and analysis is required.
years.  And just like I take a longer look at theFrom food miles to bathroom tiles, the food and
produce I buy, my father considers location, cost,building industries are just two examples of where
and energy efficiency when he sets out to build aresearch and evaluation is occurring and
home.environmental impacts are being considered and
For the last few years my father has beendecreased.  With my closeness to both industries,
involved in a Super-E housing project in Aberdeen,I enjoy working for Harvest Power and Fraser
Scotland.  He has seen the opportunities and alsoRichmond Soil & Fibre as we are rounding
faced the challenges associated with buildingout the other half of the energy efficient
sustainably both locally and abroad.  With housingequation:  Our anaerobic digestion technology
consuming over 17% of Canada's secondaryharnesses energy from food scraps produced by
energy and commercial buildings consuminghomeowners to power their energy-efficient
another 14%, the construction industry plays ahouses; then the compost is used to grow more
major role in reducing our use of energy andfood locally.  The recycling of organic waste not
carbon-based fossil fuels.only frees up space in our landfills, it also
Gone are the days of grand old drafty brickcontributes to a more responsible disposal and
houses that burn oil for heat and have terracottawaste management process… and gives us all a
bathroom tiles imported from Italy. Changes arelittle something back.