Prudent Use of Natural Resources
The use of natural resources by the construction industry causes a range of environmental issues.
For example:
- In the UK we use too many resources - the amount of construction materials used annually is equivalent to 6 tonnes per head of population.
- We also generate too much waste - the construction industry generates approximately 98 million tonnes of waste each year.
- We take land - construction activities can result in the loss of natural habitats and as a consequence a decrease in biodiversity:
- In addition our Facilities Management activities also use natural resources, such as water and energy.
It is not only industry that has an impact. The way in which individuals live generates considerable environmental and social impacts. For example, the ecological footprint of the average person living in London is 6.63 global hectares compared to a global share per person of 2.18 global hectares. This means that each person requires an area equivalent to three times his or her equitable share of the planet’s resources. This demonstrates that we are using resources and generating wastes at a rate faster that the earth can sustain.
The main areas where we can protect our use of natural resources are as follows;
Please refer to the Atmospheric Emissions section for our report for details on our use of energy. |
