The 15 diverse projects in the Design for Reuse Primer demonstrate new models of “building green.” Material reuse is always integral to a sustainable vision of how to tread lightly on the earth, be economically pragmatic, and nurture a community. From a school for children with learning differences to a center for holistic living, these case studies are intended to provide insights about the material reuse process in a wide variety of context. By discussing the challenges and demonstrating the benefits of reclaimed materials, we hope to demystify and inspire reuse.

The Design for Reuse Primer is part of a larger initiative to bring reuse stories to light. Stay tuned in the coming months for best practices from industry leaders, links to resources, and more stories from the field.

Construction activities like clearing, excavating and grading significantly disturb soil and sediment. If that soil is not managed properly it can easily be washed off of the construction site during storms and pollute nearby water bodies.

The final rule requires construction site owners and operators that disturb one or more acres to use best management practices to ensure that soil disturbed during construction activity does not pollute nearby water bodies.

In addition, owners and operators of sites that impact 10 or more acres of land at one time will be required to monitor discharges and ensure they comply with specific limits on discharges to minimize the impact on nearby water bodies. This is the first time that EPA has imposed national monitoring requirements and enforceable numeric limitations on construction site stormwater discharges.

Soil and sediment runoff is one of the leading causes of water quality problems nationwide. Soil runoff from construction has also reduced the depth of small streams, lakes and reservoirs, leading to the need for dredging.

More information: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/guide/construction

While the push is on to green buildings, the RSC Equipment Rental firm has devised a new service to help reduce the environmental impact of a key component of construction: It tracks the emissions of every diesel unit that rolls out of its lots around the country.

Owens Corning is teaming up with one of the country’s largest environmental services companies for a new program aimed at reducing the amount of used asphalt roofing shingles sent to landfills.

Owens Corning will introduce its national shingle recycling program in the Midwest before rolling it out to the rest of the U.S. The company’s Preferred Roofing Contractors who pledge to recycle their shingle tear-offs will be able to take them to drop-off recycling and processing centers provided by Heritage Environmental Services. Rollout of the program will depend on participation and reaction from contractors and homeowners.

Concrete — the main downstream product for cement — is the world’s second most consumed material behind water, but its recycling rate varies wildly by region.

The Netherlands, for example, banned concrete waste from entering landfills so nearly all concrete is recycled. On the other end of the spectrum, data suggest Spain and Portugal recover just a fraction of the construction and debris waste generated in the two countries.

A coalition of cement companies called the Cement Sustainability Initiative wants to reduce the concrete landfill rate to zero by boosting awareness of the benefits of reusing concrete in a new report, “Recycling Concrete.”

“This proposal builds a foundation for cleaner streams and greener neighborhoods through improved treatment technologies and prevention practices,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA’s assistant administrator for water.

In addition, for certain large sites located in areas of the country with high rainfall intensity and soils with a high clay content, stormwater discharges from the construction site would be required to meet a numeric limit on the allowable level of turbidity, which is a measure of sediment in the water. In order to meet the proposed numeric turbidity limit, many sites would need to treat and filter their stormwater discharges.

Construction activities such as clearing, excavating and grading significantly disturb the land. The disturbed soil, if not managed properly, can easily be washed off the construction site during storms and enter streams, lakes, and other waters. Stormwater discharges from construction activities can cause an array of physical, chemical and biological impacts.

Sediment is one of the leading causes of water quality impairment nationwide, including reducing water depth in small streams, lakes and reservoirs.

Information on the proposal: http://www.epa.gov/ost/guide/construction/

Featured presenters include Tyree Guyton of the Heidelberg Project, Detroit Michigan; Jay Williams, Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio; Rick Lowe of Project Row Houses, Houston, Texas and Michael W. Groman of the Philadelphia Green Program.

The conference will include several course tracks to highlight innovative practices in building reuse and vacant property stabilization around the country. You can continue to learn about these issues and to apply what you’ve learned at an optional training titled Designing A Project For Deconstruction which will be held on Wednesday, November 19th. The training will be a mix of presentations, Q&A, a hands-on job-site visit with exercises for participants, and a general forum for discussion.

Participants are also encouraged to attend pre-and post-conference tours of the city which will highlight the important stories of Buffalo and the city’s incredible architecture, as well as stories of both persistent decline and new hope, largely emerging from citizen-led revitalization efforts.

The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Buffalo. Please contact us with questions or sign up today for the early registration price.

Every business looks for a trademark, and Matthew Danchanko has spent five years toiling to make quality the mark of his general contracting company in Johnstown.

But since last week, the most discernible quality of Danchanko Inc. might be that its dump truck smells like french fries.

With diesel costs climbing locally to nearly $4.90 a gallon, Danchanko began researching biodiesel and invested about $3,500 in the equipment and supplies he needed. Biodiesel is made through a process of straining used cooking oil – procured from restaurants for a small fee – that is mixed with select additives.

EPA Region 7 has developed fact sheets to inform plumbing, heating and cooling contractors who repair or replace mercury-containing gas regulators, pressure gauges, heat generators and thermostats about the health risks and liability issues associated with a mercury release.

The fact sheets (http://www.epa.gov/region07/mercury/#contractors) were created to help prevent mercury releases, which present a serious environmental and health problem. The information describes to contractors how to properly dismantle, contain and dispose of mercury-containing units. The fact sheets also provide information on how to clean up mercury releases, health effects of a mercury release, who to contact if there are questions, and how to report a release.