IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A LIST OF PROMINENT SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS COMMONLY USED IN BUILDING A BASIC HOME?

The issue is that there isnt a list of prominent sustainable materials commonly used in a basic home. Of course depending upon how you define sustainable.

Responsibly harvested timber is - but how much of it is responsible harvested? Timber is a renewable recourse that is low in embodied energy and if the forests are harvested responsibly then this is perhaps the single most sustainable material we have. And if we use this as out benchmark, the only way is down.

Like I said - It also depend on how you define sustainable.

Bricks and concrete will both last a very long time, however are also both very high in embodied energy. Considering that our buildings produce as much as 40% of Australia's emissions, materials need to be low in embodied energy, or offset economically to be 'sustainable'.

Sustainable materials and products that are commonly used and benefit the householder and the environment include:

Timber - floors, frames, trusses, doors, architraves, skirtings etc Insulation Solar hot water systems Photovoltaic panels for many areas of Australia (not common though) Most Rain Water tanks Most Grey water systems Some energy efficient windows (aluminium is very high in embodied energy) I guess you could say that plasterboard is sustainable, some low-toxic paints are.

A great way to build a sustainable house is in kit form because there is very little waste, and we can easily waste 10% of materials on many building sites.

If there was a system in place where we could offset the embodied energy in our homes I guess you could almost say materials like bricks and concrete could be sustainable. Just so you know a rough estimate in cost to offset emissions from the construction of a new home is around $5,000. Compared to the cost to offset a flight from Hobart to Melbourne on Virgin for around $2.00

A very good resource to compare materials is ecospecifier - do a google search.

I don't think this is the answer you may have been expecting - But perhaps because it is such a good and important question, and that we don't have a straightforward answer is highlighting part of the problem we are facing.

For more info, you can what could well be the best value Guide on sustainable housing via download at:

http://www.sunrisehomes.net.au/bloogoocms/asp/print_template.asp?articleID=161

Author: Libe Chacos
Ph 03 6229 4447 - www.sunrisehomes.net.au