LIHU‘E — Although the construction industry kept Kauai’s economy going through the pandemic, construction debris makes up almost a quarter of the Kekaha Landfill, and building materials and construction contribute 20% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
Building operations make up another 27%. This energy consumption with associated greenhouse gas emissions comes from the need to warm up and cool down the structure, especially when the building has not been designed to be efficient in terms of insulation and ventilation.
How can such a vital industry be made more sustainable? The Kaua‘i Climate Action Forum seeks to find answers to that question at its Sept. 14 forum:
Solutions to Increase Reuse and Minimize Waste in Construction at 6 p.m. Register at bit.ly/sustainableconstructionforum.
There are three parts to the forum — story-designing, building and tearing down. The speakers, Bundit Kanisthakhon, Amber Ternus, and Quinn Vittum address what can be done in each phase to make the process sustainable.
Kanisthakhon, an Assistant Professor at the UH Manoa School of Architecture designs, builds and teaches in Thailand and the U.S., with a specialty in building in tropical regions, and has built affordable residences with an emphasis on minimizing material waste and cost. Ternus works with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and collaborates with Bundit on post-disaster housing. Vittum is the founder and Executive Director of Re-use Hawai‘i, a non-profit organization on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island which offers deconstruction services and a redistribution center.
Source: The Garden Island
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