Local/Regional Materials

From Swikipedia

Introduction

Local or regional materials are the ones which are manufactured and/or extracted within a defined radius of the building site.

For a building to be sustainable, one of the major factors is the procurement of the building materials. Use building materials that are locally manufactured or using products that contain raw materials that are locally harvested, extracted or recovered, prove to be a more sustainable option. “Local” is generally defined as within a day’s drive. For example, the US Green Building Council defines local materials as those that are manufactured, processed and/or extracted within a 500-mile radius of the site.

Use of regional materials is considered a sustainable building strategy due to the fact that these materials require less transport, reducing transportation-related environmental impacts. Additionally, regional materials support local economies, supporting the community goal of sustainable building.

The main attribute of this strategy is to reduce embodied energy associated with the transportation of goods and also to stimulate local economies.

The rating system LEED India, gives points for using locally manufactured or extracted products. It gives one point each for using 20% or 50% products manufactured, extracted or recovered within a range of 800 kms.

References:

http://www.seattle.gov/DPD/GreenBuilding/OurProgram/Resources/Greenbuildingglossary/default.asp

http://www.greenmatrix.net/topic_right.asp?tp_key=33

http://www.igbc.in/site/mmbase/attachments/48344/LEED.Abrid_Ver.pdf