Greenovation

How green construction brings opportunities

for entreprenuers and small-scale builders

EcoBuild 2011

Jonathan Essex

BioRegional Development Group

Greenovation – new enterprise opportunities

1. Community Led Innovation opportunities

Entrepreneur or community-led enterprises

• Re-use of surplus building products

• Sustainable Retrofit – introducing Local United• Sustainable Retrofit – introducing Local United

2. Larger opportunities

• EcoPark for Social Enterprises

• Reclaimed materials

The Problem: Waste in the UK

•335 million tonnes of waste each year

Why Reuse – Why Focus on Resources?

waste each year

• 29.7 million tonnes of municipal waste

• 90 million tonnes of inert construction waste

As a society, we are consuming natural resources at an unsustainable rate … Our goal is to make the

UK Waste Hierarchy

As a society, we are consuming natural resources

Why Reuse – A Waste Priority

Our goal is to make the transition towards what the WWF and BioRegional call ‘One Planet Living’.

consuming natural resources at an unsustainable rate … Our goal is to make the transition towards what the WWF and BioRegional call ‘One Planet Living’.

Defra Waste Strategy (2007)

down-cycling

Why Reuse – Cut Embodied Carbon

Taken from the Low Carbon Construction Innovation and Growth Team Final Report, 2010

• Reduce Waste. There are surplus reusable items even on sites where waste prevention minimises packaging, damage and on-site waste.

• Save resources and ‘Embodied’ Carbon. Reuse is part of culture change towards preventing waste.

• Better Site Management. Research shows this is

Why Reuse – Construction Benefits

• Better Site Management. Research shows this is not a priority for most site managers – who need a simple solution, to collect from all sites in an area and reuse locally. SWMP and CSR.

• Business model is tried and tested in US.

• Utilise vacant land assets

• Reused Building Materials Cheaper than New

• Links to Trainee and Apprenticeship Schemes

Why Reuse – Wider Benefits

• Links to Trainee and Apprenticeship Schemes

Benefits to the GovernmentNI 006: Participation in regular volunteering

N117: 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education training or employment

NI151: Overall employment rate as a % of the working age population.

NI 153: Working age people claiming out of work benefits in the worst

Why Reuse – Create New Jobs

NI 153: Working age people claiming out of work benefits in the worst performing neighborhoods

As well as EnvironmentNI 193: Percentage of municipal waste landfilledNI 196: Improved street and environmental

cleanliness

"This course means the world to me because it's given me a direction and goal to fulfill. It's given me self motivation, sense of responsibility and new skills which I thought I could never have achieved." - StMungo’s Client

1. Community Enterprises in Construction

• Re-use of surplus building products

• Reclaimed materials - Timber Reuse and Recycling

• Sustainable Retrofit – introducing Local United

Barriers to Reuse ReIY Solutions

Time and Lack of commitment

Lack of space and

Can we fix it?

Lack of space and cost of land

Labour Intensive Process

Barriers to Reuse ReIY Solutions

Time and Lack of commitment

Reusing surplus product and

Yes We Can!

Lack of space and cost of land

Labour Intensive

product and reclamation are big opportunities to save waste, carbon and money.

Barriers to Reuse ReIY Solutions

Time and Lack of commitment

Efficient collection serviceReports for SWMPand CSR

Acquire Storage yard

Yes We Can!

Lack of space and cost of land

Acquire Storage yardPartner with LA, housing association, training centre

Labour IntensiveLabour (not plant/resource) intensive. Employ trainees and volunteers.

Solution: Reuse It Yourself Centres

Stores open so far:

Scotland www.yooz.me. South London www.arc-croydon.org.uk.

Kent www.concepttraining.co.uk

Middlesbrough www.rebne.co.uk.

Download Business Plan and How-To Guide

www.reiy.net

http://www.nef.org.uk/communities/local-united.html

www.nef.org.uk/communities/local-united.html.

Wider Set of Enterprise Packs available

www.communitywoodrecycling.org.uk

http://www.nef.org.uk/communities/local-united.html

Also transport, hydro, AD,

www.nef.org.uk/communities/local-united.html.

hydro, AD, wind and food enterprises.

2. EcoPark and wider challenges

• Reclaimed Materials - see www.salvoweb.com.

• EcoPark for Social Enterprises

Reuse and Recycling Projects

Social Enterprise EcoPark to maximise job creation, waste reduction and carbon saved

Social Enterprise EcoPark over 20 acres

London Reuse Network

© LCRN

Scaling up Reuse

© LCRN

Political buy-in for reuse

© LCRN

Capital consumption report (London)

Current drivers incentivise biomass

Overall

incentive

Reuse would create new jobs

25 jobs

2 – 4 jobs

1 job

EcoPark starting with empty site?

Or opportunity like this disused airfield?

Reuse empty land and buildings

www.meanwhile .org.ukwww.theplacestation.org.uk

Over to You.

Discussion.Discussion.