For over 40 years, the world has heard of the “3 R’s” (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) when teaching others about environmental consciousness. Indeed, these three little words have had a major impact on how citizens throughout the country view the environment. The underlying concept behind each word is so simple, it’s been taught to elementary school students for years!
Recently, though, a fourth “R” has been added to this mantra: Rebuy.
Like the other three, it’s instantly understandable. In fact, most of us have been doing this for years, although we’ve seen it referred to a variety of different things, based on the origin of the product in question…
- Post-Consumer content: refers to materials used from products that were once sold and used by consumers or businesses; normally, these products would be discarded as waste.
- Recyclable products: refers to new products that are (literally) made from recycled materials.
- Recycled-Content products: refers to products that are made from materials that were recycled; they may or may not have been once saleable products.
One of the largest benefits of any form of recycling in the construction industry is the energy savings realized by NOT having to convert raw materials into finished products. Among the most poignant examples is aluminum. Producing aluminum from recycled stock uses only 5% as much energy as would be required if starting with bauxite (ore). The elimination of mining, transportation, and production costs is passed onto the consumer. Thus, purchasing as many products as you can that are made of recycled material (in any of its forms) can help save money and the environment simultaneously!
The Coalition for Responsible Equitable Economic Development (CREED LA) supports and promotes the ideology the “4 R’s” represents, for both the construction industry and ordinary citizens.
We believe in environmentally-responsible projects throughout Los Angeles that not only have a positive impact on the local community, but support LA’s working families as well. Creed LA fights to ensure that developers pay fair wages to the hard working construction professionals throughout the industry while simultaneously providing them with quality health care, continued training, and trustworthy retirement plans.
To learn more about how our non-profit organization supports those building a better, greener world for us all, contact CREED LA at (877) 810-7473.