Eco-friendly and green building materials aren’t generally the first topic that comes up when people meet with a general contractor in Jackson, MS about a kitchen remodel, but that doesn’t mean that these beneficial choices aren’t open and available to anyone seeking to improve their home in a sustainable way. In fact, environmental stewardship is becoming a huge concern for many people—so much so that they’re incorporating it into their own living spaces in the form of green building materials and fixtures.
What exactly constitutes an eco-friendly building material? Well, to understand what makes a material eco-friendly, we need to go all the way back to where it was manufactured! It all begins with the raw material and the manufacturer that shapes and molds that material. For something to be considered eco-friendly, the manufacturer must meet five essential criteria:
- The manufacturing space must have exceptional air quality.
- Product resources (raw materials) must be harvested, managed, maintained and recycled appropriately.
- The manufacturer must, itself, be certified environmentally sound in its practices and policies.
- The manufacturer must be active within its community in creating sustainability, in all of its forms.
- Energy conservation and recycling programs must be in place for the manufacturer as they directly relate to the material.
By meeting all of these crucial points, a manufacturer can say that the products they’re creating are environmentally sound, thereby passing on a lower carbon footprint to whatever the product manufactured there goes on to become. For example, the factory built cabinets that you enjoy in your kitchen may be comprised of materials sourced from eco-friendly manufacturers—if they do and were assembled in a green-minded plant, you’ll be able to say that your purchase was a commitment to environmentally sound practices and a lower carbon footprint!
Why go green?
Now, a lot of this might sound like it’s not all that important or that it’s a scam to get you to buy something that’s more expensive, but the fact of the matter is that going green is the way of the future.
When your general contractor in Jackson, MS offers and explains the benefits of eco-friendly materials to you, it’s in an effort to pass on savings that you’ll continue to feel good about for as long as you own your home. Moreover, because the companies that produce green materials take pride in the products they’re creating and offering to customers, you can bet that the end result is a beautiful material that you’d be happy to have on display in your home!
Finally, if money is a big motivator for you, tax incentives may be a draw for you. Depending on what you have done to your home in the way of remodeling, renovating or adding, you might actually qualify for green building credits, which are tax write-offs that incorporate the use of green building materials and practices. Consult with your general contractor in Jackson, MS to see if you might qualify for these incentives, should you take the greener path.