construction industry activities are associated with different life sustainability problems
The construction industry is involved in the delegation and performance of several construction activities worldwide (Alaloul Et al., 2016). In most cases, the construction industry is concerned with infrastructure in the economic sector. On the other hand, the massive production of materials such as steel, cement, and other relevant materials used in building and construction is also evident under the construction industry. The industry uses different forms of energy in the production of these materials. Sustainability of life on earth allows people living on earth to live and undertake their daily operations to satisfy their daily needs without interfering with natural resources (Arora Et al., 2018). In this case, the current generation cannot cause effects on the next generation. However, it is hard to maintain and improve sustainability since there are sustainability challenges associated with the industry.
Often, construction industry activities are associated with different life sustainability problems. These problems are mostly associated with construction manufacturers and constructors (Sev, 2009). For instance, the manufacturing of construction materials such as steel involves the emission of dangerous and toxic gases into the atmosphere. These gases result in air pollution. In the long run, intensive pollution of air may lead to climate change. This will, in turn, affect the next generation since it will have a hard time dealing with climate change problems. Also, the manufacturing sector may pollute the soil and water during the disposal of industrial waste. Sometimes, such industries dump their wastes on earth services. Plastic waste pollutes land since the plastics cannot decompose. Furthermore, the disposal of waste into rivers and oceans affects the aquatic environment. Lastly, the massive construction of ground building leads to overexploitation of resources such as land and plants.
Due to the adverse effects of the construction industry activities on the environment, the next generation will be affected. The generation will fight to satisfy its daily needs alongside suffering the problem of scarcity in terms of resources. Therefore, to improve the sustainability of life on earth, the construction industry is obligated to operate in a way that there will be no inconveniences posted in the future generation (Sev, 2009). That is, the industry may provide solutions to the sustainability problems by working in compliance with life sustainability strategies. This paper identifies and illustrates ways in which the construction industry can contribute to improving the sustainability of life on earth during its operations. These ways are involved in regulating the exploitation of natural resources as well as minimizing and regulating the disposal of waste products.
Firstly, the implementation and use of vertical building designs may help maintain sustainability (Akadiri Et al., 2012). Generally, massive buildings and construction come along with the utilization of large pieces of land. During the installation, a lot of green vegetation is cleared to give room for the construction. Therefore, when vertical building design is used, a small piece of land will accommodate big structures. Such structures will be put up, and people will be satisfied in terms of shelter while the environment is also spared. By so doing, the ecological balance is also promoted, unlike in the case where there is no vertical construction of buildings on earth.
Secondly, the construction industry may contribute to solving sustainability problems through the use of permanent buildings. Temporary structures may not be suitable for the surroundings and to nature. When they are demolished after a particular time, the waste from the demolition may pollute the environment if not well disposed of (Jaillon Et al., 2009). On the other hand, the use of temporary buildings often raise demands for new structures after some time. This will involve the use of a lot of natural resources, which may cause a crisis for the next generation.
Therefore, permanent buildings allow for one-time exploitation of resources instead of repeated exploitation. Furthermore, permanent buildings are advantageous in contributing to life sustainability since the permanent structures can be re-used after the average life spans. For instance, if the purpose of the construction of a particular building is attained, the building may not be necessary. Therefore, when left unused, its permanent aspect allows that the building is used for other purposes instead of building new once.
The third way in which a construction industry may help improve the sustainability of life is by adequately managing its waste. The most substantial portion of life sustainability problems involves improper management of waste, which results in pollution in the environment (Robert & Richard, 2012). For instance, the emission of a lot of CO2 may cause global warming, a problem that will adversely affect the next generation. The industry itself is obligated to undertake the essential measures to ensure there is reduced emission of such gases into the air. Also, the industry should ensure that solid wastes are efficiently dumped. Some of the waste management strategies include the minimization of wastes. Wastes can be minimized through proper selection of the construction materials. That is, when recyclable materials are used in construction, the resulting waste is reduced. In general, elimination or reduction of waste is a great achievement in achieving a sustainable life.
Recycling of building materials is important in the sustainability of life (Jin, & Chen, 2015). For instance, when the building is demolished, the waste materials may be useful for putting up another structure. When the materials are recycled, the production of the materials in the industry is reduced. For example, if steel metals needed for construction can be easily obtained from demolished buildings, the industry may have no need to manufacture more steel. Consequently, air pollution and other forms of pollutions resulting from industrial manufacturing processes are reduced. Also, during recycling, the number of wastes to be dumped after demolition is less than the original wastes from the demolition. This makes it easy to implement proper strategies during disposal.
The efficient segregation of wastes is also an important aspect of the waste management perspective. To improve sustainability, the construction industry must have environmentally friendly ways of disposing of wastes (Robert & Richard, 2012). These ways need to comply with the expectation of the environmental impact assessment (EIA). That is, during waste disposal, the environment should not be adversely affected by the wastes. One of the ways to do this is by securing a disposal site that is free from any drainage and can accommodate specific types of wastes. Also, before disposing of bricks and other waste from a demolished building, the materials can be crushed into small pieces so that the space used by the waste is less. Thus the ecological balance is maintained.
Moreover, the industry may need to train its employees on proper waste disposal strategies. From the training, the employees may learn how to undertake appropriate segregation of wastes to reduce the level of adversity in affecting biodiversity. However, the industry may be obligated to do an employee performance analysis in terms of waste management. Rewarding and providing incentives to better-performing employees may contribute significantly to the industry’s improvement in the management and segregation of wastes. Lastly, the industry is required to design a waste management team to provide solutions to waste management problems. The team is essential since it takes responsibility for all the actions on waste management and may work towards ensuring improved sustainability on the earth. Individuals in this team must be professionals and understand the importance of proper waste management.
Another way to improve sustainability in the construction industry is by eliminating waste-generating and exploitative processes. In most cases, the use of wood in construction often results in a lot of wastes at the end of the building’s expected life span (Ansah Et al., 2015). Therefore, the industry can implement and insist on the use of recyclable materials. For example, the use of durable steel metals may be efficient since steel can be recycled. Therefore, by using such materials, the industry can eliminate wood wastes and ensure improved sustainability. This is because the strategy allows for reduced harvesting of trees in by the construction industry. Re-use may be the best alternative in cases where material cannot be recycled, which is also useful (Olivetti, & Cullen, 2018). The elimination of wood wastes is beneficial to the health of the people in the surroundings and the environment as well.
The fourth way of supporting the sustainability of life on earth in the construction industry is using the green building. The green building comprises of a structure and its processes. The processes involved in green buildings are environmentally friendly, responsible, and efficient in terms of resources throughout the building life cycle (Kibert, 2016). That is, the efficiency of resource use is evident in planning, designing, construction, operation, and maintenance, among other building processes. Maintaining an effective green structure will be valuable in the sustenance of life on earth with the help of contractors and the relevant authorities in the construction sector. The elements of green construction can best explain the importance of green building in the sustainability of life. Generally, the importance of green construction is that it enhances and protects the ecosystem and biodiversity. This is of significant contribution to sustainability. Also, the green building helps in reduction of wastes in the construction industry.
One of the elements in green building is energy. Green building sources its power from natural sources. Wind and sun are taken as an advantage in green construction to generate heat when necessary and to cool the environment whenever needed. In terms of material use, green building maximizes the use of high quality and non-toxic resources. Also, green-building embraces the use of materials that can easily be used or recycled (Kibert, 2016). This reduces material use, which results in less exploitation of resources from the environment. Finally, green building has proper waste management strategies, which are essential in reducing pollution and destruction of biodiversity. All these elements are focused and aim at attaining excellent ecosystem balance and biodiversity conservation. On the other hand, in green building, the health of the occupant is considered paramount. Therefore, it is clear that green building is beneficial as far as life sustainability is concerned.
Apart from the implementation of green building, the natural building may also play an essential role in improving sustainability. Therefore to aid sustainability, the natural construction focusses on the use of natural resources and materials that are available locally (Sukalo, 2016.). The natural building aims to employ the use of materials that are less processed, use renewable sources, and use recycled materials. In the long run, healthy living is attained as well as the maintenance and enhancement of the ecological system and biodiversity. Since technology is mostly responsible for the production of many pollutants, natural building avoids pollution by employing human labor during construction other than using technology. Therefore, natural building, just like green building, appreciates the natural environment and has no adverse effects on it. This kind of building has advantages for future generations since they will be able to enjoy great and enhanced natural resources. The construction industry uses this strategy to provide a positive contribution to the improvement of sustainability.
Furthermore, the construction industry can discourage innovations and encourage the utilization of the existing infrastructure to promote sustainability. While fighting towards people’s satisfaction in the construction industry, the industry is often forced to undertake a lot of innovations (Porter Et al., 1995). The changes are useful in attaining the desired satisfaction on the customer’s side. These innovations generally occur in correspondence with the advancement in technology. However, most of these innovations contribute negatively to the environment and sustainability. For instance, innovations in the production processes in the construction industry may adversely affect the environment. For example, in cement production, a lot of toxic gases are emitted into the air. Other toxic solid materials are also produced as wastes and affect biodiversity. That is, the wastes from innovative processes pollute the environment.
Also, the innovation process requires a lot of testing before it is implemented. Testing and implementation of innovations may be exploitative and may affect the use of natural resources. This will inconvenience the future generation since the scarcity of resources may result. Lastly, when more construction materials are innovated, industrial manufacturing processes also increase (Smith & Crotty, 2008). During manufacturing, most of the machines in the industry use fuel to run. The utilization of fuel such as petrol may result in toxic gases which are emitted to the atmosphere. Massive emissions may cause global warming problems, which will affect future generations. Therefore, the construction industry should use other means to attain the desired sustainability apart from innovations. Alternatively, the industry may use human power in its operations.
The construction industry can also promote the sustainability of life by designing and implementing individual policies and initiatives to protect the environment. The systems act as a framework followed in the construction industry and helped to ensure compliance of the construction processes with the environmental conservation measures (Bohari Et al., 2015). Therefore, contractors and other relevant authorities in the industry must ensure that proper policies and initiatives are designed. However, if they fail to do so, there are high risks that may be caused by unconscious constriction processes and activities. The risks may adversely affect and destroy the natural environment in the long run. Therefore, the policies should state the industry’s basic commitments while working towards attaining a conserved environment. In order to achieve the aim of the policies, an organizational tool may be significant. In this case, the Environmental Management System (EMS) may be used to ensure that the responsibilities stated in the policies are adhered to in all industry processes (Ann Et al., 2006). Several initiatives may help the industry to contribute positively towards the attainment of improved sustainability.
One of the initiatives is machine anti-idling initiatives. This initiative discourages idling of equipment. In most cases, idling machines utilizes fuel and lead to high costs. Apart from creating cost problems, the machines produce toxic gases as a result of fuel consumption (Allwood Et al., 2010). Therefore, discouraging idling is essential in discouraging excessive emission of toxic gases into the atmosphere. Employee training initiative is also important. Under this initiative, the employees are provided with kits that help them solve emergency problems in case of spillage. By so doing, environmental pollution is reduced. The employees will also be able to understand environmental conservation procedures. Hence, contributing to best performance as far as protection of natural resources is concerned. On the other hand, in some chemical storage areas in the construction industries, spillage is often normal. However, these spillages are dangerous to the environment. For instance, spillage of acidic materials may pollute the soil. Therefore, it is important that the industry comes up with Spillage Prevention Countermeasures and control (SPCC) (Rule, 2018.). SPCC will help in preventing such spillages. Furthermore, in case of spillages, SPCC will provide procedures for solving the problem before causing great harm to the environment.
Lastly the construction industry may contribute towards improving sustainability by getting involved in environmental campaigns. Attendance of improved sustainable life on earth demands from an increased conservation of environment alongside enhancement of natural resources. Therefore, the construction industry can go beyond its responsibility boundaries and conduct environmental conservation campaigns in the world. These campaigns aim at creating awareness on the adverse effects of overexploitation of natural resources and destruction of the environment (Raynsford, 2000, November). The campaigns will also provide necessary measure that will help in conserving the environment. Finally, the ways of restoring natural resources will be illustrated. In performance of these campaigns, the construction industry comes up with a campaign team that will help in undertaking the necessary activities. More so, the industry is obligated to cover for all the campaign costs. In this way, the construction industry acts as a role model in terms since the campaigns act as a symbol of environmental concern. Therefore, in the long run, the environmental efficiency and improved sustainability is stained.
Conclusion
Sustainability of life on earth is highly demanding especially in relation to the industrial sector. For instance, the construction industry has a great obligation in improving the sustainability. In most cases, the industrial processes in the construction industry negatively affect the sustainability as measured by the use and exploitation levels of natural resources. For example, in production of construction metal such as steel, toxic emissions often results. Therefore, the industry can contribute to the sustainability by solving the environmental problems and negative effects that its processes have on the environment. The solutions are classified into reduction of pollution and reduction of exploitation of natural resources. One of the ways in which the industry contributes to sustainability is through the use of vertical building designs to reduce exploitation of natural resources. The second way is the use of permanent buildings to reduce more exploitation of resources since the buildings can be used for other purposes after the actual purpose is attained.
The third important way of contributing to sustainability is proper maintenance of waste within the construction industry. This is done through elimination of toxic processes, recycling, re-use of materials and proper segregation of wastes. The fourth strategy is the use of both green building and natural building in the construction industry. The two are important since they are environmentally friendly. The other way is implementation of policies and initiatives guide the exploitation of resources. The policy helps in regulating the exploitation levels of natural resources. The initiatives guide the actions taken by employees to control and solve environmentally hazardous problems in the industry. Lastly, the industry may sponsor and implement worldwide campaigns against overexploitation of resources. The campaigns create awareness and provide procedures for restoring the natural environment. Generally, the construction industry can greatly support the improvement of sustainability of life by solving environmental problems within the industry.