Reforestation is good. But saving trees is better.
What you can do to help the environment has as much to do with the resources you save as with those you use. And though many consider wood to be a relatively eco-friendly building material choice because it is renewable, we prefer to think that the better option would be to leave the trees in the forest in the first place. Considering it takes 20 mature trees to build a 2,000 square-foot house versus four junked automobiles, the pro-environmental choice is clear.
How QB’s EPS foam and steel walls compare
Resources used
- Positive use of heavy oil refining by-products
- Recycled-content steel
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Resources saved
- 20 mature trees per 2,000 square foot house
- 30% less fuel (oil, coal, natural gas) to heat
- 30% less greenhouse gas emissions from heating
- Every QB build is a custom build, thereby virtually eliminating materials waste and landfill
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In addition, QB structures are themselves fully recyclable: should the building ever be taken down, both the steel and the foam can be recycled to create other products.
Components
Steel
The steel industry is very aware of the need to reduce CO2 emissions and avoid the depletion of our natural resources. Involved in recycling and reuse initiatives since the turn of the century, the steel industry has reduced its energy consumption on several steel processes and its CO2 emission by more than 20% since 1990.
QB’s steel studs are made from varying percentages of recycled content depending on project specifications.
EPS foam
The material that forms EPS foam is a by-product of the petroleum refining process. Our wall panels are comprised of materials with no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) such as CFCs, HCFCs or formaldehyde. The benefit to the home dweller is a cleaner-air environment indoors as well, because EPS foam does not support moisture, bacterial growth and decay.