Greenwash Watch: 12 Ways Vinyl Siding is Green
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10. 3.08
Somewhere in Washington, perhaps in a gracious vinyl-clad manse like the one above, resides the Vinyl Siding Institute, bravely lobbying away to promote the wonders of its miracle product. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Someone has to let the world know that vinyl siding is really green. Like Wonderbread for the housing industry, it builds green houses in 12 different ways:
* Can contribute to points in leading green building programs
* Boosts a home’s R-value
* Generates less waste during manufacturing
* Produces little waste when installed
* Requires few resources to maintain beauty
* Is engineered to last
* Offers better environmental performance
* Balances economic with environmental performance
* Contributes less to global warming than brick
* Releases fewer toxic chemicals than other exterior cladding through its life-cycle
* Emits less dioxin than other exterior cladding
* Installs safely
It's all in their "green" paper, written by "Tad Radzinski, P.E., LEED AP, founder and president of Sustainable Solutions Corporation, who has served as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Waste Minimization Program National Expert " and who is a man with a vivid imagination.
He actually proposes that vinyl siding would qualify for LEED points for being local, recycled and energy efficient. You can download this epic greenwash here
No mention is made of the fact that "The production of PVC and its feedstocks, vinyl chloride monomer and ethylene dichloride results in the release of hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment each year, mainly in poor, communities of color in the Louisiana and Texas. PVC production is also a large source of dioxin into the environment." or that "Because of its majority chlorine content, when PVC burns in fires two extremely hazardous substances, hydrogen chloride gas and dioxin are formed which present both acute and chronic health hazards to building occupants, fire fighters and surrounding communities. In addition, when PVC burns, some 100 different toxic compounds are produced." ::Greenpeace via ::Kelly at Green Daily
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- De-facto Commercial Construction Moratorium: What Good May Come For Sustainable Development?
- Away We Go Green: Focus Features Production Embraces More Sustainable Filmmaking
- Green These Popular Last Minute Gifts
- Underwriters Laboratories Introducing Green Label
Dem Candidate Called "Wacky" For Suggesting People Walk or Ride Bikes
|
Too Little, Too Late? McCain v. Obama on Global Warming
|
It would be nice to see an impartial study of what makes the most sense for housing. Our last house had 60 year old cedar shakes on it that required painting with oil stain approximately every 3 years. If I needed to paint it 10 times in the 30 years that vinyl siding would have lasted, does the paint manufacturing outweigh the environmental impact of the vinyl siding? And it was around $4k a time for the painting for the labor and materials.
Our current house has vinyl siding that will never need painting and I assume could be recycled in thirty years when it needs to be replaced.
I don't know what option is best.
There are a lot of "artificial" things out there that actually have less impact on the environment than their "natural" counterparts. You don't just say something is "green" because it is more "natural"; you always have to look at logistics and then you really have a good idea of how much environmental impact something has.
@ Ken Clive
There's nothing wrong with your point, but the article actually doesn't say anything about - or even implies - that "artificial" things always have more impact on the environment.
Logistics is important, but analyzing it isn't nearly enough to give you a good idea how green a product or material is. As the article says in the context of PVC, release of pollutants and hazardous substances during the production, use and disposal is an essential factor.
We have poisoned the planet enough. Now that we are learning that the combined effects of all this poisoning are deep and widespread; twice and many girls as boys are born to some Innuit groups in Greenland. One source of sex-change chemistry is the plasticizer used in soft PVC. There are plenty of cladding options without using sex-change chemistry. The real excuse is that PVC is cheap.
I just learned about how to improve my green life style by changing the interior of my home by taking the Body Burden Test at Sloan Barnett's site. I think interior change is just as important to focus on exterior improvements. Her book "Green Goes With Everything" has helped my family and I make these adjustments. I was highly impressed with her expertise.
Both sides of this argument are not covering some key points.
Vinyl siding has a very large weight percent of titanium dioxide, which is also very energy intensive to make (like chlorine). TiO is not "locally produced" In other words the supply chain effects area not covered.
When speaking of recycled content are they including actual recycled vinyl siding or another vinyl waste source?
Design life of vinyl siding is many decades. What happens when large volumes of it need replacing?
I just learned about how to improve my green life style by changing the interior of my home by taking the Body Burden Test at Sloan Barnett's site. I think interior change is just as important to focus on exterior improvements. Her book "Green Goes With Everything" has helped my family and I make these adjustments. I was highly impressed with her expertise.
Tad may have missed the note that the USGBC (LEED) sent out claiming PVC the largest materials health hazard in construction materials today. Manufactoring, life degridation, and disposal are all problematic with vinyl.
Vinyl love: I'm not feeling it, are you (out there)?
I would like to ask Kevin Clive to give one example of an "artificial, green" product that surpassed it's "natural" counterpart in sustainability. I'm not attacking, just trying to open didactic dialogue.
As for vinyl, let's try to analyze the impact: Look at its embodied energy, its extraction source, its pollution trail, its recycleability, its off-gassing, as Lloyd (thanks for standing up) has begun to do. Then make a comparison to metal or wood. I'll admit it may win in performance, but then it fails in most other categories.
But houses aren't race cars, are they? Therefore the term "green" -- when related to the components that clad our intimate places of habitation -- must not exclude the fact that there are real human visceral responses and sensitivities to materials in there context. Our experiences do impact our kids, nature (the thing that keeps us alive and human), and (if you have any, membership is optional) spiritual beliefs.
(Imagine a vinyl-sided church, or better yet, teahouse)
"There are a lot of "artificial" things out there that actually have less impact on the environment than their "natural" counterparts. You don't just say something is "green" because it is more "natural"; you always have to look at logistics and then you really have a good idea of how much environmental impact something has."
As someone who has watched the ecosystem of her family's home, southwest Louisiana, destroyed by the production of vinyl (among other things) I can say that vinyl is indeed one of the most evil substances produced by man.
I can not express in words how vile this substance is.
In principle, I agree... a thorough analysis of anything is needed to determine it's "greenness". But the analysis is IN on vinyl. It is in NO WAY "green". The damage it causes to the environment and people in it's production and destruction can NEVER be justified by it's greenwashed value during it's life span.
For a dramatic perspective, rent "Blue Vinyl".
Anyone who has any thoughts about using or specifying any vinyl (vinyl, PVC, etc) on their homes or projects should check this movie out FIRST!
An independent film by a curious mind (and I don't know her or get any kickback for saying this - I just caught the film one day and think it's important enough that everyone in this country should watch it and better understand all facets of plastics and manufacturing of them)...
Blue Vinyl
Look it up, rent it, buy it, borrow it...just watch it.
Vinyl love: I'm not feeling it, are you (out there)?
I would like to ask Kevin Clive to give one example of an "artificial, green" product that surpassed it's "natural" counterpart in sustainability. I'm not attacking, just trying to open didactic dialogue.
As for vinyl, let's try to analyze the impact: Look at its embodied energy, its extraction source, its pollution trail, its recycleability, its off-gassing, as Lloyd (thanks for standing up) has begun to do. Then make a comparison to metal or wood. I'll admit it may win in performance, but then it fails in most other categories.
But houses aren't race cars, are they? Therefore the term "green" -- when related to the components that clad our intimate places of habitation -- must not exclude the fact that there are real human visceral responses and sensitivities to materials in there context. Our experiences do impact our kids, nature (the thing that keeps us alive and human), and (if you have any) spiritual beliefs.
(Imagine a vinyl-sided church, or better yet, teahouse)
We live in a vinyl-sided house (covering the original painted redwood siding) and while I would love to take it off and probably will for a variety of reasons, I feel greatly bothered by the fact that it will have no other destination than the landfill.
As far as adding R-value, the increase for our house is due much less to the vinyl itself than the layer of 3/4" foam installed underneath. I've also found moisture damage underneath the vinyl, whether due to installation problems or powerwashing by previous owners (don't do this if you have vinyl siding!).
Finally, I heartily agree that visceral responses to materials matters -- living in a plastic house doesn't feed the soul!
Thank you all for posting thoughtful points and for questioning the truth value behind the claims. I have a further question about the recycling claim: Are PVC or any of its vinyl counterparts even recycled in practice? I know none of the municipalities I've lived in accept it for recylcing (much like Polystyrene, LD Polyethylene, and Polypropylene... all of which are more recyclable than vinyls). Comments? Insights?
As a juror on an arson-related civil trial some years ago, i heard about disadvantages of vinyl. Very toxic and fast-burning, if ever there's a fire. Also, needs replacing more often than i'd care to bother with. Maybe today it's different, but no thanks as far as i'm concerned.
Vinyl siding starts breaking down with weather from the moment it is made. Not only does it emmit dangeous chemicals to the oustside air but it traps them inside the box of your home. Because most vinyl sided homes are sided on all sides- you've created a cancer box- so everyone living & breathing inside will get to enjoy the lovely PVC off-gasig as well as going through Chemo on down the road. Sounds like a winner of a product to me
From what I see these are the facts:
1. Blue Vinyl= 1970's facts and figures
2. Recyclable- Vinyl and Aluminium are the only recyclable claddings
3. No mainenence- Paint and Caulk for most claddings, ever seen a paint plant- most are title five regulated, you can find all the data through your "right to know"
4. CHECK OUT BEES- LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE, it is free, you can run LCA on any product you want instead of guessing- which is what you are doing here- http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees/
5. Almost zero manufacturing waste, raw materials transported via rail, lighter to transport.
I am actually embarrased for many of you, this should be a more scientific site. You are obviously thinking with your heart and not your mind.