Page 39 - Green Builder April 2017 Issue

Mixed blessing. There’s a reason “perfectly good” vinyl and wood IG windows often end up at Habitat for Humanity ReStore facilities. Even
if the windows appear perfectly functional, their IG seals are in a race against time. If the window is 20 years old, they could fail any time.
CREDIT: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RESTORE
larger than homes from the 1940s. With a projected lifespan of less That’s 90,000 tons, or as much pollution as 15,000 cars each year
than 20 years, window glazings from 1970 have already failed, and for the glass alone, not including production of new frames and
ones from 1990 are probably on the verge. spacers, transport and resource extraction.
In a good year, U.S. builders pull more than 1 million new housing
permits. Assuming insulated glazings fail as expected, 8 million TIME TO CLOSE THE LOOP
windows (eight windows or more per unit) per year are headed Clearly, this can’t go on. It’s wasteful, and I’d be willing to bet that
for the landfill or recycling. Simply recycling 23 percent of them most homeowners with aging windows have no idea that their
will create 29 million pounds of CO2 pollution. Producing the windows are designed to fall in about the time it takes to raise a
other 77 percent with virgin glass will produce about 25 lbs of CO2 kid to college age. Also, think about the poor first-time buyer who’s
per window (glass only), or 154 million lbs of CO2 pollution. Total excited about the deal he’s getting on his 20-year-old ranch. Little
environmental cost: 183 million pounds of CO2 per year. does he know he may be shelling out thousands more over the next

www.greenbuildermedia.com Special Awards Issue 2017 GREEN BUILDER 37

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