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In the second half of the 20th century the world population has doubled, food production tripled, energy use quadrupled and overall economic activity quintupled. Historically there has been a close correlation between economic growth and environmental degradation: as communities grow, so the environment declines.
There is concern that unless resource use is revised, modern civilisation will follow the path of ancient civilisations that collapsed through over-exploitation of |
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their resources. Approximately 47% of the world's forests have been lost to human use. Present day forests occupy about a quarter of the worlds ice-free land, with about half of the forest region occurring in the tropics.
Deforestation on a global scale is a major concern and a major contributing factor to climate change. Forests moderate the local climate and the global water cycle through their unique evapotranspiration and their light reflectance. They also conserve bio diversity, protect |
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water quality, preserve soil quality and purify the air. These free services to the ecosystem have no market value and so forest conservation has little appeal when compared with the economic benefits of logging which, through soil degradation and organic decomposition returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
About 90% of the carbon stored in land vegetation is locked up in the trees and they sequester about 50% more carbon than is present in the atmosphere. |
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Changes in current land use, contribute about 20% of the total global carbon emissions.
Climate change can be mitigated by sequestering carbon in afforestation schemes, plantations and minimising the use of timber products.
Over the next 50 years, the effective use of eco-friendly building products and replanting of tree's will absorb about 20% of man-made carbon emissions, providing long term solutions to protect our fragile eco systems. |
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As the earth's human population has increased andnatural ecosystems have declined, changes in the balance of natural cycles have had a negative impact on both humans and other living systems.
Humanity has been living unsustainably and returning the use of natural resources to within sustainable limits will require a major collective effort by all stakeholders.
Sustainability has become a wide-ranging term that should be applied to almost every facet of life on earth. |
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It
is within this framework that Envirodeck has aligned its product
lines and operations with regard to sustainability, by providing
environmentally sustainable decking products within
the current carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems.
Unlike
traditional harvested timber, Envirodeck composite decking
products are sustainable and not one tree has been felled for the
production of this product - something our endangered species are
thankful for. Composite products support sustainable architecture
and green building methods. |
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Eco-friendly products are described to have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment compared to competing products, yet they serve the same purpose.
Envirodeck is eco-friendly and green because Envirodeck is made from a total of
 95% recycled content
38% post consumer recycled content
57% pre-consumer recycled content |
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Informative Facts
The global savings through the recycling manufacturing processes equates to the following green stats:
The 38% post-consumer recycled content is equivalent of 57% - about two and a half times the required amount for green classification.
The process of making Envirodeck stops over 122 million kilograms of refuse from entering landfills every year (that’s the equivalent of 36 rugby fields stacked about 3 meters high). |
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The manufacturing of Envirodeck products conserves 5.3 trillion BTU's of energy per year.
A 12m² deck roughly contributes to the reduction of green house gasses by 280 kg, CO² equivalent, as well as the saving of 416 litres of fuel.
The volume of wood and plastic recycled annually is the same as removing almost 54 000 vehicles off the roads.
The use of recycled content lowers overall lifecycle costs, saves energy, reduces greenhouse gasses and waste, conserves future resources and creates jobs. |
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Envirodeck is an active green building member. Being a part of this local organisation enables us to make a difference and take a stance in recognising the impact of global warming, by striving to be an environmentally sustainable supplier to the building industry.
Envirodeck supports the philosophy of sustainable architecture by minimising the environmental impact of development, by enhancing the efficiency and moderation of the use of raw materials being used.
Effective green buildings are more than just a random collection of environmentally friendly technologies but rather an aim to use them to reduce the overall environmental impact of buildings. Envirodeck carefully considers its operating environment by focusing on the |
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various aspects of human consumption and ecological economics and streamlining its product offering to provide the latest in green solutions.
In line with the above, Envirodeck recognises that as an enterprise, it will cease to exist unless careful consideration of its global carbon footprint is constantly improved. Climate change threatens all life on earth. Progressive thinking and forward planning will help decline carbon emissions.
Changing the attitudes and behaviour of our customer base is the key to protecting and conserving our environment. With this realisation, Envirodeck supports tangible solutions to the problems faced with carbon footprint reduction.
Envirodeck
has partnered with CarbonWorx, a local
South African company that focus entirely on the reduction of carbon
emissions. |
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CarbonWorx is currently afforesting its first site in the Eastern Cape, Umtata.
Envirodeck
is committed to this initiative and for every 50m² decking
sold, we plant an indigenous tree; off-setting the carbon footprint of
Envirodeck as a company. We therefore not only supply green
products to help reduce deforestation of tropical forests but take
a proactive stance towards local afforestation.
We actively promote and encourage all stakeholders to click on the CarbonWorx link below and make a difference towards climate change. Global carbon emissions will peak by 2015 and the aim is for a steady decline thereafter.
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