Growing The Wave Of Sustainability In The Wanaka Building Sector
We know that we won’t be the only ones who have spent the last few weeks taking stock and reevaluating what’s important to our business for the future. For us, one issue that we continue to revisit is how we can best support sustainability in the construction industry.
Luckily here in Wanaka we don’t have to look far to find other individuals who are also working towards this shared goal of improved sustainability. In 2018, the Better Building Working Group was established by a diverse range of individuals from the sector and we are proud to be an active member. This working group has three priorities - building code reform, improved material waste management and addressing mental health in the sector.
The mental health issue in construction is a concerning one with the 2019 BRANZ Report stating that the building industry had the highest rate of suicide out of any sector in NZ. Our Director Mark is passionate about the mental health of the sector and as a boss, he places a huge emphasis on supporting the mental wellbeing of his staff. At the 2019 One Summit event, Mark spoke on behalf of the working group on the topic of mental health in the construction industry. His top strategies for keeping ‘up top happy’ were well received by the audience and applicable to any business owner.
We don’t need to tell you that the amount of material waste in construction is huge. In fact, about 60 tonnes of construction and demolition material is dumped at Wanaka Transfer Station each and every week. So it’s no surprise that improving this material waste management is also one of the primary focus areas for the working group.
One of the key ways we’re planning to do this is through a resource sharing app called CivilShare. With CivilShare, users can create a listing of resources, equipment or labour they have available, or set up a notification for a specific item they might want. This simple technology will have ongoing benefits as we give materials destined for the landfill another life and another use.
A summary of CivilShare’s success to date
CivilShare is coming to Wanaka soon, with the full support of Wanaka Wastebusters, and we plan to be one of the first sign-ups. Better still, this app isn’t just limited to builders, it can be used by architects, engineers, suppliers, tradies, DIYers too. So next time you decide to tackle that DIY project at your Wanaka home, you’ll be able to check the CivilShare app for materials and labour before buying new.
This issue of sustainability in construction belongs to everyone in the sector. The suppliers, builders, engineers, clients, architects, subcontractors all together. If we all commit to new, simple initiatives, like CivilShare, these small changes will result in a big wave of sustainability growth for our community.