CONCRETE
Concrete is an essential building material, but cement is made from the shells of ancient sea-creatures (limestone). As it cures, escaping carbon also turns into CO2, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. Concrete also requires a large amount of energy to manufacture, producing more CO2. For instance, a tonne of cement releases an equivalent tonne of CO2. By substituting 40% of the cement with recycled flyash from coal-mining, Cedar Corner's CO2 emissions will be reduced by 2 tonnes. Flyash takes slightly longer to cure, but it results in greater strength (30 Mpa) after 28 days. For lots of good information on building with this type of concrete please go to www.ecosmart.ca.

RECLAIMED TIMBER
A typical new house uses 16,000 board feet of wood, needing 35 trees to be felled. The US home construction industry uses 27% of the world's entire timber harvest. Thanks to a partnership with Gary Bruce, of Victoria, a vast majority of the timber for Cedar Corner has come from old schools and other buildings that are being taken down, including the old Naval Officers Mess in Esquimalt, the old Colwood school, and the old 1881 cannery from Alert Bay.

RECYCLED & LOCAL MATERIALS
Our world is a finite place, and yet we continue to extract our raw materials and throw our wastes into landfills. At Cedar Corner, where possible, we use quality building products such as insulation and flyash made from waste materials. Our first choice is always to use materials from as local a source as possible to reduce the burning of fuel in transport.

Cedar Corner Interior - July 2005
See more photos here.