How to make your construction business greener

By Kyle Michaud, best-selling author and owner of Carolina Dozer.

My excavation company, Carolina Dozer, clears land for development or redevelopment, for commercial or residential purposes. I am also an ardent environmentalist who is committed to operating my business and living my life in a sustainable way. How do I reconcile the two seemingly opposite goals, run my business profitably and help save the planet? I do this by reducing waste and reducing my company's carbon footprint as much as possible. From my point of view, development is inevitable, but doing it in an ecological way is not. My goal is to inspire and support all of my colleagues in the construction industry who are not 'green' to do so and let them know that they won't lose their shirts in the process. In fact, running your construction business in a green way means spending resources efficiently, which is also good for your bottom line. Here are some steps your business can take to "go green".

A consuming industry

First, the hard facts: the construction industry consumes raw materials and natural resources. According to a 2017 study by the World Green Building Council, the construction sector also generates around 39% of global carbon emissions. The good news is that industry leaders recognize that this waste is endemic to the construction process and aim to reduce it.

The same Forbes article also notes, however, that there is often a big gap between well-meaning goals and meaningful actions. As a business owner in the 21st century, operating according to ethical environmental principles is not only the right thing to do, but it can also help your business thrive. There are a few key steps you need to follow to ensure your practices are in line with green principles.

Plan ahead

The old adage “failure to plan means you plan to fail” really rings true when it comes to sustainable business practices.

For the construction industry as a whole, it is important that companies have a plan to reduce consumption as much as possible. Our company typically undertakes the first step in the construction process for a new building, but we like to work with companies that have a detailed plan for the entire project. It is important for us to know that our commitment to resource conservation is part of a larger plan to do so.

Anticipate and save time, money and the planet by reducing your prospecting trips to construction sites and therefore consuming as little fuel as possible. Using assistive technologies such as satellite photos on Google Earth can also help conserve resources.

Use modern technology

Although the diesel engine has been around for over a century, the escalating climate crisis has made it imperative for construction equipment manufacturers to produce powertrains that are both more fuel efficient and less polluting.

Consider investing in the latest clean-burning, fuel-efficient equipment. While there's a higher upfront cost to investing in new equipment, the efficiencies your business can achieve will save you money in the long run, and you'll also significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

Measure twice, cut once

This old do-it-yourself adage also applies to the modern world of excavation. For our business, this applies in the sense that we strive to get the job done right the first time so we don't waste resources doing it over or traveling around the site with different equipment. For construction sites, we ensure that the ground is exactly level, as even slight variations can cause water infiltration and damage to a building's foundation, resulting in a huge waste of materials and resources. We make sure we know exactly where the existing electricity and water lines are so that we don't damage existing infrastructure, again wasting precious resources.

Your business needs to...