Sustainability is important in ensuring that the social, economic and environmental systems that make the community provide a healthy living experience. Building materials that use less and require less energy to manufacture than traditional ones are essentially environmentally sustainable. By using 'green' building materials and techniques, we can effectively reduce the environmental footprint of the structure and improve the long-term health of building occupants.

This month, our cover story titled, 'Sustainable Construction Techniques for Healthy and Ecological Living' highlights that sustainable construction techniques reduce negative impacts on the environment and spells out the emphasis on the sustainable use of building materials by enhancement of the existing natural systems. Actually, it is necessary to provide mitigation measures to minimize the fast growing threat of environmental impacts of building construction projects. Evaluation of building products, from the gathering of raw materials to their ultimate disposal, gives a better perception of the long-term costs of materials. These costs are paid not merely by the client, but also by the owner, the occupants, and the environment. The principles of life-cycle design offer essential guidelines for the selection of building materials. Every phase of the manufacturing process, from gathering raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, and installation, to ultimate recycle or disposal is inspected for its environmental impact.

The cover story also stresses on development of sustainable communities for implementing sustainable construction techniques and practices. The importance of energy conservation, waste reduction, use of renewable energy, and use of biodegradable materials in construction are some of the aspects covered. Sustainable resource sourcing, low-energy house and zero-energy building design, etc., are also discussed in the article. The construction sector, directly or perhaps indirectly, creates a substantial portion of the annual environmental destruction, and therefore promotion of sustainable development measures by finding more environmentally-sustainable approaches to construction and building has become imperative.

The special report this month highlights that plasticulture, which is the application of plastics in agricultural cultivation, is fast becoming the most sought-after technique to augment farm yields and income. But, there is also the other side of the story as dangerous toxins released from the polyethylene film can remain in the soil for centuries leading to intense plastic pollution in the agricultural sphere. The use of plastics in agriculture is perilous considering the effects on soil health, microbial communities, potential release of carcinogenic compounds into the food chain, and also loss of commercial value to crops. As an alternative, a recent UN Environment report discusses the use of alternative natural materials obtained from plants and animals, and newer generation bio-polymers which are plastics made from biomass sources.