GreenBeams.com

GreenBeams is a not-for-profit company aimed at offsetting carbon and helping the environment by supplying chunky timber beams.

The initial funding to set up the GreenBeams website and to provide grants to sawmills for storing hardwood timber was mostly provided through grants and sponsorship.

The Howardian Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund was amongst the funders supporting the fledgling company. Details of the ful llist of funders can be found on the GreenBeams.com website.

The following text has been sourced from the GreenBeams.com website, however, the very comprehensive wesite provides much more information about their work .....

About GreenBeams.com

GreenBeams.com is a company that provides Suppliers and Buyers of timber green beams with:

• A brokering service between those selling and buying the hardwood.
  
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• Opportunities for promotion and publicity.
  
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• The ability to offset carbon by storing it in timber beams.
  
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• Engineering help and accessible expertise from timber consultants
  

Here at GreenBeams.com we care about the environment and using green beams from our website will help to store carbon and reduce the need for steel and concrete. We are also one of the first companies to provide useful engineering and architectural data on available timber beams, all put together by timber consultants


The GreenBeams.com philosophy for Saving the Planet

We believe that:

• There are compelling, long-term environmental reasons to reduce carbon emissions within the construction industry.
  
• Steel and concrete are over-relied upon and used excessively. They should generally not be used except for projects that will have a major benefit to the environment such as new railways.
  
• Tree planting will always be the key to a sustainable future for the planet, but if timber is burnt or left to decay the carbon stored inside will often return to the atmosphere within a few years. Timber beams that are used in buildings today will store carbon for life of the structure i.e. perhaps hundreds of years.
  
• There is an untapped demand for the structural use of hardwood beams in modern architecture. Even for conservation projects we are importing most timber.
  

GreenBeams.com is a company offering a sustainable solution to the excessive use of concrete and steel in modern structures. Use green beams in your building, reduce the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, and help with saving the planet!
For a full transcript on how civil engineers should be saving rather than ruining the planet, see "Nation in a State" or for a condensed version the "State Of the Nation" (links provided on the GreenBeams website).

Why use Green Beams?

A green alternative to steel:
There is a real imbalance in the materials used for construction. Structural & Civil Consultants Ltd. are involved with projects involving around 26,000 Tonnes of steel in 2006 but only 26 Tonnes of oak.
For every tonne of steel produced, 1.75 tonnes of carbon is released into the atmosphere. Steel should only be used for projects that benefit the environment e.g. new railways.
Although steel beams are compact, they then need to be fireproofed and clad in a timber disguise. Genuine hardwood timber needs no disguise and has excellent fireproofing due to the protective charring of its surface.

A green alternative to concrete:
Every tonne of processed cement releases a tonne of carbon into the atmosphere!
World-wide cement production is responsible for 5% of all carbon emissions.
Concrete is heavy and difficult to make aesthetically pleasing
The transporting costs for concrete are likely to be much greater than those for locally felled timber, and in some cases could be greater than the total cost of the timber used.
As noted there are many problems with steel and concrete. Better supply networks and more confidence about the properties of timber and its viable uses could kick-start a campaign for timber members as good steel and concrete alternatives.

News Posted: 21 December 2009