Eliminating Blueprints, Saving Trees

Every year an estimated 42,000 trees are chopped down to print blueprints. Laid end to end, this is the distance from New York City to Washington DC. Software Advice wants to see the construction industry "go blueprint-less" in 2010 by replacing their paper prints with electronic plans.

Blueprints are a 167-year old technology. Today, the same blueprint-based activities can be achieved using onscreen takeoff and construction estimating software. Contractors can view plans, measure lengths and volumes, and markup plans on a computer screen.

So what will be the driving force to get the construction industry to move from paper to software? For starters, the US Green Building Council could offer a LEED credit for it. Additionally, the government could offer incentives for construction companies that switch from blueprints to software, similar to their program for doctors that switch from paper charts to electronic health records. So what do you think? Feel free to leave a comment over at the original post: The End of Blueprints.

Christmas Trees: Real or Artificial?

Which is more environmentally friendly?  A real tree or an artificial tree?  You'll have to read Ask Pablo for all the scientific life cycle analysis details, but if you purchased a live tree that was grown on a tree farm, you made the best "green" choice.