The Problem: New home construction has a tremendous impact on our planet. According to the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials, building 1.7 million homes with traditional wood, steel, and concrete frames consumes the same amount of energy as heating and cooling 10 million houses each year. These staggering environmental costs are due, mainly, to the manufacture of the materials. For example, cement production requires an extraordinary amount of energy. In addition, the production of cement results in water pollution, air pollution, and industrial waste that is usually not recycled. Using natural materials that require minimal processing or refining, such as locally available rocks, can significantly reduce these environmental impacts. Mission Deliverable: Your mission is to create a design for a home that is constructed from locally available rocks. The design should include supporting illustrations, construction processes, and material descriptions. The home’s building materials should, as appropriate, include metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rock types. You may submit the design to a local home construction business. Guiding Questions: How does the construction of new homes impact the environment? How can locally available rocks be used as building materials? Related Career Roles: Research the career roles listed below that are related to the Mission Deliverable and the Guiding Question. Your goal is to learn about the primary responsibilities of these related career roles. Be prepared to discuss how people in the related career roles listed below would accomplish the Mission Deliverable. EXAMPLES: Green Architect Geologist
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