Is Natural Thatch Still An Eco-Friendly Product?

Natural thatch might be the most eco-friendly green building material if the growing, gathering, and upkeep of it hadn’t altered so dramatically over time. The natural thatching market was required to change to fulfill consumer demand, modern-day fire codes, and modern building regulations. The truth is, a number of us no longer view natural thatch as a green building material, a minimum of not when utilized commercially.

Modifications To Farming

The initial step away from eco-friendliness for thatch was the shift towards large-scale agriculture. Early last century, increased use of the integrated harvester caused the development of hybrids of grasses. These hybrids worked most excellent with combines but made stems shorter and more fragile. The exact same grasses utilized for food were no longer appropriate for thatching. As a result, thatch as a building supply became separated from the food crop. For the very first time, the building material was not a useful waste product of food crops. It needed to be grown separately.

In other areas of the world, extreme demand on the tropical palm market resulted in the spread of the red palm mite. As pesticide use increases, ecological and health concerns grow. Already, employees report direct pesticide exposure, breathing issues, and dermatitis. Plus, valid clinical concerns over the sustainability of palms in multiple areas boosts.

On the other hand, rivers that as soon as produced water reed likewise came down with intensive farming. Farming water reed so intensely led to nitrate-damaged water reed supplies. While the reed grew faster to stay up to date with need, stems weakened, and reeds ended up being breakable. Entire environments that support wildlife, including migratory birds, have been directly impacted.

On the other side of the world, pili grass on Hawaiian islands suffered an excellent decline after three invasive African grasses moved in. Buffelgrass, water fountain grass, and Guinea grass choked it out. Growing pili grass for building materials could damage the significant efforts underway to revive Hawaii’s pili grass growth.

The Implementation of Building Codes

Natural thatch does not deal with building codes unless it’s been treated with chemicals. A range of flame retardant and pesticide chemicals exist for treating natural thatch. The majority of products include a proprietary mixture of chemicals. We feel that these chemicals prevent natural thatch from being a perfect building material for the eco-minded builder or designer. The chemicals eventually run off the thatch and into the soil underneath or surrounding waters.

If you could treat natural thatch and have those chemicals remain on the roof, it would be a non-issue. The chemicals do not stay on the roof; however, they run. Keep in mind, a lot of these flame retardants function as pesticides. So, as those run into the surrounding environment, soil microorganisms, pests, and animals risk direct exposure. We comprehend that some brand-new flame retardant chemicals are listed as non-toxic to people and animals. Even if a flame retardant product says it’s non-toxic to people and animals, it doesn’t imply that it’s safe for soil microorganisms or fragile watersheds.

Green Building Products

When identifying building materials “green building materials,” one of the first questions asked is, “Does harvesting or processing the building material impact the habitat of types within the environment?” Resoundingly, yes. Commercialize natural thatching impacts not only animals depending on the vegetation for food, nesting, and cover, but also straight impacts the health of the real grasses, reeds, and palm trees themselves.

When determining how green building material is, it’s likewise standard practice to examine whether the growing, harvesting, or use of the building material impacts the surrounding soil and water. Without a doubt, modern-day, commercial-production of natural thatch utilized as a roofing material for resorts, hotels, and other big tasks worldwide affects the soil and water almost every action of the way.

OneThatch Synthetic Thatch As A Green Roofing Alternative

Though efforts are underway in numerous areas to return the natural thatching market towards sustainability, the market continues to grow steadily for all thatched roofing products. A few of these ecosystems are too fragile to wait on improved methods or ecological screening results as researchers analyze the results of newer flame retardants utilized on natural thatched roofs on the environment.

Among the most crucial reasons, people select OneThatch synthetic thatch is because of our dedication to sustainability and the environment.

We reduce waste because our products’ durability and sturdiness are unequaled.
We offer products partly from recycled materials, minimizing the amount of landfill waste and decreasing the number of plastics in our oceans. Each of our synthetic thatch products is 100% recyclable. OneThatch products help buildings accomplish LEED certification. Our synthetic thatch shingles include a remarkably steady material, removing dangers of dangerous chemical overflow.