 contributing to a growing ozone hole over New Zealand.
When the bricks are made non-locally, they must be transported via long distances into the city - adding to air and noise pollution and other health hazards, including accidents. On the global scale, this long-distance transportation of materials within an oil-based economy means consequences like war in Iraq and the melting of glaciers... the list could go on.
In all of this, let us look back as to use of earth: with the use of earth from below your building area, the transportation is reduced, you are using soil from where no food will be grown, thus reducing the footprint in totality.
Similarly, the energy used in most of Indian construction is human labour, thus the work feeds people and not a manufacturer. Building with earth in this context makes sense and is common sense.
Chitra K. Vishwanath
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