Innovation

From the beginning, founder Tom Ziegler has operated under a business model that addresses more than one of UN Sustainability Development Goals. Firstly, Tom has always been conscious of the waste produced in his line of work and strives to minimize it wherever possible on his projects. Through careful allocation of the different materials removed from one job, he is able to not only able to reduce waste but create resources for other jobs. Many of the doors, windows, and trim in the houses he works on are irreplaceable because of their age so Tom often restores them and uses them in other century homes. Much of the wood that comes from the houses that are renovated or torn down is old lumber that is now sought after for building furniture, which Tom either reuses for his business or sells to another. Lastly, instead of throwing any materials he has his workers meticulously sort through and allocate each type for a new purpose. For example, clean fill is given away for free, concrete is taken to yards that reuse it, and anything that is left over will end up in landfill. This not only helps the environment but is economically incentivizing for all parties involved. Water use is also a point of emphasis is Toms project, he offers and explains the benefits of grey water systems to his clients such as reducing the amount of water use which in turn lightens the work load of water purification plants.

Inspiration

The conservation minded practices that line ZieglerBuilt’s business model have roots that stem from his childhood growing up in rural Saskatchewan. With minimal access to manufactured products and supplies, natural resources were relied on heavily for most aspects of everyday life. Growing up it was common in farmhouses that the water used for sinks and showers was pumped out to be used in the yard. It was not until he came to Guelph that he realized how uncommon it was to reuse water from your house (now referred to as Greywater). This was where his journey to build resource-efficient houses in Ontario began. He spoke with members of Ontario Environment Network and Guelph International Research to better understand water conservation in the area. One of his first endeavors in his business was carrying out environmentally friendly demolition. He would advertise to the community and surrounding area when they were taking down a building and encourage people to take whatever they felt they could reuse. During the demolition of an Alton factory built in 1849, Tom was able to salvage massive beams which he used to renovate a large building in Guelph from the same era creating a beautiful estate out of what would have otherwise been trash. Tom continued to bring this mindset into his projects and to this day his business model revolves around reducing, reusing, recycling whenever possible.

Overall impact

ZieglerBuilt's innovation plays an important role in achieving multiple targets set by the UN. Their implementation of greywater systems, use of sustainable building materials, and efforts made to employ individuals being reintegrated into society, all align heavily with a specific SDG's set by the UN. These innovative practices directly impact clients, local individuals and communities, the economy, and the environment. Installation of greywater systems increase the water-efficiency of the community and addresses the issue of water scarcity. This not only lessens the burden placed on our freshwater reserves but lowers clients water bills creating more disposable income in the long run. It also provides a proof of concept for larger scale adoption and showcases how the positive impacts could be much farther reaching if the technology were to become more mainstream.

ZieglerBuilt's conscious effort to reuse materials and source the rest sustainably not only lowers waste output locally but also to wherever the materials were sourced from or end up. ZieglerBuilt's practices established a network of individuals and companies for distribution of recycled building materials, impacting their own business and others. Additionally, the market for homes built with old stone is always present and therefore a good investment for clients.

On numerous occasions, ZieglerBuilt employed workers through Lutherwood Employment service. This not only had an impact on the well being of the individuals who were getting back on their feet but contributes to the growth of the economy and increases productive employment.

Business benefit

ZieglerBuilt's innovation has proven to be mutually beneficial to the business and society. On the business side, it has had a positive impact on the public view of the company which in turn generated more business. ZieglerBuilt's emphasis on quality coupled with environmental responsibility has struck a chord with many local Guelph clients. Their marketing is virtually all word-of-mouth, he has looked into branching out into other means of advertising but he has been consistently busy through repeat clients and his clients referring him to friend. As Tom puts it "people have a social conscience, when they see how much you care about your personal home, your neighborhood and your community and then they see you put that care into your projects people feel much more comfortable with you working on their property". Also, because of this tight network of clients it further facilitates their ability to reuse materials for other projects. An example given was one customer got an old shed taken down that was built with nice lumber, another customer heard of this lumber and had ZieglerBuilt build them a custom pergola from the materials. As deconstruction projects are labour intensive when carried out sustainably, they often have to hire on more workers to enable a swift yet thorough disassembling of materials. Although this may be costlier to the business in the short run, the net impact of operating this way is beneficial socially and often economically.

Social and environmental benefit

Multiple benefits for society and the environment have occurred because of the innovation of reusing grey water and reusing materials from demolition sites that ZieglerBuilt have implemented. Starting with society, Thomas Ziegler describes the change as “an awareness factor that I carry with me”. This awareness has to be truly engrained in the businesses model and philosophy in order to be as impactful as it has been for Tom and ZieglerBuilt. In ZieglerBuilt’s case they have implemented more energy and material efficient ways to perform renovations and build homes. Focusing on the local society, people hear about these “environmentally conscious homes” (Thomas Ziegler), and they want to be involved because it is socially responsible. It is a type of ongoing awareness that starts in the local community and begins to spread. As more and more construction/renovation companies adopt similar practices, the benefits to society around the world will continue to grow. In terms of environmental benefits, the practices that ZieglerBuilt implemented create a huge benefit for the environment. As Thomas Ziegler explains, “reduce, reuse, recycle, less waste from your projects”. Reusing materials and water greatly improves environmental sustainability. Benefits of reusing grey water include reducing the amount wastewater that enters sewers and cutting back on the demand for public water supply, which improves the security of water supplies in the future.

Interview

Thomas Ziegler, General Contractor