We work across Bangladesh to reduce the use of burnt-clay bricks in construction and to help builders and households choose less damaging alternatives. When someone is about to build, we want them to know that the ordinary brick is not the only option, and to understand what it costs the land and the air around it.
Brick kilns burn large quantities of coal and firewood, and the clay they depend on is stripped from the surface of farmland. Their smoke adds to the heavy air pollution that settles over much of the country in the dry season, and it is breathed first by kiln workers and by the families living nearest to them. The choice of building material is one of the few pollution problems where a decision taken early in a project makes a real difference.
Our work is mostly conversation. We hold awareness sessions in communities and speak with masons, contractors, small developers and homeowners about alternatives such as concrete and hollow blocks, compressed earth blocks and other unfired materials, as well as design choices that simply use fewer bricks. We carry the same message into schools and youth gatherings, because the people who will build the next generation of homes are in classrooms now.
Anyone can take part. If you are planning construction, work in the building trades, teach, or would like to raise this issue in your own community, we welcome your involvement.