Going Green
Building
environmentally friendly homes and buildings has become
very important to more and more builders and homeowners.
Going Green can lead to durable construction, with a
sleeker appearance that won’t break the budget. Many
green choices often end up saving money over the long
run due to their durability. Concrete is one of those
choices.
Going
Green Suggestions:
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Concrete Floors—Unlike carpeting and other flooring
choices, Concrete emits almost no harmful Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air. Concrete
staining, stamping and coloring can create a floor
that is as unique as your project.
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Durability – Concrete flooring give you a
long-lasting, low maintenance option that will last
the life of your home or building. This eliminates
the need for floor coverings that require
replacement.
-
Reduce Heating Costs — In the winter months,
sunlight enters a house through the windows. The
sunlight warms the air and the thermal mass
materials in the concrete floor. As the air cools,
the floor will radiate the warmth back into your
home or building long after the sun goes down.
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Concrete Landscape —Concrete slabs and walkways
minimize the amount of water needed for your
landscape. By landscaping with native plants around
your concrete slabs and walkways, you can utilize
the runoff to naturally water your plants at the
same time.
-
Concrete Homes – Poured concrete walls act as a
geothermal heating and cooling conductor as they
draw heating or cooling from the earth requiring
smaller heating and cooling units. In addition,
homes and building made with poured concrete walls
are vitually mold and termite free and can withstand
hurricanes and wildfires.
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The Ready
Mix Concrete Industry offers opportunities for
Designers, Architects, Engineers and others in the
building industry to maximize credits offered by the U.S
Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and
environmental Design (LEED) Program.
Establish in 1998,
the LEED Green Building Rating System for New
Construction (LEED NC) is a voluntary, consensus-based
national standard for designing and building high
performance, sustainable buildings.
LEED Certification can be achieved at a Certified,
Silver, Gold or Platinum level based on how many of the
65 LEED NC Credits are awarded after a project meets
seven LEED Prerequisites.
The Ready Mixed Concrete Industry LEED Reference
Document
The document is organized into 11 sections that offer
the best opportunities for achieving LEED Credits
through the use of ready mixed concrete. The 11 sections
are organized under four categories: Sustainable Sites,
Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and
Innovation in Design.
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