PCA Recognizes St. Marys in Charlevoix and Other Plants for Environmental Excellence

The St. Marys Cement Inc. plant, located in Charlevoix, Mich., has been awarded the industry’s top honor for environmental performance. The Portland Cement Association and Cement Americas magazine honored the Charlevoix plant with the Overall Environmental Excellence Award as part of the annual Cement Industry Environment & Energy Awards.

The Environment & Energy Awards program acknowledges facilities that go beyond government regulations and local laws to ensure that their processes contribute to making their communities better places to live and work.

St. Marys was recognized as the Overall Winner for a variety of sustainable manufacturing enhancements and environmental outreach initiatives, including emission reductions, noise control, using recycled content, and land stewardship. More.

More on the PCA Environment & Energy Awards

More about St. Marys Cement Group

Concrete Fortifies Missouri “Near-Zero Energy Home”

At the 2007 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Conference in St. Louis a concrete home was featured as a model of sustainability. Sage Homebuilders, which specializes in designing “green” structures, is building a 2-story, 3,600 sq/ft home in Creve Coeur, Mo., with insulating concrete forms (ICF).

In an ICF system, concrete is placed in a stacked foam form to provide a continuous thermal envelope that significantly limits the energy consumption in the structure. This system also offers enhanced protection from natural disasters, such as tornadoes.

Using ICF walls and other environmentally responsible building applications, such as passive solar design concepts, geo-thermal heat pumps and energy recovery ventilation, radiant barrier roof decking, cultured stone, and fiber-cement siding will help the Sage design become a “Near Zero Energy Home,” a term used to describe homes that use virtually no energy from outside sources.

Sage Homebuilders is a leader of the green building movement in St. Louis. It expects the Creve Coeur home to achieve the highest level of compliance in both the NAHB Green Building Guidelines and the LEED^® Homes certification. More.

The Benefits of Building with Insulating Concrete Forms

Insulating concrete forms (ICF) are hollow “blocks” or panels made of rigid polystyrene insulation that construction crews stack to form the shape of the walls of a building. There are a number of sustainable benefits to using ICFs. More.

• Mass. ICF panels have high thermal mass, which buffers the interior of a building from the extremes of daily outdoor temperature swings each day.


• Energy Efficiency. The superior insulation, air tightness, and mass of ICF walls can reduce the cost of operating HVAC in the building by up to 40%.


• Improved Indoor Air Quality. Air infiltration in an ICF home is minimal due to the continuous air barriers provided by the foam insulation and the concrete.


• Fire Resistance. Concrete is one of the most heat and fire resistant building materials.


• Durability. Concrete buildings survive high-force winds like hurricanes and tornadoes far better than traditional frame construction. When appropriately engineered, they can reduce or eliminate structural damage from earthquakes.

Minimizing the overall footprint of a building does not end at construction. Building maintenance and upkeep significantly increase overall environmental impact because of the energy usage inherent in repair and replacement. Therefore, the ability to withstand the test of time is crucial for sustainable structures. One of the key benefits of concrete for sustainability is its strength and resistance to the abrasive affects of adverse weather and decay over time.

Concrete structures will not rust or rot and require less maintenance over their life cycle than structures built with other traditional building materials, conserving resources and reducing wastes and the environmental impacts of repair and replacement. While most buildings are designed for a service life of 30 years, unless demolished or otherwise altered, concrete structures are 75-year to 100-year buildings. More.

On May 10, the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, House Committee on Science and Technology, will hold a hearing titled "Green Transportation Infrastructure: Challenges to Access" and Implementation to examine the types of environmentally friendly technologies available for transportation infrastructure construction and identify the physical and regulatory barriers to their use.

NRMCA's Managing Director of National Resources, Dan Huffman will appear as a technology expert to describe the energy saving thermal properties of concrete and its ability to mitigate urban heat island effects. He will also highlight the green benefits of pervious concrete as a leading edge solution to capturing stormwater runoff from paved roads and buildings, and as the best available alternative for urban and suburban cities and towns to meet the NPDES stormwater permit requirements under the Clean Water Act.

The hearing will be available by live webcast at http://science.house.gov

Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs): “Affordable homes help green Valley; Energy-saving materials are gaining greater acceptance” Fresno Bee, April 1, 2007

Precast Concrete: “With Nods to History, 'New American Home' Pushes Forward in Design” Washington Post, March 10, 2007

Pervious Concrete: “Summer-friendly sidewalks, streets are less hot”
East Valley Tribune, April 19, 2007

Shows and Conferences that Focus on Sustainable Development Issues

Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Cities, Conference, Awards and Trade Show April 29 - May 2, 2007, Minneapolis, Minn.

AIA 2007 National Convention and Design Exposition
May 3-5, 2007, San Antonio, Texas

2007 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
November 7-9, 2007, Chicago, Ill.

Click here for a complete list of upcoming shows and conferences.