The awards honor individual cement facilities that exemplify the spirit of continuous environmental improvement and support this spirit with action. These plants are models of going beyond government regulations and local laws to make their communities better places to live and work.

The winners (listed by category, company, and plant location) are:

Learn more about the winners here.

Read more about how cement manufacturers are practicing environmental stewardship.

The Troutville plant has initiated several programs to meet its goal to reduce, reclaim, and reuse wastes. For example, it reuses 100 percent of its cement kiln dust (CKD) and is emptying its CKD landfill for use by local farmers. For the past two years, Roanoke Cement has been a recipient of the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR® and in 2008 became an ENERGY STAR® partner. Surrounded by the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains, the plant and its employees participate in several environmental community events including a creek clean-up. More on the Troutville plant.

Enhanced and Upgraded: LEED v3 Launches

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched the latest version of the LEED green building certification program on April 27, 2009. Dubbed LEED v3, the update provides technical enhancements to its rating systems (LEED 2009), an upgrade to LEED-Online, an expanded certification infrastructure for buildings, and a tiered level of educational offerings for professionals. New projects will be required to use LEED 2009 beginning June 27, and existing projects may upgrade at no cost through October 24. More on LEED v3.

Blog Highlights Sustainable Benefits of Concrete Building

Kelly McGinnis, PCA’s program coordinator of sustainable development, was a featured guest blogger this spring for Construction Law Musings. The blog, hosted by Virginia construction attorney Chris Hill, serves as a forum for legal and sustainability building issues. McGinnis’ post discussed the benefits of building with concrete systems and how these systems have the ability to actually negate the initial environmental impact of cement manufacturing through concrete’s incredible durability and the long-term energy efficiency it provides. Read the post.

PCA’s John Sullivan Appointed Chair of Sustainability Building Industry Council

The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) has elected John J. Sullivan, Jr., PE, M.ASCE, as chair alongside the appointment of six new executive officers for 2009-2010. Sullivan is the director of federal infrastructure markets for PCA, which is a founding member of SBIC. In a news release from SBIC, Sullivan noted, “The time has never been better, nor the need greater, for the American public, building owners and the federal government to fully understand and embrace high-performance buildings…”

SBIC has been a leader in defining the concept of high-performance buildings for nearly 30 years. This is Sullivan’s second turn at chairing SBIC since joining PCA in 1993. His career includes 23 years of service with the U.S. Navy as a civil engineer corps officer.

Concrete Solutions for the National Green Building Standard Webinar

Today’s forward looking homebuilders are turning to green building to offer innovation and value to their customers – and in so doing, are growing their businesses. Attend this webinar by PCA’s Donn Thompson on May 14 (10-11 a.m. CDT) to learn how the many high performance concrete homebuilding technologies can contribute to certification of your next residential project under the new NAHB National Green Building Standard. More information and registration.

The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction: Sustainable Construction for Engineers
This guide provides an introduction to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-NC rating system as well as specific prerequisites and credits used for certification. Several examples of sustainable construction within specific sectors such as the military are presented, indoor air quality is discussed, and the integration of stormwater management into the LEED process is explained. More information and purchase.