GREEN BUILDING

How contractors can grow and profit by minimizing

the environmental impact of construction projects

When Francis Kent began recycling paving material nearly 30 years ago, he had to convince

a lot of people the products made from crushed concrete and asphalt were an acceptable

alternative to the construction building materials that come out of a conventional quarry.

“In the early 1980s, recycling wasn’t fashionable,” said John Kent, who joined

his father in the family business and is now President of Oxford Recycling. “We had to

fight to establish ourselves and prove to various municipalities and contractors that just

because our product is recycled, that doesn’t mean it’s not as good as a virgin product. It

meets required specs, and in fact, often exceeds them. But back then, we had a terrible time

trying to convince people of that.”

Eventually the practice caught on and the Kents today are running a large operation that

sees upward of 1,000 trucks per day either delivering or picking up product. They’ve

added tree grinding to their operation, producing valuable mulch from what formerly

may have been landfilled, burned or buried.

The rest of the construction industry is fast approaching the Kents’ lead in what’s

rapidly becoming known as “green building,” “sustainable design” or other terms that point

to the idea of minimizing environmental impact through reducing the consumption of

nonrenewable resources and waste.

A growing movement

The movement has been growing rapidly in the past few years as more consumers call

for developers, designers and architects and builders to think about how they can build in

a more eco-friendly way. The concept requires careful consideration in the planning stages,

taking into consideration everything from how stormwater runoff can be used on site to

selecting the most energy-efficient building materials. It often means using recycled

materials throughout the construction process.

Industry professionals are taking green building and sustainable design into account

and are joining such organizations as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit

organization that promotes such practices. It’s grown to include more than 16,000 member

organizations and 75 regional chapters, offering programs to educate construction

personnel on green practices.

The USGBC also certifies green projects through its LEED (Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design) Rating System, “a nationally accepted benchmark for

the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.” It

promotes a whole-building approach by looking at key performance areas, such as

sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and

indoor environmental quality. Points are awarded to designate certification levels

of Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. A LEED-certified project meets rigorous criteria,

and the honor can reap rewards for those who designed and built it, putting them

at the forefront for winning more projects. Those who use it also benefit through a more

healthful living and/or working environment.

“Green construction is 30 percent to 50 percent more energy-efficient and 40

percent more efficient in water usage, plus it offers health benefits,” said Ashley Katz,

Communications Coordinator with the USGBC. “Currently, we have a little more than

1,500 certified projects in total, but our goal is to have 100,000 commercial buildings and

1 million homes certified by 2010. We’ve also raised our commitment to fund green-building

research by increasing the amount given in grants to $2 million in 2008.”

In addition to the increased use of recycled materials, nearly all new construction projects

have other green considerations built into them, such as erosion-control measures,

retention ponds to keep stormwater runoff on site, and balanced earthwork designed

to cut down on the amount of import and export materials and compaction. Many call

for disturbing as little ground as possible, as well as finding ways to save existing trees, or

planting new ones.

In many cases, state highway departments have led the way by using existing roadway

materials in the construction of new paving projects. Materials such as old concrete and

asphalt roadbeds that used to be hauled away are now being crushed on site and reused

as road base. Asphalt millings are used in shoulder materials or put back into the mix

for new road pavement. Porous pavement that allows water to drain through it to the

stone base and back to the soil is becoming increasingly more popular.

Efficient machinery reduces emissions

Reducing environmental impact in construction means more than just using

recycled materials and careful jobsite planning. It also takes into account the machinery

that’s used to make the materials, move the dirt and lift building products into place.

Equipment manufacturers are doing their part in conjunction with federal regulations and

guidelines, which have included mandates that lower engine emissions, such as nitrous

oxide (Nox) and particulate matter (PM). Both a re considered significant public health risks.

Latest regulations require new diesel engines to meet Tier 3 standards, with stricter

Tier 4 standards coming in the next few years. In some cases, the results have not only been

lower emissions, but less fuel consumption as well, leading to the same or better production

with lower operating costs. It’s a win-win for the equipment user.

“That’s been a great benefit of our ecot3 engines (the ‘eco’ stands for ecology and

economy; the ‘t’ for technology; and the ‘3’ for Tier 3),” said Toshio Miyake, who was

involved with product planning for Komatsu Ltd. during the development of ecot3

engines. “In addition to meeting the emission regulations, and thereby putting fewer

pollutants in the air, we’re also able to make a better machine.

 “Initially, there was concern that emissions requirements might negatively impact some

power and performance features. But we’ve overcome potential problems and we view

the ecot3 engine as a big step forward in all respects for equipment users.”

Manufacturing part of the process

Komatsu and other manufacturers are taking additional steps by making going green

a consideration in the manufacturing process. When Hensley Industries, part of Komatsu

Ltd., built its new foundry in Dallas, several steps were taken to improve efficiencies

and recycle nearly 100 percent of the waste materials it generates in the process of making

ground-engaging tools for mining machines.

During the planning stages, Hensley took into account how potential environmental

issues, such as noise, smoke and odor, would affect not only the workers at the foundry,

but its neighbors as well. The plant was built with a highly effective dust-collection system

that moves the dust to outside containment units where it’s eventually pelletized and sold

for reuse in such products as concrete. Noise suppression was built in so a nearby school

and apartment complex wouldn’t be affected.

“We’re very proud of what we accomplished as we set out to build a very modern facility

that was environmentally friendly and an asset to our neighbors,” said Paul Rudd, General

Manager-Manufacturing, who helped design the foundry. “It’s truly state-of-the-art and

highly efficient. It’s the cleanest manufacturing facility I’ve ever seen.”

Continuing to grow

Contractors can invest in ways to help too. Using newer, lower-emission equipment,

or retrofitting older equipment with more environmentally friendly engines can help out.

Employing GPS-based site-preparation practices can help operations be more efficient. These

systems allow users to get to grade in fewer passes with less wasted effort. More accurate

grading requires less aggregate material for subbase, and increasingly, the subbase that is

used is coming from recycled products, such as the ones Oxford Recycling makes.

“Much of the material we recycle would have ended up in a landfill. Asphalt and

concrete do not decompose, so it’s not beneficial to dump that material there,” Kent

noted. “Reusing the material is a way to reduce the environmental impact in variety of

ways. Not only is the paving material reused, it often reduces trucking, which means fewer

emissions. We’ve seen a gradual increase in the use of our recycled materials, and we believe

it’s only going to continue to grow.”