concrete

SoyCrete

SoyCretetm is an acid-free, non toxic concrete stain alternative that is ideal for all interior and exterior porous surfaces such as: concrete, masonry, brick, stucco, fiber cement, rammed earth and natural stone surfaces. The soy dispersion technology replicates the permanent absorption results like motor oil, but with an unlimited array of natural variegated color effects. The advanced technology will provide you with more than double the spread rate (400-600 sq.ft. p/gal) compared to competitive products. You simply can't find a safer, more flexible or more affordable decorative concrete stain.

Hi! Somebody asked to learn more about what we're doing to make our parks "green". The efforts we're making / things we've found thus far are detailed at: http://www.spectrum-sk8.com/Green_Initiatives_hi.pdf

Rock on!

The most widely used material on earth is concrete, just ask China where they utilize more than 40% of it. Burning Fossil fuels to make concrete, is responsible for 5% of global CO2 emissions. Ironically, concrete itself, absorbs CO2. It is also the inspiration for a new process of concrete carbonation from Carbon Sense Solutions, in Canada. The method allows for precast concrete to store large amounts of CO2. Storage of up to 60 tons of CO2 in 1,000 tons of precast concrete. The method also uses CO2 to speed up the making of concrete, the presence of CO2 actually cures the concrete. It is thought that speeding up the curing process, and the additional storage of CO2 will reduce Global emissions 1% per year. As an added bonus, the end product is more durable, and more resistant to shrinking and cracking. However, this technology remains unproven. But wouldn't it be nice to avoid 20% of all cement-industry carbon dioxide emissions? There is a pilot plant underway in Nova Scotia this summer, with plans to produce preliminary results by the end of the year. www.inhabitat.com, www.technologyreview.com

2008 is fast approaching, and the team at GetWithGreen.com is stopping now to recognize a few of our favorite eco-friendly home improvement products for 2007. These products are assembled together under one roof: GetWithGreen.com’s 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007.

GetWithGreen.com’s 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007 consists of manufacturers (or categories) who deliver eco-friendly products, which make our planet a greener place. These products help us conserve, help us reuse, help us recycle, or help us become less reliant on existing harmful resources. We also looked heavily at the popularity of these products with you, our readers.

Let’s give a GetWithGreen.com Thumbs up to our 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007:

1) Cyber-Rain – “The smartest, greenest, and easiest irrigation system on the planet.”

sprinkler cyberrainThe Cyber-Rain XCI System caused quite a bit of stir at GetWithGreen.com in 2007. It was one of the most widely read stories, and for good reason. Resetting the sprinkler timer at every change of season, or for un-seasonal weather changes, just isn’t practical – and we don’t do it! Instead we just let our sprinklers turn on when it is not necessary, and we waste our most precious resource. The Cyber-Rain XCI System made it to our list because it automatically adjusts our sprinklers depending on the weather forecast, thus greatly reducing water usage, and...

Read the other winners at www.GetWithGreen.com

This is an interesting question: Is brick a green building material? It just doesn't seem like it should be.

Brick conjures up images of the most traditional of traditionally built homes; homes that were designed and built long before we started worrying too much about what our construction practices were doing to the earth.

But that's just what Philip Proefrock is discussing over at Green Options. Brick, he says, is green. And he makes a good argument. It's made of clay and water and, if you buy it locally, the excessive energy that might be used in shipping such a heavy product is mitigated.

Philip's post got us thinking: What other unlikely, commonly used building materials might we consider green?

Concrete can be green, especially if much of the cement is replaced with fly ash (a topic we discuss in our guide to Episode Two). And, certain types (read: FSC-certified) of wood are considered green.

Any other materials we aren't thinking of?

Image via Lynne Lancaster; sxc.hu

Broken concrete recycled into a wall on a residential street in Albuquerque: this wall was laid up with some mortar, but it could have been laid up dry. The material works really well for retaining walls, also. It's attractive, cheap, and easy to work with (for someone with a strong back).

This particular wall really wasn’t laid up that artfully – the joints aren’t staggered as well as they probably should have been, and it’s not so level – but still, I think it looks good. It’s certainly functional. And, there’s no shortage of broken-up concrete – it's readily available.

I had a big pile of broken-up concrete that sat for a l-o-n-g time before I found someone to lay it up into a low retaining wall. My neighbors weren't very happy about this part of the process!