Concrete is produced locally from abundant natural resources.
The primary ingredients of concrete - crushed stone or gravel, sand and water - account for approximately 90% of the volume of the mixture and are plentiful in most locations. Cement, which accounts for most of the rest of the mixture, is usually produced and available locally as well.
As the one green building material that is always produced in proximity to its use in buildings and infrastructure, ready mixed concrete greatly reduces the environmental impact of material transport by minimizing fuel requirements, energy consumption and emissions for transportation and handling. In addition, as a made-to-order material, concrete construction results in less building waste.
Even when it's gray, concrete is still green.
Concrete's environmentally friendly features make it the building material of choice for sustainable design. Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Green building’s influence of development decisions is growing rapidly. More and more money is flowing to sustainable development. Sustainability drives LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). LEED is the set of green building specifications governed by the US Green Building Council and being adopted by a significant and growing number of government agencies, large developers, architects, interior designers, building owners and end users.
