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A Sustainable Perspective

6/1/2009

There is an old proverb about three blind men who are all standing next to an elephant. One is at the tail and describes the animal as thin and wispy. One stands by the trunk and claims the animal is sinewy and flexible. The third stands at the elephant’s midsection and announces the animal is stout and immovable. All three have reliable data, but they will never agree about the true nature of the subject—not until they gain perspective.

What a difference perspective makes. As specifiers, constructors, producers, and consumers of concrete goods, we all want to use materials efficiently and with a view toward environmental sensitivity and longevity. Yet, the public sees concrete structures as nothing more than the cement they contain. By isolating a single component, this limited perspective distorts the truthful picture. Combining our collective knowledge and considering the life-cycle benefits of concrete gives us the platform to evaluate the true environmental profile of concrete structures.

Without a doubt, the building industry is not only working actively to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete components, but also to improve a building’s environmental impact during its life cycle. One step toward appreciably reducing the carbon footprint of buildings is finding effective methods to save and store energy. As a building material, concrete functions similar to a solar panel: it acts as a "solar collector" and temporary "storage facility" at the same time. The thermal mass properties of concrete, when applied effectively, are second to none among structural framing materials. Successful application of green construction incorporates this feature to minimize operational heat energy consumption. In addition, concrete has received the highest marks in a recent survey on durability and building longevity. When asked about concrete’s contribution to green building and sustainable development in the PCA-NRMCA Specifiers Survey conducted April 2009, the largest proportion of respondents gave concrete the highest rating.

Although I have made sustainability the most prominent issue on my agenda as President, I’m not the first to introduce this subject to the ACI community. Past Presidents Tom Verti, Dave Darwin, and Luis García actively paved the way for this issue to be addressed. ACI is committed to expanding the industry’s sustainability knowledge. ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of Concrete, is at work creating a guide that will relay current data regarding concrete’s environmental benefits and limitations and offer guidance on best practices using today’s understanding of the subject. In 2001, ACI became a member of the USGBC, whose mission statement is "to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation." Our 2008 Strategic Plan placed sustainability at the forefront of our agenda, and in that same year, we called for action and requested that over 120 technical committees review their documents to incorporate the sustainability perspective as appropriate. During the ACI Spring convention in San Antonio, a 1-day USGBC LEED® workshop for new construction was offered. A workshop on sustainability is scheduled for the fall convention in New Orleans, sponsored by ACI Committee 130 and the Board Task Group on Sustainable Development.

My personal commitment inspired me to engage in extensive talks with other industry leaders to search for common ground and advanced, unified thinking about sustainability. I am pleased to announce that in April a number of concrete-related organizations, including ACI, formed the Joint Sustainability Initiative and signed the "Joint Declaration of Industry Vision for a Sustainable Future." This declaration centers on the social values provided by concrete structures and aims to enhance the responsible, effective, and sustainable use of concrete. Aris Papadopoulos, Vice Chair of PCA, guiding this effort, noted during the signing: "Today we are announcing a new way of thinking that will open channels of communications to involve and engage all industry segments."

Clearly, concrete-related industries can lead the way toward the goal of sustainable, efficient buildings throughout the world. As a technical society, we are committed to disseminating consensus-filtered information on concrete as it relates to sustainability. It is my hope that, unlike the characters in the proverb, we maintain—and help others to achieve—the complete perspective on concrete sustainability.

Florian G. Barth
American Concrete Institute
fb@florian.com

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