Pit & Quarry, April 2012
SUSTAINABILITY A better way Sustainable practices benefit the environment and company efficiencies but they also could make the difference in winning a bid BY LORETTA SORENSEN A ggregate and construction companies who want to thrive in coming years need to learn as much as they can about how to define sustainable construction and how the term green is related to sustainability A quickly building trend across all types of construction is to evaluate aggregate producers and construction companies based on their sustainable and environmentally beneficial practices Results of the evaluation can mean the difference between winning and losing a contract bid Companies in all types of construction are winning or losing contracts based on whether or not they can document their sustainable practices and if theyre part of an industry or national green program The movement is global and gains more momentum every day John Best general manager of the aggregate division for McLanahan Corp in Hollidaysburg Pa says the terms sustainability and green have significantly different meanings but are generally intertwined The term green seems more appropriate when discussing environmental issues Best says Sustainability is all about cost effectiveness However being green is a significant element of sustainability and longevity of the industry and resource Construction businesses are finding a growing demand for verification that their resources are being utilized to the best effect That expectation encompasses construction materials employees and recruitment practices To begin to illustrate his point Best notes that a companys equipment evaluations are key to both sustainability and green practices Equipment that is sufficient may not always be the most cost effective or beneficial to the environment Equipment may be undersized or not accomplishing what operators expect it will Best says A quicker cheaper solution to a task isnt necessarily the most cost effective or environmentally beneficial More sophisticated equipment could result in reduced labor improved product quality and added value to a business On the other hand a simple change to a work process could mean significant savings in time and energy Best continues The United Parcel Service recently evaluated their trucks and employee routes One of the companys officers determined that not making left hand turns along the route would save several different kinds of resources Thats the kind of evaluation construction companies should complete Not 24 PIT QUARRY April 2012 www pitandquarry com ISTOCKPHOTO COM LAWRENCE HISLOP
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