Source: Holcim (US) Inc., Waltham, Mass. Holcim (US) announced that four of its plants have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) prestigious Energy Star. The plants are: Ste. Genevieve in Bloomsdale, Mo.; Holly Hill in Holly Hill, S.C.; Portland in Florence, Colo.; and Devil’s Slide in Morgan, Utah.
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Newly launched online portal gathers latest green construction news
Source: U.S. Concrete, Inc., Houston With countless industry resources, publishers, blogs and social media communities on the internet, the ability to find a single point for expertise and opinions that integrates the best information on green construction was the driving force behind U.S. Concrete’s launch of www.concrete-greenbuilding.com.
Read MoreCement Totals-July 2011
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were about 6.8 million mt in July 2011, according to the USGS. This was slightly higher compared with shipments for July 2010. Total shipments for the year through July were approximately 38.8 million mt, unchanged compared to the same period…
Read MoreUPDATE: Pre-dawn rampage at Lehigh Hanson Permanente ends with 3 dead, 7 wounded
After one of Silicon Valley’s biggest manhunts, the man responsible for an 4 a.m. shooting spree on October 5 at Lehigh Hanson’s Permanente cement plant in Cupertino, Calif., was shot down in a hail of gunfire early on the morning of October 6 in Sunnyvale.
Read MoreCement Regulatory Relief legislation clears the House
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md. Today’s bipartisan passage of “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011” (H.R. 2681) by the U.S. House of Representatives was overwhelmingly called a triumph by construction industry leaders. A year-long effort to reform what they believed would be job-killing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations on the…
Read MoreMIT researchers provide comprehensive LCA for buildings
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. The need to decrease energy usage and subsequent emissions from the building sector has been at the forefront of U.S. green movement. To address this, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Concrete Sustainability Hub conducted a life-cycle assessment (LCA) study to evaluate and improve the environmental impact and study how the “dual…
Read MoreTXI reports lower quarterly results
Source: Texas Industries Inc., Dallas TXI reported financial results for the quarter ended Aug. 31, 2011. Results for the quarter indicated a net loss of $7.4 million or $.27 per share. Results for the quarter ended Aug. 31, 2010, were a loss of $23.7 million or $.85 per share and included an after-tax charge of $18.0 million or $.65 per…
Read MoreNew ASTM cement standard simulates shearing by cement paste
Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. A new standard, ASTM C1738, Practice for High-Shear Mixing of Hydraulic Cement Pastes, provides for preparing a mixture of cement paste that will simulate the shearing experienced by the cement paste in concrete, and was developed by Subcommittee C01.22 on Workability, part of ASTM’s Committee C01 on Cement.
Read MoreLafarge marks Canada’s National Precast Day with Habitat home plan
Sources: Lafarge North America, Reston, Va.; Staff reports During an October 4 open house that drew 500 students, architects and engineers to its Edmonton precast plant, Lafarge announced participation in a local Habitat for Humanity NetZero energy duplex project.
Read MoreAlternative energy sources prove beneficial in reducing GHGs
A study released recently by an independent research center reveals using household garbage, tires, and even plastic to manufacture cement would produce fewer greenhouse gases and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill than the fossil fuels currently used. Conducted by the London, Ontario-based Network for Business Sustainability, a non-profit research group based at the Richard Ivey School of…
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