Environmental Initiatives - | Concrete Sustainable Practice

Eagle Rock Concrete, LLC is committed to protecting the environment through sensible and responsible operating activities. We believe that economic growth and the well-being of society are inextricably tied to the health of the environment. Accordingly, we embrace our responsibility for environmental stewardship and are committed to leading environmental practices and sustainability principles into our core business strategy.

Our Vision

To be recognized as one of the leading enterprises in our industry on Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship.

In order to accomplish our vision, Eagle Rock Concrete, LLC will:

Comply with all local, state, and federal regulations and legislation.
Continuously improve our environmental performance by reviewing and monitoring the effectiveness of our programs and actions.
Take practical measures to protect the biodiversity and natural surroundings at our facilities.
Promote environmentally responsible attitudes and behaviors in all our associates and encourage suppliers, customers, and other business partners to do the same.
Contribute to the well-being of our local communities by communicating openly and sincerely with them in order to pursue good neighbor relations.
Minimize waste by actively establishing waste reduction methods where economically practical.
Perform scheduled maintenance on all equipment.
Perform daily visual inspections of emissions.

We acknowledge that, in many ways, we, like the communities we serve, are only in the early stages of developing and implementing the many changes that will be necessary to achieve these vital goals. Nonetheless, we strongly believe that our efforts to support a healthy environment serve the interests of both our current and future generations and constitute the foundation for enduring success.

LEED: Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is the most widely adopted green building design and construction evaluation program in the U.S.

LEED is a voluntary rating system that is intended to guide owners and developers toward constructing buildings that minimize their environmental impact. LEED certification can be achieved at a Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level based on how many of the 110 LEED Credits are awarded after a project meets eight LEED Prerequisites. The LEED 2009 NC Rating System divides these credits and prerequisites into seven credit categories:

Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation in Design
Regional Priority

The National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) has published a comprehensive LEED reference guide that explains how ready-mixed concrete can help design and construction professionals to maximize LEED credits. The Portland Cement Association has also published a brief overview of LEED on its website.

Eagle Rock Concrete has developed a number of green products that can help owners, developers, designers and construction companies earn LEED points, including:

Pervious concrete
Flowable fill
Recycled concrete for base and some mix designs
Mix designs for concrete paving
Mix designs for Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs)

Contact Eagle Rock Concrete’s Green Building Team to discuss the ways that Eagle Rock Concrete’s products can help you gain LEED points on your project.

Sustainability

Concrete is 100% recyclable.
Concrete has excellent thermal mass properties, reducing the need for artificial heating and cooling systems.
Concrete is extremely robust and secure.
Concrete is not susceptible to damage from flooding.
Concrete is versatile, providing a longer design life for the buildings in which it is used.
Concrete requires very little long-term maintenance.
Concrete is resistant to fire.
Concrete has excellent acoustic properties.

Sustainable development is an attempt to balance the construction needs of an increasing population with the earth’s capacity to meet them – to build in a way that will not deplete the earth’s limited resources. Concrete’s durability, versatility and energy performance makes it a responsible choice for sustainable development.

Concrete’s durability is a significant sustainable attribute. Since it will not rust, rot, or burn, concrete requires less energy and resources over time to repair or replace. Structures built with concrete have optimal energy performance for heating and cooling. Additionally, concrete is easy to use and form, produces little waste and can be efficiently recycled.

Eagle Rock Concrete also follows sustainable practices in the way we do business. We comply with all local and federal environmental rules and train our employees to follow responsible environmental principles. Our environmental policy demonstrates our commitment to sustainable business practices.

Controlling Dust

Eagle Rock Concrete uses filters on every silo operated by the company. The filters operate at 99% efficiency to capture the dust generated by the delivery of cement to the plant.

Re-Using Process Water

Eagle Rock Concrete is committed to finding practical and sustainable ways to treat and reuse processed water. Eagle Rock Concrete has installed several new washout pit systems that reutilize the water for washing trucks in a closed-loop system.

Sustainable Sites

Eagle Rock Concrete is designing environmentally sound sites, with the use of concrete paved facilities and closed-loop washout pit systems, to reduce water runoff and minimize costs: Over 130 trees planted with acres of wetlands preserved, and 4.5 acres of preserved greenscaping.

Environmental Management System

Eagle Rock Concrete is also developing a company-wide Environmental Management System (EMS) to apply and document the environmental best practices at each location. Once implemented, Eagle Rock Concrete will begin to certify all ready mixed plants under the NRMCA “Green-Star” program of environmental excellence.

Recycling

Eagle Rock Concrete utilizes a number of third-party recycling centers that accept used and returned concrete for processing and reselling as base material, keeping tons of material out of landfills. Eagle Rock Concrete is also investigating the use of recycled concrete to replace virgin material in its ready mixed concrete. Eagle Rock Concrete creates concrete blocks for landscaping, etc. and creates decorative landscaping blocks with our leftover and retired materials.

Concrete Mix Designs

Fly Ash, a by-product of coal combustion, can be incorporated into our products.

Energy Conservation

Eagle Rock Concrete is undertaking an extensive energy audit of its facilities to identify ways to conserve resources and cut costs. Our dispatch and drivers find the shortest routes to conserve fuel and hours on the road.