"Our Common Future"

In 1987, the United Nations released the Brundtland Report, which defines sustainable development as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Seven generation sustainability is an ecological concept that urges the current generation of humans to live sustainably and work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future. It originated with the Iroquois - Great Law of the Iroquois

"People don't want gas and electricity. They just want hot showers and cold beer" -Amory Lovins

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

KEC Concrete

Concrete used in the KEC foundations includes recycled content, fly ash.  Fly ash is becoming a more common ingredient in concrete mix designs.  LEED projects require a certain percentage of products on a project contain recycled content, and adding fly ash to concrete mix designs is an easy way to help earn this point.


Fly ash is a by-product of coal-fired energy plants.  Fly ash was previously released into the atmosphere during the production of electricity.  It was then regulated and was disposed of in landfills which became expensive and due to the volume was filling landfills very quickly.  Now it is being used in concrete mix design to offset the use of cement.



There is a significant environmental value in using fly ash in concrete.  For every ton of fly ash used to replace cement in concrete:
- Enough energy is saved to provide electricity to an average American home for 24 days.
- The landfill space conserved equals 455 days of solid waste produced by the average American.
- The reduction in CO2 emissions equals 2 months of emissions from an automobile.

There is also a structural performance value in using fly ash in concrete:
- Fly Ash improves workability, durability, better long term strengths
- It provides a resistance to freeze/ thaw damage
- It reduces permeability, efflorescence, shrinkage, thermal cracking, alkali silica reaction (ASR) and sulfate attack in concrete.


Fly ash makes better concrete that is more economical and better for the environment.

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