AEM Names New Director
Stuart L. Levenick, group president of Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill., has been named to the Board of Directors of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the North American-based trade group for companies that manufacture equipment, products and services used worldwide in the agricultural, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors.AEM directors help set the guidelines and operating policies of the association on behalf of its members in areas including technical and product safety support, equipment statistics and market information, public policy representation, trade shows, global business development services, education and training, workforce development and worksite/safety educational materials.
The AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., and has offices in Washington, D.C.; Ottawa, Canada; Beijing; and Brussels. More information is available online at www.aem.org.
CMRA Chapters Meet
Several chapters of the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) met in late 2008 to discuss industry issues.More than 50 people participated in a Woburn, Mass., meeting of the New England Chapter, which is the association’s oldest chapter.
John Greico of the Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway) gave a presentation on the department’s use of recycled materials in its highway environment. The state has specifications for the use of recycled aggregates, including asphalt shingles, and would like to increase the use of those materials. MassHighway also uses other recycled products, including fly ash in concrete and rubber tires in asphalt.
CMRA Board Member Dan Costello, Costello Dismantling, discussed the downturn in markets for metals and OCC (old corrugated containers). While there has been a slight upturn lately, the market is still far off its highs of just six months ago, and it is anyone’s guess as to when it will come back, he reported.
In November, the Northwest Chapter met in Seattle to hear the latest developments in C&D recycling in that region. The more than 20 participants heard presentations from Gabriella Uhlar-Heffner from the city of Seattle, Preston Horne-Brine, executive director of the Northwest Chapter, and William Turley, executive director of the CMRA.
Uhlar-Heffner provided details about the recent study on C&D recycling capacity the city had recently finished. She also provided an update on the city’s plans to set up a new disposal/recycling facility. No decision had been made whether the facility will handle C&D. But the city is planning to develop a reuse facility where sections of structures will be transported and disassembled.
Turley provided an update on the national happenings in the C&D industry, including information on the latest developments with the Massachusetts disposal ban and the CMRA’s work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among other issues.
A local report and a national report were the subjects of the recent meeting of the Southern California Chapter of the CMRA. First, Southern California Regional Director Michael Ray made a report on the ongoing implementation of the state’s regulations on construction vehicle emissions. Engine regulations are becoming more stringent in the state, and Ray provided a timeline of the next steps in the regulations.
NAHB Announces 100 Green Homes
The NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) Research Center has passed the century mark for National Green Building Certification. The certification highlights projects meeting the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines. More than 100 single-family new homes have now been "Green Certified" under the program, with close to 200 more homes in the certification pipeline for early 2009.
The Green Certified mark means a project has been inspected at least twice by a professionally trained, accredited, third-party verifier to confirm that every green point claimed is included and installed correctly.
Recycling Symposium Postponed
The National Demolition Association has postponed the proposed International Symposium on the State of C&D Recycling. The event had been planned for Chicago in the fall of 2009.It was determined that the current economic climate and restrictions on travel that many state governments have imposed made holding the Symposium impractical at the time, according to the association.
The Board of Directors intends to continue other initiatives involving C&D recycling and envisions holding the Symposium in the fall of 2010.
PCA Seeks Sustainability Nominees
The Portland Cement Association (PCA) is accepting nominees for its second annual Sustainable Leadership Awards.
The annual initiative identifies and honors government leaders who advance sustainable development in their communities through the use of concrete and cement-based products.
"There are few, if any, construction materials that offer concrete’s wide range of sustainable and cost-effective benefits," says PCA President and CEO Brian McCarthy.
Projects can include those where considerable amounts of concrete have been recycled.
The PCA is calling on members of the building industry to submit nominations for the 2009 Sustainable Leadership Awards in four categories. The Leadership in Sustainability Policy Award honors public officials who advance policies that promote the concept of sustainable development by advocating for and promoting the use of concrete and cement-based products in their communities. Other categories include Homes and Residential Building; Nonresidential Building; and Infrastructure.
Buildings and activities must have occurred between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2008, to be eligible. The deadline to submit final entries is May 29, 2009.
In 2008, winners from Fort Worth, Texas; Glendale, Ariz.; Chicago; Leawood, Kan.; Hancock, N.H.; Salem, Ore.; Dallas; and Lubbock, Texas, were recognized for using new innovations and technologies the PCA says resulted in immense environmental benefits and cost savings.
In the Full-depth Reclamation (FDR) category, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and Hancock, N.H., have used concrete to reconstruct nearly 500 lane miles of roadways—representing a savings of more than 40 percent per lane mile from traditional repair.
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