Sources: Trinity Consultants, Dallas; CMCM staff A survey of 100 executives representing North American manufacturers or producers with annual revenues exceeding $250 million reveals major challenges for the construction materials sector to align (GHG Protocol-defined) Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions reduction strategies and widely subscribed decarbonization targets. Environmental services provider Read more…
Sources: General Services Administration; CMCM staff The General Services Administration has released a list of more than 150 federal building construction or upgrade projects across 39 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico where low embodied carbon (LEC) material specifications will be supported by $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act Read more…
Sources: NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete, Farmington Hills, Mich.; CMCM staff U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Federal Highway Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology representatives offered and compiled takeaways as participants in the first Summit on Accelerating Carbon Neutral Concrete Materials Read more…
Sources: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Waltham, Mass.; CMCM staff A “Cutting Carbon” webinar series from leading engineer Simpson Gumpertz & Heger includes a Structural Steel and Concrete installment, October 17, 12 p.m. EST. Presenters Eric Fleet, Julia Hogroian, and Matthew Sander will discuss how structural engineering interests have responded to Read more…
Sources: BIBM, Brussels; CMCM staff In a new position statement on members’ material usage, production methods and embrace of circular economy principles, the Federation of the European Precast Concrete Industry (BIBM) reinforces commitment to fostering a sustainable and low-carbon society. The BIBM Decarbonization Pledge represents “a concerted effort to minimize Read more…
Sources: RMI, Boulder, Colo.; U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.; CP staff Environmental policy authority RMI and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) address emissions reduction challenges along with measures to accelerate building construction sector decarbonization in “Driving Action on Embodied Carbon in Buildings.” Released in conjunction with USGBC’s 2023 Read more…
Sources: Office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul; CP staff Beginning in January 2025, concrete producers will be required to provide environmental product declarations for New York State agency project deliveries above $1 million and 50 yards, or NYS Department of Transportation work above $3 million and 200 yards. Under Read more…
Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; CMCM staff The Environmental Protection Agency has opened a three-month window to apply for grants under the Reducing Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Construction Materials and Products program. With up to $100 million in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding, the program will support a) businesses Read more…
Sources: U.S. General Services Administration; CMCM staff The U.S. General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security will steer nearly $288 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds to make the latter agency’s new headquarters campus buildings models for sustainability, starting with procurement prioritizing low-embodied carbon concrete, steel, and asphalt. The funding Read more…
Sources: Federal Highway Administration; CMCM staff Federal Highway Administration Sustainable Pavements Program team members are engaging with representatives of the 40 state departments of transportation implementing Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Sustainable Project Delivery. The initiative is part of the 2023-2024 round of Every Day Counts, an FHWA program launched Read more…