Is Concrete Eco-Friendly?
Concrete in itself is pretty natural, but there are some aspects of concrete that make it not so good for the environment.
Concrete is a natural substance made up mostly of sand, Portland cement, stone and a bit of water. Over all it seems natural right? Well Portland cement is a byproduct of making cement of it requires a lot of energy to produce. It create a large amount of greenhouse gases and over contributes to the decline of the ozone layer and adds to the global warming issue.
But with the fact of Portland cement being produced to create concrete, it in itself can be made locally and right on many job sites. The sand and water are local and can be found and made local, but the Portland cement has to be shipped long distances, therefore adding to the non-green aspect of concrete.
Although concrete doesn’t seem to release any harmful chemicals or air pollutants, it seems to be a good value to use. The best aspect of cement is you can recycle old pieces of concrete into something else and not have to make a product from virgin materials creating more strain on the environment.
Fly ash, the by-product of coal fired electric plants can be used in place of the Portland cement if you must use virgin materials to create the product. If none of this seems eco-friendly to you then the next best alternative is earthen-plaster instead of concrete. Of course this material works the best indoors where there walls and flooring it’s used on won’t be getting wet. If your concrete choice is to use outside. Consider concrete with fly ash in it or recycling old cement.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Always try to buy Fair Trade. It helps not only the sells, but the producer and the environment as well.
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