Friday, February 25, 2011

Procter & Gamble Pledges to Pursue LEED Certification for All New Sites Globally

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) today announces its commitment to pursue LEED certification for all new sites.  P&G's Taicang plant in China – which is breaking ground today – is the first P&G manufacturing site to pursue LEED certification, with several additional new P&G sites currently working toward the same distinction globally.
"Pursuing LEED certification for all new sites including offices, innovation centers, and our manufacturing and distribution centers is the next evolution in our facility eco-design process that will ensure excellence in sustainable design," said Keith Harrison, P&G global product supply officer. "Having all of our new sites LEED certified will help us make progress toward our long-term sustainability vision which includes powering our plants with 100% renewable energy and zero manufacturing waste to landfill."
Established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.  
"LEED certified green buildings contribute to saving energy, water and money," said Doug Gatlin, Vice President, U.S. Green Building Council. "P&G pursuing LEED certification represents a firm commitment to improving our environment for future generations."
The Taicang plant, the first P&G site to register for LEED certification, features notable environmental aspects such as:
  • Water: Maximizing beneficial water re-use while minimizing water consumption through efforts such as recovering steam condensate for domestic water needs and harvesting rainwater to replenish on-site landscaping water.  
  • Energy :Features an outdoor lighting system powered by a combination of solar energy and use of high efficiency mechanical equipment.
  • Waste: Operational design to maximize waste recycling and ultimately achieve zero waste to landfill.


All new P&G sites, including those in the U.S., that are currently in design phase or early construction are working toward achieving LEED certification.  In countries where equivalent programs are available, P&G is also committing to meet all local certification standards.  This effort amplifies P&G's approach to ensure holistic end-to-end sustainability considerations, including P&G's environmental supplier scorecard.
About Procter & Gamble
Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.  For more information on P&G's commitment to sustainability, visit: www.pg.com/sustainability.

The U.S. Green Concrete Council Releases “The Sustainable Concrete Guide”

The U.S. Green Concrete Council (USGCC) has released its new book, “The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Strategies and Examples,” available for purchase through the American Concrete Institute (ACI).
The first-ever comprehensive resource on concrete and sustainability, “The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Strategies and Examples” provides insight on specific strategies for the best use of concrete in high-performance, long-lasting, green buildings. Included in the guide are case studies, technical data and references, and numerous practices that can be implemented immediately. The guide is divided into three parts.
Part 1 of the guide includes information on “Concrete Basics for Sustainability,” which outlines the uses of concrete as the most widely used building material in the world.
Part 2 of the guide is titled “Considerations for Best Use of Concrete for Sustainable Structures,” and it contains 11 chapters on specific uses of concrete for sustainable structures. Topics include:
  • Chapter 1 – Carbon footprint
  • Chapter 2 – Thermal transmission
  • Chapter 3 – Thermal mass and storage
  • Chapter 4 – Longevity and service life
  • Chapter 5 – Stormwater management
  • Chapter 6 – Human factors and the living/working environment
  • Chapter 7 – Safety and security
  • Chapter 8 – Reduce, reuse, recycle
  • Chapter 9 – Economic impact
  • Chapter 10 – Resilience with climate change
  • Chapter 11 – Compatibility with other innovative sustainability strategies
Part 3 of the guide, titled “Beyond Sustainable Rating Systems: Project Profiles,” features 12 specific construction projects throughout the U.S.; all of which utilize sustainable concrete practices and techniques. Included are profiles of three specific types of structures: parking structures and parking lots; single-family and multi-family residential structures; and commercial, institutional, and industrial structures.
The book is authored by Andrea J. Schokker, professor and head of the civil engineering department at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Schokker is a member of the Board of Direction for the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and is active in many ACI committees including Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 423, Prestressed Concrete, and a subcommittee of Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code. She is the chair of ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of Concrete.
Schokker has received awards for both her technical contributions and her educational efforts, including the ACI Young Member Award for Professional Achievement (2004); the ACI Outstanding Educational Committee Member Award (2003); the Post-Tensioning Institute Outstanding Educator Award (2004); Penn State’s Engineering Society Outstanding Teaching Award (2004); and Penn State’s Lawrence J. Perez Student Advocate Award (2003).
“Green building practices have been in the spotlight for quite some time in the U.S. and around the world,” said Andrea J. Schokker. “’The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Strategies and Examples’ is a first-of-its-kind guide that fills the pressing need for a comprehensive source on implementing sustainable concrete building practices and techniques immediately. This book presents real-world examples that can be used to guide any engineer, architect, specifier, building owner, or contractor who is interested in learning how to most effectively and efficiently integrate concrete in durable and sustainable structures.”
Also an integral part in the creation of the book is the editorial review panel of the U.S. Green Concrete Council. Current ACI president Florian Barth serves as chair of the editorial review panel. Other members include Michael Deane, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Turner Construction Company; Kevin MacDonald, vice president of engineering services at Cemstone; Aris Papadopoulos, CEO of Titan America; Michael Paul, lead structural engineer and senior consultant for Duffield Associates; Richard Stehly, vice president of ACI and principal of American Engineering & Testing; and Wayne Trusty, president of Athena Institute International.
The U.S. Green Concrete Council was established in 2009, with the purpose of disseminating information on sustainable concrete. The organization aims to satisfy the immediate demand for resources on the role of concrete in sustainable buildings and to facilitate the development of additional sustainability-related consensus documents. USGCC is a division of Creative Association Management (CAM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). “The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Strategies and Examples” is the first in a series of sustainable concrete guides to be published by USGCC. The second is expected to be available in Fall 2010.
To order, call ACI at 248-848-3800 or click the link below.
The Sustainable Concrete Guide – Strategies and Examples
Published: March 2010
Pages: 89
Order Code: SCG1.PR
Price (for ACI members and non-members): $75

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