One of the major factors driving the green building movement is the realization of how much waste goes into the construction and operation of the buildings we live and work in. Think for a moment about how much time we spend indoors. Our buildings have a huge impact on our environment, even when we are not in them. But what if we could design, construct and operate our buildings using sustainable thinking, meeting the needs of today without jeopardizing future generations from meeting their own needs?

The U.S. Green Building Council developed a program called LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and has become the prominent green building rating system. There are four different thresholds for LEED certification recognizing varying levels of achievement: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. LEED-NC (New Construction) promotes improved practices in site selection and development, water and energy use, environmentally preferred construction products, waste stream management and indoor environmental quality. Within each category, project teams choose which credits to pursue based on their environmental and performance goals.

The use of concrete can contribute to earning more points toward project certification than any other building material. For the purpose of this article let's take a look at a few credits where the use of concrete makes a difference toward earning points.

Sustainable sites
Under this category, the use of pervious concrete pavement qualifies for credits SS 6.1 Stormwater Design-Quantity Control and SS 6.2 Stormwater Design-Quality Control. Keeping our aquifers, lakes, rivers and oceans free from pollution is a massive job. Conventional impervious pavements, particularly parking lots, collect pollutants that can be washed into streams, lakes and oceans. Pervious concrete pavements can reduce or eliminate stormwater runoff and permit the treatment of pollutants on site. By capturing rainfall and allowing it to percolate into the ground, soil chemistry and biology are allowed to treat the polluted water naturally.

Since there is little to no runoff, aquifers are replenished and flooding is minimized. Costly conventional stormwater collection systems can be reduced or eliminated by using pervious concrete in a parking area to retain stormwater, which in turn allows for more efficient land development.