MR credits 4.1 and 4.2, Recycled Content, take into account that today's concrete makes use of fly ash, a by-product of coal burning power plants; ground granulated blast furnace slag, a by-product of the iron and steel production process; and silica fume, a by-product of producing silicon metal or ferrosilicon alloys. Each of these mineral admixtures is an industrial by-product that if not used in concrete would be filling our already cramped landfill system. Not only are we disposing of other industries' unwanted by-products, but our industry has learned how to use them to enhance the qualities of our product and actually make it better.

MR credit 5.1 and 5.2, Regional Materials, focuses on reducing the environmental impacts resulting from transportation. Because concrete is often extracted, processed and manufactured at the local level, the transportation activities and the accompanying pollution required to deliver the materials to the jobsite are much less than other building materials.

Still not convinced?
It is clear that concrete can play an important role in earning points toward LEED certification. There are many other credits within the LEED Green Building Rating System that concrete also impacts in less pivotal ways. But beyond certification programs, there are many benefits of concrete that you should promote to consumers, such as sustainability, durability, energy efficiency and recyclability.

Another obvious environmental benefit of using concrete is that in most areas of the country it's made from readily available natural resources: water, sand, stone and cement. Extracting these ingredients takes a lesser toll on the environment than other construction materials.

The public, however, perceives stone quarries as being dirty, dusty, loud places with lots of heavy machinery that strips away the natural landscape. The fact is, most quarries have large areas of untouched woodlands acting as buffer zones between the quarry and local roads and houses. These areas have become sanctuaries for local wildlife while all the mining activity still goes on. And once an aggregate quarry has served its purpose, the entire site can be reclaimed for use as recreational facilities, campgrounds, pasture land, nature preserves and even little league baseball fields.