If you think all concretes are created equal, think again.
One concrete option is markedly greener than the rest: CleanCrete,
formerly known as Ekocrete. The ready-mix concrete is comprised of up
to 85 percent recycled materials, and Cazadero-based Austin Creek
Materials is the only Sonoma County materials supplier to provide and
sell the product.
The company, with offices in Santa Rosa, has been selling the stuff since last January.
“Ekocrete is just as strong and reliable as regular concrete, only
it’s almost entirely made of recycled stuff,” said General Manager
Steve Canelis. “It’s perfect for the home or business owner who wants
concrete but also wants to keep the environment in mind.”
What makes this concrete different? Typical concrete is comprised of
75 percent sand and gravel-aggregate that, in most cases, is plucked
from the earth at a quarry. Ekocrete, however, replaces all of this
material with recycled concrete that has been pulverized into tiny
pieces that resemble sand and gravel.
The product also substitutes fly ash from coal mills for cement
powder, re-using waste instead of creating something new. It can be
colored, stained, stamped and acid etched, just like any other concrete.
Ekocrete is the brainchild of Jim Glessner, president of Clean
Concrete Technologies in Palo Alto. The company was named Ekocrete
until this summer, when it changed its name (in some circles, the
product itself is now known as CleanCrete).
While Ekocrete can be used in both residential and commercial
products, most customers are residential. Austin Creek’s customer base
is no exception: Canelis says the materials supplier just started on a
500-yard installation at a custom home in West County.
For homeowners interested in obtaining silver or gold status through
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating
system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, these types of
materials are a step in the right direction.