I\u2019m not sure if you are like me, but I haven\u2019t seen a word so overused in our everyday world as the word GREEN. Everywhere I look I see green this and green that. We have green homes, green cars, green toilet paper; even the hamburgers we buy at McDonalds are now green. At least for one reason or another….<\/p>\n
So what does \u201cbeing green\u201d mean for you and me and the Tilt-Up industry? Personally, if I am not green, it appears that I am somehow not on the cutting-edge of construction technology and the company I work for may not be as well positioned in the market as some of our \u201cgreen\u201d competitors. What was once a differentiator for me and my company is now becoming common place, a real standard if you will. For example, are you LEED accredited? This is one significant accomplishment that can bolster your level of \u201cgreenness\u201d, if you are so inclined. Last fall, we as a company made a hard push to get folks LEED Accredited. We now have 52 LEED Accredited professionals on staff.<\/p>\n
Supposedly, I am green all over after having spent approximately 60 hours, most of which was personal time, studying for the LEED V2.2 exam, and passing! Be careful; don\u2019t take that exam for granted. It is tough. But, I actually feel it did bolster my knowledge and understanding of how to apply real sustainable principles in the projects we design and build. I just have to admit, I don\u2019t remember much of what I spent all that time studying…<\/p>\n
Is Tilt-Up green? Is it sustainable? According to Webster\u2019s Dictionary, sustainable means \u201c….using a resource so that the resource is not depleted\u00a0or permanently damaged\u201d. I am in construction so by default I am no\u00a0rocket scientist. But in looking at that definition it makes me wonder if when selecting materials for a \u201cgreen\u201d or \u201csustainable\u201d construction project we are merely choosing the lesser of many evils. EVERY project consumes or depletes resources by its very nature. It\u2019s how little we do it and with what materials\u00a0we use that make the difference. I believe Tilt-Up concrete panels using recycled aggregates and materials that were generated through a process that minimized environmental impact are significantly sustainable. Also, just how long do you think a Tilt-Up building will last compared to its competitors? Add to that the potential thermal benefits and you have yourself a green product. Don\u2019t you agree?<\/p>\n
The bottom line is, you may have not realized it, but you are GREEN. Now the goal is how to turn your greenness into the real green we care about: CASH. Be educated about the product or service you are selling and then promote it. One way to learn this is to attend this year\u2019s TCA Convention at Amelia Island, Florida September 30th through October 2nd. We will be presenting on this subject and many others to help improve your business in these down times. I hope to see you there.<\/p>\n
Jim MacKinnon, President<\/p>\n
TCA Board of Directors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"