See how we’re thinking about using sustainable materials in our community projects.
Concrete that stores carbon, treatments that reduce surface temperatures and heat islands, and pop-up materials made from recycled plastic… These are just some examples of the forward-thinking, sustainable and climate-positive construction materials available in the market, and Alta wants YOU to join us in using these climate-friendly materials to center sustainability in your design and engineering work.
Did you know that the transportation sector produces the greatest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., more than the electricity sector? The contribution of the transportation sector to emissions would make up an even greater share of emissions if we included the carbon footprint of concrete, asphalt, and other materials used in the construction of transportation infrastructure like roads, bridges, and trails.
Alta is already working to cut emissions by helping communities switch car trips to active trips, and we see an opportunity to make an even greater impact by using climate positive materials and construction practices in our projects. Many companies are innovating, producing materials using recycled plastics and waste products from other industries, as well as creating solutions for growing healthy street trees, managing stormwater, and reducing the urban heat island effect.
“The multiple challenges our communities are facing — extreme weather, budget shortfalls, inequality, unsafe streets — require approaches that solve multiple problems at once,” said Maria Wardoku, Alta Senior Planner. “Using climate-positive materials in our active transportation projects is a great way to make cost-effective investments that meet multiple community goals.”
This month we hosted a meeting with representatives from seven companies that produce climate positive materials for active transportation projects. The meeting was so informative and inspiring that we wanted to share the work these companies are doing to make our cities more sustainable, with the hope of sparking your curiosity about using these types of materials in your projects and communities. We hope that this is the first of many conversations about incorporating sustainable materials into our built environment.
City Green’s materials make managing stormwater easy while creating healthy street trees for urban streetscapes. The company has created the first 100% post-consumer recycled plastic soil vault system that lives underground, allowing tree roots to grow and expand and providing soil for stormwater management. Last year, City Green saved over 1,000 tons of plastic from landfills and oceans.
The current average lifespan of an urban tree is about three years, but this is solvable if cities allow soil volume beneath the sidewalk for trees. This soil volume is being used for stormwater management as well. By allowing stormwater to run through the soil underneath the sidewalk first, the polluted stormwater is cleaned, giving it a 95% Total Suspended Soils (TSS) removal. In addition, the trees are fed water so they continue to grow.
Envirobond is the maker of completely organic landscape pathway materials. Their Organic-Lock material is a powdered binder made from a renewable plant resource designed to be blended with crushed aggregate. The binder locks the aggregate in place to minimize erosion and maintenance. The pathway material is designed for pedestrian traffic, vehicular traffic, sports fields and cart paths. It’s water permeable, resists erosion, is wheelchair accessible, and LEED points are available to be earned for multiple elements. Their materials have been used in larger professional projects such as the Brooklyn Bridge Park pathway application, Shanghai Disney pathway application, and the Dodger Stadium warning track application.
Zicla is guided by the desire to create more inclusive and accessible streets. Since 2005, the company has been turning plastic waste into materials for quick-build projects and other transportation needs, converting 3,577 tons of plastic waste in the process. Zicla’s components are manufactured with a mixture of plastic waste of industrial and post-consumer origin, including PVC from remnants of tarpaulins, hoses, coating of electric cables, and more. The material has been used to separate traffic flows for people sharing the road, create shared use pathways for bicycles and transit users, to extend sidewalks and bus platforms, and more.
Based in The Netherlands, Streetlife site furnishings offer Dutch design made in the US. The company creates street furniture, tree products and small pedestrian and bicycle bridges for the public domain. Characterized by a robust, natural style and sustainable use of materials, the products are available in FSC hardwood, corten steel, and recycled plastic, among others. In fact, one Streetlife Drifter Bench contains 650kg of household plastic waste. These materials have long life spans and their modular design means they’re easy to maintain.
ePAVE’s reflective, cool pavement coating is engineered to preserve asphalt and concrete surfaces with a layer of protection that significantly reduces their impact on air pollution and climate change. Over time, traditional asphalt oxidizes, causing cracks in the surface. Water penetrates the cracks and leads to potholes, which require expensive repairs. In addition, when asphalt becomes hot, it releases chemicals that are harmful to our health.
ePave’s polymer-enhanced formula is a reflective coating that mitigates the urban heat island effect by lowering both surface and ambient air temperatures by 5–30 degrees, reducing energy use in nearby buildings and improving air quality. The material’s life span ranges between 5–10 years, which is twice as long as traditional materials, it qualifies for LEED credits, and it protects against UV rays, rain, snow, road salt, chemicals, fuels and lubricants.
Based in California, Blue Planet Systems’s mission is to mineralize and permanently store billions of tons of CO2 in concrete. Concrete is the second most used material on earth aside from water, so there’s a huge opportunity to sequester carbon through this way. The company produces calcium carbonate aggregates containing sequestered CO2, transforming the global built environment into a carbon sink. The material can be used like traditional aggregate, and it’s unique in that it’s reflective, which has implications in heat mitigation efforts. The company captures the CO2 themselves, and they work with cement plants, steel plants, power stations, and more to collect CO2 and turn it into carbonate that is a useful building material. The product can be carbon negative, offsetting the emissions from the cement entirely.
Managing stormwater runoff is a significant challenge for municipal water entities. Large areas of impermeable concrete inhibit the absorption of stormwater into the ground, causing water to pool, increasing the potential for flooding. PaveDrain’s permeable blocks provide a solution to that problem by allowing water to flow under a pathway’s surface. The articulated and arched design of PaveDrain’s bricks allow water to filter into rock bedding beneath them and eventually back into the water table. The mats can be pre-assembled in a variety of configurations customized for specific applications and installed with conventional construction equipment. They’re ADA accessible, easy to maintain and have a solar reflective index of 41. PaveDrain even offers a heated version of its material, eliminating the need for salt in snowy conditions.
We’re excited about the materials we’ve learned about and how these companies are continually making their products more climate positive. And we know there are more companies like this out there. If that’s you, we want to hear from you. Let’s work together to be part of the climate solution.
In the meantime, learn more about Alta’s Sustainability service area, and follow along for monthly updates.
