MIT Launches Concrete Sustainability Hub
MIT has started the Concrete Sustainability Hub in an effort to research efforts to make concrete more environmentally friendly. MIT is workign on collaboration with the Portaland Cement Associate(PCA) and the Ready Mixed Concrete Educational Foundation. Seeing that concrete is one of the world’s most heavily used building materials, it’s essential that change be made in how concrete and it’s ingredients are manufactured.
Concrete is currently much more environmentally friendly than other materials used in the building process. The only problem is that 5% of all carbon dioxide emitted yearly comes from producing concrete. The ultimate goal of this $10 million effort is to build a concrete that is much more durable and more sustainably produced. Not only would far less greenhouses gases be produced, but less concrete could be used.
This effort seems really promising because of the fact that they are bringing together university researchers in various fields together with building industry experts. Imagine if this fairly small effort could help drastically reduce greenhouse gases while possibly saving money for those in the building industry. Not too bad for only a $10 million investment.
