Reducing the Environmental Impact of Construction

There's no doubt that construction has an impact on the environment. How much impact depends directly on the builder and the steps they take to minimize that impact.

From spreading straw on all of the disrupted soil to protecting storm water run off drains there are a number of opportunities to reduce the impact.

One of the many steps Miranda Homes takes is to use an Eco-Pan. During the pouring of the foundation the pump truck and the concrete trucks need to wash off the residue of concrete before it cures and makes cleanup much more difficult. A common practice is to wash off in the street or onto an unused piece of property. “Wash-out water with high pH is the number one environmental issue for the ready mix concrete industry,” according to Richard Morris of the National Ready Mix Concrete Association.

To stop this wash-out water from contaminating the environment we use an Eco Pan to contain all of the residue that is washed off of trucks and tools.

Prior to pouring, the Eco Pan is delivered to the job site and set in place. After the pour it is picked up and the contents are cleaned and recycled. By using an Eco Pan we are able to stop about 100 gallons of water and concrete from going into storm drains or directly into the soil. Hopefully we'll see more and more builders using them.

We'll post details on some of the other steps we take to minimize the impact of construction in future articles. In the mean time, let us know if there's any topics you'd like us to cover.

Mark Mecklem - Miranda Homes