Build With Strength Holds Symposium on Low Carbon Concrete in Oregon

Build With Strength (BWS), PaveAhead and the Oregon Concrete and Aggregates Producers Association recently held a low carbon concrete event, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Patrick Matsche. The event highlighted the ready mixed concrete industry’s 21% reduction in carbon emissions, with BWS and PaveAhead convening a symposium of the leading voices in the Pacific Northwest. The event began November 9 with a tour and presentation at Remy Wines in Drake, OR. Remy Drabkin, mayor of McMinnville and winemaker/owner of Remy Wines, gave guests a gracious tour of the winery, which features one of Oregon’s first commercial uses of biochar in a concrete floor, a charcoal product produced from plant matter which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The following day, Katie Poss (seen here at the podium), NRMCA director, sustainability initiatives, welcomed the diverse group which included members of the academic, AEC, design-build, sustainability, contractor and developer communities along with state and local government officials. Build With Strength’s Lionel Lemay and Patrick Matsche along with Don Clem of PaveAhead presented on the NRMCA’s efforts to support the carbon reduction efforts of various stakeholders.

Dr. Jason Weiss of Oregon State University presented innovative and emerging carbon reduction strategies currently available and at scale. James Salazar, director of EPD Services at Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, presented carbon accounting methodology. Mr. Salazar agreed that the next step in the evolution of measuring concrete’s impacts on the build community is acceptance of “cradle to grave” LCA.

A panel discussion with Q&A was held with panelists that included Melissa Verwest, Northwest regional sustainability engineer at Knife River Corporation; Jordan Palmeri, senior policy researcher at Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF); Joan Gibbons, associate sustainability manager at Lendlease; Ian McFarlane, senior principal at Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKE) and Stacey Foreman, sustainability procurement program manager for the city of Portland, OR. The panel discussed market conditions and forward thinking advancements, followed by the city of Portland's Low Carbon Initiative, low carbon procurement policy structure and best practices, and bringing new technologies to market.

Build With Strength’s Patrick Matsche connected several developers looking to use low carbon concrete as their “go to mix design” with local ready mix producers in the audience. Several participants stayed and met with other disrupters interested to create “concrete” solutions to lowering concrete’s carbon footprint.

A special thanks to the NRMCA Producer members and their associates at Kniferiver Corp., Riverbend Materials, a CRH Company; Cadman Materials, CalPortland, Lafarge North America and Solid Carbon.

For more information, contact Patrick Matsche at pmatsche@nrmca.org or 415-672-5275.