Sustainability and PCI
Learn about the efforts of PCI and its members to become more sustainable
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Frequently asked questions, terminology, links, and more
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Resources

Answers to frequently asked questions, terminology, useful links, and more

Frequently asked questions

PCI and Sustainability
  1. What is PCI's position on sustainability?
  2. How does PCI actively encourage green building practices?
Sustainability and Precast Concrete
  1. Is precast concrete a green building material?
  2. What makes precast concrete so durable?
  3. Is precast concrete different from other types of concrete?
  4. Is precast concrete energy-efficient?
  5. Does precast concrete contain recycled materials?
  6. Can precast concrete members be reused?
Materials
  1. What is the difference between concrete and cement?
  2. What does cement do to concrete?
  3. What is portland cement?
  4. What are supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)?
  5. What do SCMs do to concrete?
  6. What are hydraulic and pozzolanic reactions?
Manufacturing
  1. How is precast concrete made?
  2. What steps are precast operations taking toward sustainability?
  3. How much cement is in precast concrete?
  4. What is being done about CO2 emissions during the cement-manufacturing process?
Precast Concrete Contributions to LEED® Certification*
  1. What is LEED?
  2. How does LEED-NC work?
  3. How many points are required for a project to be LEED-NC Certified?
  4. How does precast concrete contribute to LEED-NC rating points?
  5. What LEED-NC points does precast concrete contribute toward?
  6. How can precast concrete reduce the heat-island effect described in the Sustainable Sites section (SS 7.1)?
  7. Do recycled materials in concrete (fly ash, etc.) contribute to LEED points?
  8. Is the 500-mile-radius requirement for local-material content limited to the finished precast concrete product, or does it also apply to the raw materials?
  9. How can precast concrete contribute to Innovation and Design in LEED?
  10. How does precast concrete contribute to the underlying sustainability concept of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”?
Sustainability
  1. What is sustainability and why is it important?
  2. Why is there demand for sustainable development?
  3. What is a green building?
  4. What is the cost premium for a green building?
  5. What is the payback for a sustainable building project?
  6. How can I measure the costs and benefits of sustainable design?
  7. Do government projects require LEED certification?
Greenhouse Gases
  1. What are greenhouse gases?
  2. Carbon dioxide occurs naturally in the atmosphere, so why are CO2 emissions a concern?
  3. What is a carbon footprint?

Terminology

Terminology
  1. Sustainability Terminology
  2. Concrete Terminology Related to Sustainability

Useful links

Useful links
Sustainability and green building links

Coming soon LEED sample worksheets, Life-cycle assessment, Guide specifications and Research.