How Do Concrete Countertops Meet LEED Criteria?

Question:
An architect I am working with was talking about LEED points for an upcoming project. What is LEED?

Answer:
LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”—a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to determine how “green” a project is. USGBC has developed LEED criteria for various types of projects including new construction, commercial interiors and new homes. Many architects strive to achieve LEED certification in commercial building projects. To be LEED certified, a project needs to rack up a certain number of points based on these criteria and be verified by a third party.

There are many ways to accrue LEED points, such as the use of water-efficient landscaping or avoiding environmentally sensitive sites. But the criteria that apply most to you as a concrete countertop maker are the use of regional and recycled materials. The architect may send you a checklist to determine whether your concrete countertops meet these criteria.

Regional materials: You will generally meet this criterion since you are creating the concrete countertops locally. You also need to consider where you obtain your mix ingredients. For example, if you use aggregate from a local river or quarry, that is a plus.

Recycled materials: There are many ways you can use recycled materials in a concrete countertop. You can use recycled glass as a decorative aggregate. You can replace some of the cement, a manufactured product, with a recycled byproduct such as fly ash or vitreous calcium aluminosilicate.

Another obvious way to increase the greenness of your concrete countertops is to use sealers low in VOC content, which will contribute to better indoor air quality.

Beyond LEED ranking or certification, using some of these practices to make your concrete countertops more environmentally friendly can increase customer confidence and desire for your product. You can use a “green” message in your marketing to homeowners, designers and architects.
For more information about environmental issues related to countertop making, read The Concrete Connections article How to Make Environmentally Friendlier Concrete and visit the website of the U.S. Green Building Council, which has extensive and detailed information about LEED.