Cement, Charity and Concrete Sustainablity

Is Cement Production an Evil Earth Killer?

It is difficult to promote improving the construction supply chains in poor nations when CEMENT is part of the story. Many in the “Sustainability and Green Movement” view the CO2 output from cement production with such disdain that they reject any effort that includes what they believe to be the evil earth-killing powder.

Concrete uses cement

Regardless of the issues that some have with cement, we still need this powder as the glue that makes concrete stay together.  And, concrete remains the most widely used building material on the planet, by a very wide margin. Ignoring the value of cement in concrete actually causes a huge sustainability problem.

The poor use concrete

The poor find cement-based products as the most  practical building material for their construction needs.  Unfortunately poverty causes many to reduce the amount of cement used in their concrete and this creates a big problem. Too little cement creates weak concrete, and weak concrete crumbles down in disasters. Then, collapsed building need to be rebuilt and people need to be rescued, both use up resources.

But skimping on cement is only a small part of a concrete supply system that contributes to the waste.  When you consider that there are billions of people building with bad concrete on this planet, you can find a under-discussed issue.

Bad concrete crumbles

History demonstrates that concrete construction in poor regions has a high probability of failure during extreme events like earthquakes, high winds and floods. Over and over they rebuild using the same concrete practices, only to have it crumble down upon them. Time and time again the raw materials are mined and mixed, only to end up as poor quality rubble that cannot even be recycled. And in most cases, our developed nations continue to rush in to rescue and rebuild.

Charities relies on concrete

Many who step up to rescue and rebuild are well-meaning charities from the industrialized nations. These organizations and their workers know the value of good concrete because they rely on it to keep them sheltered and safe back home. Sadly, they find themselves working in regions where the concrete supply systems are poorly structured. And, because their mission is not to fix a supply system, they do what is expedient – They build using the local building methods. This process ignores the root of sustainability – To Sustain.

In many of these rebuilding projects we place expediency ahead of sustainability, and this causes natural resources to be wasted and more CEMENT to be processed. We know that good concrete can withstand disaster and sustain its structure better than most materials, yet we ignore its importance when it comes to international development.

We must change our thinking from responding and rebuilding to a more proactive mindset that involves fixing supply systems. Better construction supplies and processes will allow charities to rebuild in a sustainable way.  Unfortunately many who want to save the planet’s resources and want sustainable buildings are missing this issue all together.

Concrete Supply = Sustainability

We will never reduce the impact of CEMENT production if we don’t find a way to plug this hole in worldwide waste. Cement Trust is reaching out to charities and concrete experts to join forces with those who want a more sustainable planet. It is time to reialze that a quality supply systems is the foundation of sustainable building in developing regions. Until we focus our efforts on the base of the problem, concrete will continue to crumble and be unsustainable.  Will you join in the conversation?

Concrete Sustainability Video

The following video was produced for the Concrete MD and provides additional insights into how better concrete will improve worldwide sustainability.

Two Directions for Disaster Recovery

Unexpected Development Champions – Cement Trust and Extollo International

This article was produced and published by Devex Impact, a global initiative of Devex and USAID, that focuses on the intersection of business and global development and connects companies, organizations and professionals to the practical information they need to make an impact.

International development is a topic one expects to hear about at a conference convened by the United Nations, World Bank or Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — not a concrete-industry convention.

Yet at the ‘World of Concrete’ expo held this month in Las Vegas, Bruce Christensen spoke to fellow concrete industry leaders, calling on them to join in his mission to improve concrete practices in the developing world, where shoddy mixing and other factors have led to building collapse during earthquakes or other natural disasters. READ MORE>>>

We thank Andrea Useem – The Associate Editor and Content Director for Devex Impact for her interest in the Cement Trust vision. Andrea creates and manages cutting-edge content on the intersection of business and international development. An experienced multimedia journalist, Andrea served as leadership editor at the Washington Post and spent three years as a foreign correspondent in Eastern Africa reporting for publications including the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, and San Francisco Chronicle.

Concrete can Save a Thousand Lives…

Together we can build strong supply systems

Try to watch this video and not come away inspired to make a difference…

We invite you to dream with us of a world where concrete buildings stay standing during an earthquake, and people survive disaster. Imagine with us developing countries benefiting from the economic growth that comes with an expanding local concrete supply system.

Together with you, Cement Trust will change the world…

Thanks to Byron Reese and INegotiate.org

World of Concrete Takes Shovels out of the Supply Chain

Gathering concrete experts to cure the world’s poorest concrete

Cement Trust went to the World of Concrete in February of 2013 to recruit other concrete experts to find solutions to poor concrete practices.

During the event, Bruce Christensen, a director with Cement Trust was interviewed by Construction Pros.com. The focus of the interview was on how to get the concrete supply chain to function even in the poorest nations. The goal of Cement Trust is to remove shovels from the mixing of concrete on the ground and to build all levels of the supply system.

Changing the world’s poorest concrete supply chains will make a huge difference in the sustainability of infrastructure and will save thousands of lives each year.

Join Cement Trust in finding solutions at a Symposium on July 11th and 12th of 2013 in Oregon. This event is free to concrete experts with the goal is to build a strategic plan for curing the world’s poorest concrete.  Hosted by Cart-Away Concrete Systems - More details at 800-909-9809.

World of Concrete – Changing Concrete for the Poor

2013 World of Concrete suggests curing worlds poorest concrete

The story of death by a 1000 shovels was presented to the members of the World of Concrete and many pledged to find a solution to this problem in the poorest regions of the planet.

Fixing broken concrete supply chains

The shovels represent a broken concrete supply chain in the under-developed nations and until this is fixed there will continue to be death and destruction from natural disasters.

Bruce Christensen, a director with Cement Trust shared a slide presentation at the Las Vegas event to bring this sad issue to the forefront. The attendees at the World of Concrete are uniquely qualified to help cure the world’s poorest concrete. Click on the box to the right for the slides from the presentation. →

Script from the presentation:

Before I start to blame shovels for thousands of deaths, let’s discuss the good-side of shovels. We have all had some great memories with shovels in the past.Like the time we used a shovel to build a sand castle on the beach. Or maybe this shovel reminds us of the time we dug for buried treasure. Or our memories may include time spent using a shovel to toil over a project to better your community.

Indeed, shovels do many great things in the hands of those who use them for their intended purpose. Shovels do spread good will and create many good times for many people.But shovels can also be dangerous as well….

Shovels can contribute to the death and destruction of thousands of people. Now let me introduce you to the shovels of death – Today you will learn of a deadly use for shovels and the tragedy that these shovels represent. We will discover that the poorest people of the world kill themselves with their own shovels. And that many well-meaning people share in the work of these shovels of death. It is a tragic story that the members of the world of concrete can help to change, and it is why Cement Trust exists.

Blaming Shovels…

Just 3-years ago on January 12th 2010 the earth shook for 30 seconds and Haiti’s buildings crumbled down upon the Haitian people. Many lost their lives and their homes because of shovels. Yes, shovels caused this much destruction.

The streets of Port au Prince were filled with rubble piles, and these piles included the crumbling slabs of broken concrete or chunks of building blocks that were once where the walls, floors and roofs of Haitian homes and businesses. And it is the shovels fault, so blame we the shovels.

Even today, after 3-years, the people live in desperate conditions. The disease and sorrow continues.  Storms blow-in to destroy tents and temporary structures, and the answer in most cases has been to send in more shovels…

Disaster engineers continue to warn that “earthquakes don’t kill people, building do”. And the images from Haiti and from other earthquakes in poor nations sadly testify that concrete building do indeed create orphans, widows and broken dreams. Now I ask you who should we blame?  It wouldn’t be fair to blame the people, so Blame the Shovels.

But why blame a simple garden tool for such terrible deeds? Why denigrate the shovels that you and I have had so many great adventures with.  Don’t shovels do so many great things for the good, why make them out to be such a bad guy?

We blame shovels because a shovel in the wrong hands can be deadly, and shovels are a very recognizable symbol of a broken concrete supply system within the poorest nations.

In poor countries the shovel is the cement mixer of choice. They mix their concrete on the ground using shovels to create their foundations – They use shovels on the ground to create concrete block – Their shovels, mixing on the ground produce the mortar, the plaster and the stucco. And with every step, they build heavy structures that eventually fall down upon them.  Sadly they don’t have ready-mix trucks, mortar mixers, concrete pumps and tools like we do.  They don’t have trustworthy suppliers, they must rely on shovels and the ground to build their homes.

Strong backs…

The poor do have strong backs, and with their strength and thousands of shovels they to move the material to mix in the water and cement powder to create their low-strength mixes. Their strong backs and their great poverty create a cycle of despair and tragedy that does not need to exist.

As the shovels mix the concrete, the buckets feed in water and then scoop the wet mix up for the bucket brigade to move off to the forms. This is what you do when poverty forces the shovel to be your concrete mixer, and the bucket to become the concrete pump.

These shovels and buckets are central players and contributors to a poor construction supply system that needs an intervention. An intervention that concrete experts like us need to participate in.

Cement volume

Poverty causes people who mix on the ground to skimp on cement. It is hard to blame them when a bag of cement equals more than a days pay, or when thievery is the only course to obtain even a minimal measurement of cement. Adding to this challenge are the issues of inconsistent supplies, corruption and quality control problems at the cement bagging operations.

Without the correct proportions of cement there is not enough strength in the concrete to withstand even a moderate earthquake or other disaster.

Water…

Buckets carry the water for the shovels to mix, and this creates other problems.  When mixing by hand it is much easier to move the shovels when the materials are wet and soupy.  Therefore, the ground mixing crews add extra water to easy the strain on their backs. But extra water creates a weaker concrete as it cures. Even though wetter mixes are easier to scoop and move into the forms, it does little to create a better structure – the extra water does in fact produce a weaker more vulnerable home.

Aggregates…

At the beginning of any good concrete supply chain are the aggregates that become the bulk of any concrete mixture. The bad concrete materials join the shovels in producing bad concrete. These poor quality materials would never pass muster in our more-developed nations, yet few even worry about the raw materials as the shovels continue to mix on the ground.

The combination of poverty, poor aggregate, too much water, to little cement, buckets and shovels results in the rubble piles and the problems that the we, as the members of the World of Concrete are uniquely qualified to address.

Low strength concrete

Following Haiti’s quake, engineering professor Kimberly Kurtis went with a team to Haiti to study the practice of mixing concrete on the ground with shovels. Georgia Tech’s multiple tests found compressive strengths average 1300 but as low as 770 psi – Well below the 3000 psi that we call a norm in our working concrete supply systems. Many other studies have reinforced the reality that poverty produces poor concrete, but few have focused on curing this worldwide problem.  This is the goal of Cement Trust.

To find a cure to poor concrete we must ask why is it that one country can survive a massive quake while others have so many deaths?

At 7.0 quake in Haiti killed over 200,000 and injured that many more and produced massive homelessness and rubble piles. In Haiti the shovels are a part of a broken supply chain that produced enough concrete rubble to fill a train of box cars from here to Atlanta.  This represents a huge waste of the world’s resources. But in Chile, when the 6th largest quake in history hit in 2010 it resulted in only 525 deaths. Even though the ground shook at more than 510 times the amount of Haiti there was minimal rubble, structural damage and homelessness.  The only logical explanation is that Chile benefits from a working supply chain for their concrete construction processes. A functioning system saves both human and financial resources for other things besides rebuilding.

The continuing problem…

The problem that we face is that little by little the shovels have built the homes and buildings of the poorest nations of the world.  And, today many charitable organizations justify this shovel mixing method because it is easier than finding a reasonable solution to a poor supply system. These organizations are not experts in concrete production, yet they are often tasked with the responsibility to rebuild without much support from the international concrete industry.

We all recognize that these NGO’s and charities have the best interest of those who are suffering at heart, yet they don’t realize that it is the shovels and the broken supply systems that really need the attention. Their expertise is in rescuing, not proper reconstruction so they organize service teams that swarm-in to join the rebuilding effort. Unfortunately they find themselves using the broken concrete supply chains and more shovels to build within this failed process.

Time and time again they come with their shovels and buckets to rescue and rebuild. Over and over the process adds to a building system that perpetually crumbles.  All the well-meaning volunteers return home with great stories of how the they picked up the shovel and mixed with the locals to build a church or a school. And despite their good intention there is no real change in the quality of the concrete.  Time and time again, there is a call for donations to join in the cause of rebuilding following a disaster.

The same results…

Despite the apparent problem the end result remains the same… Something must change in the supply chain of these nations or all of these shovels will continue to produce more rubble piles, more sorrow and more desperation. Over and over again bad concrete gets the blame for this death and loss. As concrete experts don’t we have a responsibility to respond to the bad reputation that this is giving to our industry?

A call to action…

Cement Trust calls upon the international concrete community to join in changing the direction of this cycle of death. Concrete experts can remove the shovel from the hands of the poor and replace it with appropriate technology and tools. We call upon international charities, governments and non-government organization to realize that this problem can be solved with the help of concrete experts.

As concrete geeks, we don’t know much about ending polo or stopping the spread of measles. Our expertise is not found in drilling water wells or the distribution food to the hungry.  But we can cure the world’s poorest concrete, if we focus our attention on this problem. As a group we are uniquely qualified to change the quality of the concrete supply systems of the poorest people. Cement Trust says “The time has come to share our innovation and expertise with the poor”. It is time to begin the process of curing the world’s poorest concrete supply systems.

4 steps toward a cure…

The cure to bad concrete can be accomplished in 4 steps:

1.Inform charities that the problem exists and teach them of their roll in the cure

2.Help concrete experts to find ways to develop tools that will fit the need

3.Train charities to recognize and use good construction supply practices

4.Assist these groups in promoting the growth of local concrete supply chains.

Since 2010 Cement Trust has been developing an information campaign around this issue. Over time there have been hundreds of pages of discussion on this subject cataloged on this website sponsored by Cart-Away Concrete System. The information outreach has extended to include information from universities, international aid groups and other thought leaders within this industry. We invite other concrete expert to contribute to the conversation.

Following the Haiti quake a team from Cart-Away Concrete System took on the challenge to replace the shovels with an appropriately scaled concrete mixer. This mixer is specifically designed for producing consistent concrete ready-mix, even in an area racked with extreme poverty. The Concrete MD is a mechanical mixer built to eliminate shovel mixing on the ground and to get the same recipe time and time again.  We like to think of the MD as the poor mans concrete batch plant and an equivalent to our local transit-mix supplier here in the States.

This machine represents Cement Trust’s goal to involve manufacturing in finding solutions to this problem. There are many equipment manufacturers who could also innovate and produce solutions for the broken concrete supply chains of poor nations. We believe there are many opportunities in serving the billions at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Curing poverty requires raising the economic fortunes of the poor. We know that the concrete supply chain offers many growth opportunities as it develops. The World of Concrete represent a massive concrete supply chain that works very well.

Encouraging charities, governments and other organizations to join with construction supply experts in this effort will open many opportunities for the poor to participate. From improvements in aggregate processing, expanded engineering, material testing, distribution and concrete production -  a growing supply chain can provide higher wages and more economic growth in every community that it touches.

We have seen forward-looking charities encourage US church congregations to fund business opportunities for their cousin-congregation in countries like Haiti. The wealthier congregation funds the purchase of appropriately scaled equipment and then supports a Haitian congregation as it joins an improving concrete supply system within their community.

Cement Trust welcomes these creative ideas and wants to see more interaction between concrete experts and charitable groups.  It is only through these partnerships that we will see a reduction of the cycle of destruction that the shovels represent.

Do something now…

It is my hope that we will take a few minutes to think about the people that will spend today and tomorrow building a home with a shovel, too much water, too little cement and a bucket. Make a commitment to do something to change this and join with Cement Trust in curing the World’s Poorest Concrete…

We ask you and others to help us end death by a thousand shovels… It is time to begin the work to retire the shovels.

A Global Hand in Disaster Risk Reduction – UNISDR

Better foundations will change the outcome

The UNISDR is sharing a four page report with 12 steps to improve disaster preparation. But this image tells more of a story than most of the words in the document – Yet it will not be discussed …  What you will read is:

“Even though some countries may have strengthened their ability to manage risk and reduce exposure, any such improvements have failed to offset the very rapid increase in new dimensions of risk that are fuelled by rapid economic growth and urbanisation e.g. nonresilient buildings and infrastructure, which have passed their expected lifespan. Existing land-use planning and building regulation are often incapable of properly assessing and addressing disaster risk in rapidly urbanizing areas.”

Mixing Concrete On the Ground

Not one of the 12 tips suggested in the report mentions producing stronger concrete, but it should. The image above shows a worker using a shovel on the ground to create concrete. This method of mixing has proven to make a weak concrete that causes billions of dollars worth of tragedy and destruction on our planet every year.  Without strong concrete practices these 12 tips rest upon a shaky foundation.The suggestion to – “Invest above and beyond codes”  is the closest mention to changing the construction systems of poor countries.

But if you don’t fix the broken concrete supply chains, places like Wenchuan County will be leveled by  5.12 earthquakes time and time again. Solid infrastructure needs good materials – Disaster risk reduction rests on a strong foundation, built with concrete.

Disaster risk reduction spending

Many are suggesting that we are not allocating enough international funds on disaster risk reduction. Reports suggest that much more should be spent in post-disaster reconstruction to prevent the escalating costs from these modern disasters. When one dollar spent on strengthening will save seven dollars in relief, it is time to take away the shovels and change international development for good.

There are useful and sustainable ways to create strong foundations in the poorest nations. If the aid community would find a way to join hands with the concrete industry, we could change this problem and save trillions…

We stand ready to work on this issue – We just need to get the ear of those who write these interesting reports….

Riocentro Convention Center – Good Concrete Infrastructure on Display

Rio+20 sustainability venue is as solid as concrete

Today begins an international discussion on sustainability in Rio de Janeiro. The attendees will be treated the luxury of a convention center and supporting infrastructure formed from more quality concrete than you could find in most third-world countries.

They will meet to develop the plans for international development that will guide us all in creating a more resilient planet. Most of the attendees are so used to the modern facilities of industrialized nations that they will not even notice the part that concrete will play in enhancing their stay in Rio.

They softly touched down on Brazil’s largest concrete runway at the Galeao International Airport. Then they where driven the 20 miles on the concrete-supported freeway system to their hotel that sits on its massive concrete foundation. Over the next few days they will listen to speakers while surrounded by the quality concrete infrastructure built for them by Brazil’s functioning concrete supply system – Yet few will even acknowledge the concrete that has made this all happen.

The RIOCENTRO

Because the Rio+20 attendees will miss the value of good concrete, we will share some interesting tidbits:

Located in Barra da Tijuca, which is the area in Rio de Janeiro with the biggest real estate boom in the country with total area of 570 thousand square meters, of which 100,000 concrete foundations support its residential buildings. The Riocentro is comparable with the major convention centers of the world and is considered to be the best convention center in South America. Like most of the world’s major venues, concrete is the construction material of choice – Because it has proven to be extremely Sustainable!

Its car parking lot has 7,000 spaces that serves the five pavilions, one with a modular structure adaptable to events of all sizes. It took massive concrete production resources to complete all of these structures.

Within the Riocentro Convention Center there is a self-contained sewage treatment plant that contributes to the preservation of the local environment. Before being discharged, the sewage goes through three concrete treatment units to ensure the purity of the effluent.

Just Pavilion 5 has 17 modular rooms with capacity for 700 people and a multifunctional hall with 3.926 square meters for up to 4,500 people.  It has a very thick concrete floor designed to support heavy forklift traffic.  Likewise, Pavilion 2 has 10.700 square meters  of floor and has two mezzanines with 200sqm each, all using concrete. The other Pavilions are equally impressive.

Forgotten Concrete

The architects, engineers, contractors and concrete suppliers who worked to provide the venue for the Rio+20 event didn’t forget concrete as the built the Riocentro.   But I would bet that nobody at the conference will send them a thank-you note….

It is time to invite quality concrete construction to the sustainability party….

Rio+20 – A Road Paved with Poor Concrete Always Fails

Inclusive, sustainable and resilient describes CONCRETE

There is a great deal of concern with the outcome of the Rio+20 event in Brazil this week. Some are asking “Is Rio+20 on the road to failure“?
The conference begins with some division among the attendees and some are suggesting that agreement may be elusive.

Many are pushing divergent agendas and seem fairly rigid in their ideologies, so finding a recipe for success may be difficult. It is like trying to make a solid road without using good construction products.

Sigrid Kaag, U.N. assistant secretary-general and assistant administrator with the U.N. Development Program’s Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy stated “At the outset we will need to make sure that future development solutions are inclusive, sustainable and resilient”. These three ingredients appear to be a solid recipe to build the road to development success, so why are there reports of potholes in the process?

Solid and successful roads, along with other infrastructure projects, must use appropriate materials and correct processes to deliver resilient or sustainable returns on our investments. The next 20-years of international development will be nether resilient or sustainable unless we include better CONCRETE within the discussion. You can complain about cement production, mining of aggregates and any other perceived negative impacts from the production of concrete, but at the end of the day – WE NEED GOOD CONCRETE in development!

Rio+20 and other development gatherings rely on a solid concrete supply system to succeed – Yet concrete supply chains are ignored in sustainable development discussions. The attendees will land on an airport runway supported by concrete. They will stay in hotels with concrete foundations and walls. They will meet in concrete-created convention centers -  yet they will ignore the quality of CONCRETE for those they are suggesting that we all support.

In Rio, the road to sustainability is paved with good intentions but the recipe is missing a key ingredient. This effort will be like trying to build an earthquake-resilient country by skimping on cement and mixing concrete in dirt-contaminated ditches.

A road that is paved with poor concrete is nether resilient or sustainable – And sadly the poor will continue to find out what it really means to be “Inclusive” when  tragedy strikes them again.

We can fix the future of sustainable development if we mix in good CONCRETE…

Thanks to the Hood College Blog for the photo

Decentralized Infrastructure Requires Decentralized Concrete Supplies

Concrete is the foundation of  infrastructure projects

There is some controversy surround the World Bank’s plans for infrastructure development within poor nations. There are concerns about the level of spending on large centralized projects as opposed to a smaller more decentralized approach.

One area of contention involves the use of water to produce electricity through hydroelectric production systems. Huge regional projects involve building large dams with massive diversion canals, turbine houses and power grids. Small micro-hydro systems reduce the scale, are more decentralized and provide electricity in rural areas.

We can understand the value of both sides of this issue. What is important to realize is that both infrastructure approaches are critical for economic growth within a developing nation. What is also true is that concrete is the basic building material of these projects – both for massive or micro efforts.

Without a functioning concrete supply chain a diversion canal will not deliver water consistently. Without solid footings and walls a forbay tank would never hold. And without quality concrete the turbine and generator could not be held securely so that power can flow through the lines.

We suggest that a decentralized concrete supply system would benefit ether infrastructure approach. We contend that work on this supply chain should be completed early so that a local concrete supplier will benefit from the expanding work of these infrastructure projects.

Economic strength is a product of many value chains joining together toward a common good. CementTrust offers our expertise to this effort no matter if the project is massive or mini.

Our thanks to Practical Action for the image