Source: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.

Bringing the total number of NRMCA Green-Star plant certifications to 16, two companies recently upgraded their environmental management system (EMS) practices to earn the one-and-a-half-year-old designation.

Producer member Aggregate Industries’ Bladensburg plant earned the first Green-Star-certified plant in Maryland. The facility was constructed to minimize its environmental footprint and to re-use water. Aggregate Industries has implemented a culture where the plant manager is responsible for tracking metrics and goals along with correcting any deficiencies at the plant, said NRMCA Managing Director of Compliance David Ayers.

Adding two plants to the list--one in Charlotte, N.C., and the other in Rock Hill, S.C.--Concrete Supply Company achieved Green-Star certification for modeling the operations’ EMS after the ISO 14000 requirements. The ISO 14000 family of standards addresses various aspects of environmental management, with the first two standards--ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004--covering requirements for an EMS and giving general EMS guidelines.
 
There are now 16 NRMCA Green-Star facilities and 53 auditors. Launched in February 2008, the Green-Star program is a plant-specific certification that uses an EMS based on a model of continual improvement and other practices widely recognized throughout the industry and government for spelling out goals and targets.