To treat the "liquid highway" of storm runoff that drains into Chesapeake Bay after every storm, the U.S. Navy (likely the largest landowner in Chesapeake Bay) is changing the way it uses impervious surfaces. According to the Chesapeake Bay Journal:
The Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA, was recognized by the Elizabeth River Project for its use of nearly 38,000 square feet of pervious pavers that reduced traditional paved surfaces by 10 percent.
Old baseline: All natural
New baseline: All concrete
Award winning: 10 percent less concrete
Prize winning pervious pavers.
Awards for less concrete, just another shifting baseline...
Environment
Comments
People don't often appreciate just how problematic concrete is as a material:
Concrete’s climatic consequences
Posted by: Milan | January 14, 2008 9:03 AM