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Greetings!
In this issue we'll talk a bit about the
environmental impact of cement manufacturing.
We'll introduce you to Kelly Carr and his
business, Concrete Jungle. Check out our
discount coupon at the bottom of the page!
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Buddy Rhodes Buys Carbon Offsets
Taking Steps to Slow Global Warming
Concrete has many elements that make it a ?green?
material. It is produced and delivered locally, using a
lot of local materials and employing local craftsmen.
The manufacturing of cement, however, is very
energy intensive, requiring the heating of
materials to nearly 3,000 degrees F. So we?ve done
some research into the carbon footprint of cement
manufacturing. Roughly 94 million metric tons of
cement was produced in the U.S. in 2005, putting
about 46 million metric tons of CO2 into the
atmosphere. This is only for cement manufacturing,
remember?everything related to creating and using
concrete (quarrying sand and aggregate, getting
everything to the plant, mixing and delivering) gets
added to this. The average American puts about 17.25
metric tons per year into the air, so the industry as a
whole contributes about as much carbon as a major
American city. Now some manufacturers are taking
reducing the net impact of their emissions by
recovering the carbon from their stacks, using
cogeneration (making energy from the excess
heat generated by the manufacturing process), or
using secondary or renewable sources to power their
furnaces. There is a real opportunity with these
applications for the whole industry to become carbon
neutral, but at the moment these measures are not
widespread. So, at Buddy Rhodes we?re buying
offsets to help defray the carbon impact of the
cement used in our Mix. Carbon offsets are used to
help fund the production of energy from renewable
sources. You can calculate your own carbon footprint
at www.carbonfootprint.com. If you are interested in
purchasing offsets yourself, there are many places on
the web to do it: type ?buy carbon offsets? into Google
and you?ll have lots of choice.
Click here for more on cement manufacturing
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Kelly Carr's Adventures in the Concrete Jungle
Contractor of the Month
In 1996, Kelly Carr, a Maryland kitchen installer, came
for a vacation to his friends? couch in San Francisco.
Seeing a concrete countertop for the first time he was
told, ?Buddy Rhodes made it.? ?I?ve got to meet this
guy,? Kelly told his friends. Kelly left and called Buddy?s
studio for an appointment.
There were colored spheres lying around with
concrete artfully squished out of the seams in the
mold, ?Cool,? he recalls. ?There was a lot of soul going
on, and I couldn?t keep my hands off their table. It was
literally love at first sight. I decided to shut down my
business and do this.?
Kelly came back and trained with Buddy for four
months, got his hands in the mix, learned the then
secret pressed technique, and opened Concrete
Jungle once home. ?What have I gotten myself into,?
he thought. Experimenting with the consistency of the
mix, he thought, ?It?s all in your hands, you gotta feel it.?
When he threw it against the wall and it stuck, he felt
closer. Finally, he acquired the touch. Concrete Jungle
took off, and after a time, the franchise dissolved.
Jump to 2007, Chicago, at a concrete countertop
makers? meeting. Buddy and Kelly had a reunion. Kelly
later e-mailed, ?I want to get the band back together.?
Although he has been working with his own mix for ten
years, Kelly likes the ease and consistency of getting
his BR blend out of the bag. He will be one of the
founding Buddy Rhodes Artisans, a national network
of craftsmen and women. BR Artisans are
independent businesspeople, able to craft concrete
using a variety of methods, but trained and assured in
the BR finishes. They use BR products and can
promote themselves as BR Artisans, with a listing on
the BR website, and a license to use BR logos,
images and other materials in their independent
marketing.
We?ve got a band.
Concrete Jungle Online
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Thanks for reading, and thanks for using Buddy
Rhodes Concrete Products!
Sincerely,
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