Environment

The cement industry is highly regulated. The regulations were created, reviewed and agreed upon by federal and state authorities, as well as numerous stakeholders, including environmental groups. These limits are in place to protect public health and the company must comply with them at all times.

Air Quality
  • All of our emissions meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and the state Air Toxics Standards. A closed-loop system recycles all kiln dust back into the manufacturing process and final product.
  • State-of-the-art dust collector technology recycles 99.9+ percent of all particulate matter.
  • Intertox, a scientific consulting and research firm, conducted an independent risk assessment of the potential mercury emissions of the proposed plant. See the results of the study here.
Water Quality
  • No industrial or process water discharges will be released into groundwater or surface water sources during operations.
  • Spill and pollution prevention controls will be employed to eliminate any fuel or chemical emissions into the environment.
  • A water recycling system will be employed to store and reuse excess process and cooling water, and to the extent practical, storm water runoff from production areas.
  • Storm water from non-production areas will be managed using best practices, including pervious pavements, bio-retention areas, and infiltration galleries.
Wetlands
  • Carolinas Cement will invest in mitigation and restoration, depending upon the final approved quarry footprint and its impact on wetlands.


Award-Winning Excellence

Titan America has been honored multiple times just in the past few months for environmental excellence, safety, land stewardship, conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency. That the company has been recognized time and again by our communities, our peers and our very own industry speaks volumes about our commitment to our governing objective and core values.

Energy Star® Award
Our two cement plants, Roanoke Cement and Pennsuco, are multi-year recipients of the prestigious Energy Star® Award. Roanoke Cement also received the Energy Star Award in 2007 and 2009. ENERGY STAR® is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping families and businesses save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Energy Star® Partner
In February 2009, Titan’s Roanoke Cement announced that it had entered into partnership with the U.S. EPA and the Department of Energy. As a condition of the partnership, Titan America agrees to submit to independent monitoring of its energy efficiency. This includes base lining, tacking and benchmarking the company’s energy performance, using tools offered through Energy Star®.

Virginia Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence
In April 2009, RCC was honored with the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for Land Conservation at an event held at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Roanoke Cement was recognized for its dedication, continued open access and upkeep of the Andy Layne memorial Trail, as well as for continued stewardship of Catawba Creek. The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia gave the keynote speech and noted that the award is given to the leaders in the Commonwealth who have made an outstanding contribution toward protecting and conserving the environment and whose actions have benefitted the health and welfare of Virginia’s communities and the State as a whole.

PCA Overall Environmental Excellence Award
Awarded in April, 2009, this is the highest environmental recognition awarded by the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Cement Americas Magazine Roanoke Cement and part of the 2009 Cement Industry Energy and Environment Awards. The PCA presents the Overall Environmental Excellence Award to a plant demonstrating merit in the five categories it recognizes: Outreach, Environmental Performance, Land Stewardship, Innovation and Energy Efficiency. In addition to accepting this honor, the plant was a PCA Finalist in the Environmental Performances category and was a runner-up in the Energy Efficiency category. In 2007, Roanoke Cement was a PCA Finalist for Land Stewardship and Overall Environmental Program.

First Place, 2008 “Pride of Mine,” Florida Limerock & Aggregate Institute
The FLAI presented this award in April to Titan America’s Center Sand Mine located in Clermont, Florida. It recognizes the significant effort required to establish a safe habitat for a large community of gopher tortoises. Center Sand employees relocated the tortoises and will maintain their new, safe homes.

2008 Chapter Service Award, American Institute of Architects (AIA)
The American Institute of Architects has a long tradition of recognizing individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in support of the profession of architecture and the AIA.

2008 NRMCA Driver of the Year
It’s not strictly an environmental award, but we’re very proud of our own David “Pee Wee” Brooks for winning the NRMCA Driver of the Year Award. The award acknowledges the significant contribution ready-mix concrete truck drivers make to the growth and success of individual companies and the concrete industry at large. Judges review and grade applicants based on years of service to their company and the industry, driving record, yardage hauled and any certifications and other special recognitions they have received. The judges also weigh their decisions heavily on supervisors’ comments and customer testimonial letters.



Sustainability

Concrete Pavement Sustainability
Sustainable practices and economic success can go hand-in-hand!

Life Cycle Concrete Form House vs. Wood Frame
A report on the environmental attributes of concrete construction compared to wood-framed construction.

LEED Engineer's Guide to Building Green With Concrete
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a point rating system devised by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of a building and encourage market transformation towards sustainable design. Using concrete can facilitate the process of obtaining LEED® Green Building certification.

Concrete Solutions for Sustainable Development
When considering the lifetime environmental impact of a building material - extraction, production, construction, operation, demolition and recycling - concrete is an excellent choice to meet these goals.

Sustainable Concrete Masonry
It doesn't take special efforts to make concrete masonry environmentally friendly. It is a natural building material with unparalleled environmental qualities with the flexibility to be adapted to specific needs.

Life Cycle Concrete Masonry House vs. Wood Frame
This report reviews the environmental attributes of concrete masonry construction compared to wood-framed construction and it reflects the increased stringency of newer energy codes.

Titan is a founding member of the World Business Council on Sustainable Development Cement Sustainability Initiate (WBCSD/CSI). Please check it out at http://www.wbcsdcement.org