October 2003 AGGMAN Geology

Part 2: Creating a Sustainable Future

Sustainable aggregate resources management is integral to our social, economic, and environmental systems.

Social systems can not be sustained without aggregate.

In last month’s column I related a dialog begun with my two-month-old grandson Donovan about sustainable aggregate resources management (SARM). On a recent visit, I gave him an update.
I told him that some of the articles I wrote for Aggregates Manager earlier this year related to SARM. I pointed out that during the last century, the annual per capita consumption of aggregate in the United States increased 2,000 percent, from 1,000 lbs. to 10 tons (A Century of Keeping up with Demand, Feb. 2003). Fortunately, on a world-wide scale, aggregate resources are virtually inexhaustible (Such Quantities of Sand, July 2003) and the environmental impact that the aggregate industry creates in meeting this huge demand, especially when placed in the context of our total ecological footprint, may be considered trivial (Ecological Footprints and Sustainability, May 2003).
Nevertheless, there are serious challenges facing the aggregate industry (Public Perception, Policy, and Permits, Jan. 2003; Beliefs and Values, June 2003) and those challenges, in combination with a lifestyle that demands huge amounts of aggregate, creates a situation that might be alleviated by SARM. Some governments have taken steps toward achieving sustainable management (The Polo Estrattivo, Aug. 2003; Tooele County – A New Approach to an Old Problem, March 2003) and some companies have taken steps to implement SARM concepts without waiting for government intervention (How to Win Friends & Influence Enemies, April 2003).
I told Donovan that sustainable development includes the social, economic, and environmental systems, and that no system should be advanced at the expense of another. Furthermore, sustainability is based on the concept that the social, economic, and environmental systems are dynamic and interconnected and should be integrated in the decision-making process. Because aggregate resources are integral components of these systems, aggregates should occupy a prominent position in any country’s overall sustainability considerations.
Social systems — The social systems of developed countries cannot be sustained without aggregate, and the social systems of developing nations cannot be expanded without its extensive use to build and maintain urban, suburban, and rural infrastructures. In addition, natural aggregate is a necessary ingredient in numerous industrial, agricultural, and pharmaceutical applications. At birth, death, and all intermediate points, products made with aggregate are used by and for nearly every individual member of society.
Economic systems — Aggregate resources provide essential inputs to virtually every economic sector. The natural capital embodied in aggregate is transformed into economic capital derived from the profits from its sale. As aggregate flows throughout the economy, the “value added” multiplies repeatedly. For example, each step of the process of extracting and processing aggregate, incorporating it into concrete, and pouring and finishing concrete for a building or bridge adds to the economy through sales and salaries.
In addition, employment in urban and suburban areas commonly is defined by the workplace and transportation structures that we have created out of sand, gravel, and stone. Nearly all commercial activity is transacted in buildings and on highway, air, rail, and marine systems that require concrete and asphalt-bound structures comprised almost totally of aggregate. Much of our economic system would come to a grinding halt without aggregate resources.
Environmental systems — Resource extraction, processing, and use has the potential to degrade present and future quality of life and environmental health. SARM requires developing aggregate resources in an environmentally responsible manner that does not result in long-term environmental harm, even if short-term impacts are unavoidable. This goal is achievable because the aggregate industry has made, and continues to make, great strides in environmental management.
But SARM is not just about protecting the environment from the potential negative impacts of aggregate extraction. Reclaiming aggregate operations or orphaned sites has tremendous potential to improve our quality of life, create additional wealth, increase biodiversity, and restore the environment. In expanding suburban areas, mined-out aggregate pits and quarries are converted into second uses that range from home sites to wildlife refuges, from golf courses to watercourses, and from botanical gardens to natural wetlands. Reclamation should be a major consideration in sustaining the environment and in creating biodiversity.
There are also direct applications of aggregates that contribute to environmental sustainability. The human waste generated in urban and suburban life requires a complex of transportation and treatment facilities that are largely built of concrete and utilize unbound natural aggregate in the waste-water filtration process. Coal-fired electric power plants use unbound natural aggregate (crushed limestone) to absorb pollutants in flue gases. Natural aggregate is used to neutralize acidic waters created by acid rain or metal mining.
After I finished describing why aggregate is necessary for a sustainable future, I amused Donovan by making noises like a wheel loader filling a 50-ton dump – SARM, SARRMMM … BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Donovan really digs the back-up alarm.

William H. Langer is a geologist with the Mineral Resources Team of the U.S. Geological Survey.

October 2003 Carved in Stone Part 2: Creating a Sustainable Future				Part 2: Creating a Sustainable Future Sustainable aggregate resources management is integral to our social, economic, and environmental systems. By Bill Langer Social systems can not be sustained without aggregate. In last month’s column I related a dialog begun with my two-month-old grandson Donovan about sustainable aggregate resources management (SARM). On a recent visit, I gave him an update. I told him that some of the articles I wrote for Aggregates Manager earlier this year related to SARM. I pointed out that during the last century, the annual per capita consumption of aggregate in the United States increased 2,000 percent, from 1,000 lbs. to 10 tons (A Century of Keeping up with Demand, Feb. 2003). Fortunately, on a world-wide scale, aggregate resources are virtually inexhaustible (Such Quantities of Sand, July 2003) and the environmental impact that the aggregate industry creates in meeting this huge demand, especially when placed in the context of our total ecological footprint, may be considered trivial (Ecological Footprints and Sustainability, May 2003). Nevertheless, there are serious challenges facing the aggregate industry (Public Perception, Policy, and Permits, Jan. 2003; Beliefs and Values, June 2003) and those challenges, in combination with a lifestyle that demands huge amounts of aggregate, creates a situation that might be alleviated by SARM. Some governments have taken steps toward achieving sustainable management (The Polo Estrattivo, Aug. 2003; Tooele County – A New Approach to an Old Problem, March 2003) and some companies have taken steps to implement SARM concepts without waiting for government intervention (How to Win Friends & Influence Enemies, April 2003). I told Donovan that sustainable development includes the social, economic, and environmental systems, and that no system should be advanced at the expense of another. Furthermore, sustainability is based on the concept that the social, economic, and environmental systems are dynamic and interconnected and should be integrated in the decision-making process. Because aggregate resources are integral components of these systems, aggregates should occupy a prominent position in any country’s overall sustainability considerations. Social systems — The social systems of developed countries cannot be sustained without aggregate, and the social systems of developing nations cannot be expanded without its extensive use to build and maintain urban, suburban, and rural infrastructures. In addition, natural aggregate is a necessary ingredient in numerous industrial, agricultural, and pharmaceutical applications. At birth, death, and all intermediate points, products made with aggregate are used by and for nearly every individual member of society. Economic systems — Aggregate resources provide essential inputs to virtually every economic sector. The natural capital embodied in aggregate is transformed into economic capital derived from the profits from its sale. As aggregate flows throughout the economy, the “value added” multiplies repeatedly. For example, each step of the process of extracting and processing aggregate, incorporating it into concrete, and pouring and finishing concrete for a building or bridge adds to the economy through sales and salaries. In addition, employment in urban and suburban areas commonly is defined by the workplace and transportation structures that we have created out of sand, gravel, and stone. Nearly all commercial activity is transacted in buildings and on highway, air, rail, and marine systems that require concrete and asphalt-bound structures comprised almost totally of aggregate. Much of our economic system would come to a grinding halt without aggregate resources. Environmental systems — Resource extraction, processing, and use has the potential to degrade present and future quality of life and environmental health. SARM requires developing aggregate resources in an environmentally responsible manner that does not result in long-term environmental harm, even if short-term impacts are unavoidable. This goal is achievable because the aggregate industry has made, and continues to make, great strides in environmental management. But SARM is not just about protecting the environment from the potential negative impacts of aggregate extraction. Reclaiming aggregate operations or orphaned sites has tremendous potential to improve our quality of life, create additional wealth, increase biodiversity, and restore the environment. In expanding suburban areas, mined-out aggregate pits and quarries are converted into second uses that range from home sites to wildlife refuges, from golf courses to watercourses, and from botanical gardens to natural wetlands. Reclamation should be a major consideration in sustaining the environment and in creating biodiversity. There are also direct applications of aggregates that contribute to environmental sustainability. The human waste generated in urban and suburban life requires a complex of transportation and treatment facilities that are largely built of concrete and utilize unbound natural aggregate in the waste-water filtration process. Coal-fired electric power plants use unbound natural aggregate (crushed limestone) to absorb pollutants in flue gases. Natural aggregate is used to neutralize acidic waters created by acid rain or metal mining. After I finished describing why aggregate is necessary for a sustainable future, I amused Donovan by making noises like a wheel loader filling a 50-ton dump – SARM, SARRMMM … BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Donovan really digs the back-up alarm. William H. Langer is a geologist with the Mineral Resources Team of the U.S. Geological Survey.