A New Green Certification for Boxley

CEO Ab Boxley talks with Roanoke City Manager Darlene Burcham (right); Mixer trucks are rinsed with recycled water (above) and the waste concrete (in the water) is re-used to make barriers^

Roger Dunagan photos

By DAN SMITH

Larry Bullock doesn't think the uniqueness of Boxley's Green Star designation--the first in Virginia--will last long. "What we're doing is very close to what the standard will be," said vice president-concrete for the aggregate materials company based in Roanoke, as his company celebrated the certification today.

"We were the first in Virginia to do this," said Bullock. "Others are qualifying for it now."

Like LEED certification, which began with a few engineers and architects and now has a wide array of practitioners, Bullock expects this kind of green activity to catch on rapidly--at least partly because it makes both dollars and sense.

Here's some of what Boxley did to accomplish its designation:

• Reduced concrete waste by 22 dumptruck loads (20 percent) by forming concrete barrier blocks with the waste concrete.
• Used 100 percent recycled water to clean concrete mixer truck drums (saving 800,000 gallons of water a year).
• Planted trees for aesthetic purposes.
• Is using high-efficiency light bulbs and turning off electrical appliances and lights not in use.
• Reduced use of foam coffee cups by providing ceramic cups.
• Implemented an in-house recycling program for paper, aluminum and plastics.

Boxley is now working on Green Star status for all its eight Ready Mixed Concrete plants by the end of 2009.

Says Boxley President and CEO Ab Boxley, "This has been a simple transition for us and it was consistent with what we were doing anyway ... Our goal is to be responsible stewards of the environment. The Green Star Award is a natural fit for us."