BASICS: What is a Geocellular Confinement System?

Cell-Tek Geocellular Confinement Systems are made with ultrasonically-welded, 100% recycled HDPE strips that are easily expanded to form a honeycomb-like grid which is then filled with gravel, soil or aggregate. Cell-Tek Products are used in construction and landscaping for load support, earth retention, erosion control, green roofs, channel revetment and slope protection. Our goal is to positively impact society by sharing the science of our affordable alternative building solutions.

Cell-Tek's Geocellular Confinement Systems confine infill materials and prevent lateral movement away from the applied load. Our products are manufactured in a variety of cell depths and all units are shipped and stored in collapsed form. All products are tested to meet all ASTM requirements.

for more information visit our website: http://www.celltekdirect.com/

EPA Tests Environmentally Friendly Parking Lots

In an effort to help reduce pollution runoff from paved parking lots, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is testing a variety of permeable paving materials at its facility in Edison, NJ. If successful, the EPA intends to show businesses how they can install parking lots that not only reduce runoff, but actually help contribute to healthy water filtering processes. The 43,000 square- foot Edison parking lot features three different kinds of permeable pavement, with several kinds of rain gardens planted adjacently. The EPA study will determine which combination of permeable pavement and rain garden vegetation is most successful at removing pollutants from stormwater runoff as it filters back into the ground.

This article was reposted from http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/142038933.html
 
Learn more about stormwater management at http://tinyurl.com/dn tjk.
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Copyright Institute of Real Estate Management Jan/Feb 2010
(c) 2010 Journal of Property Management. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Hard-working roofs

Roofs will have to work harder to meet the demands of sustainability, says Mike Crook, who argues that green roofing could provide the way forward.


If the green roof was once the domain only of environmental pioneers, it has now become a fact of mainstream construction. Long gone are the days when it was enough for a roof to waterproof a building, with added value because it provided effective insulation or contributed to the impact of a new design. Today a roof has to work much harder – and keep on working harder for decades.















There is a whole host of reasons for this, including:
• exponential population growth
(with most pressure on the core of densely populated urban areas);
• depletion of financial and energy resources;
• threats to the environment;
• legislative changes

Excerpts taken from an article by By Mike Crook - Green Build News
Go Here for FULL ARTICLE: http://www.greenbuildnews.co.uk/features-details/Hard-working-roofs/133

How Green Is Your Garden?

Plant local. Collect rainwater. Let your lawn grow. A few simple steps can make your yard more energy efficient and save you money.  All gardens are green, right? As in, ecologically sensitive? Turns out, some gardens are greener than others. There are, of course, the obvious offenders — chemically treated lawns and their polluting run-off. But gardeners determined to create eco-smart yards should consider an array of ecological impacts, knowing that the right landscape strategies can make a garden energy efficient and save money. The right vegetation can help keep a house cool during the sultry summer months and shield it from freezing winds in the winter. Native plants help support local ecosystems. Even something as simple as stone harvested from New England quarries can reduce a garden’s carbon footprint if it’s used instead of materials shipped from overseas.

“The more vegetation around your house, the cooler it will be in the summer,’’ said Reed. “To lower energy bills, reduce paving on the south and west side of your house, where summer heat accumulates. Where you must pave, choose surfaces that allow rain water to sink through and cool the soil underneath and use lighter colors that reflect more heat than darker colors.’’
She likes granite block, pre-cast concrete pavers, light colored bricks, compacted sandy gravel, crushed seashells, and loose pea stone.

Excerpts taken from an article written by Carol Stocker - BostonGlobe Correspondent (via boston.com)
Go here for full article: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/house/articles/2010/03/25/how_green_is_your_garden/

Museum Gets Green Roof to Help Storm Water Runoff

Consider it an expansion, without the need for new construction. Loads of sedium plants will soon transform the roof of the Creative Discovery Museum.

Sedium plants come from the same family as the cactus, soaking up nearly all the water they need during a rain event. In fact, this green roof will absorb over 80% of what falls. Whorton says "it will remove 80 to 90% of all the harmful substances that are in the water and heavy metals, most of the stuff we're having problems with our storm water this will filter it."
It also dampens sound, cools the building, and cleans the air. "Acceptance of green roofs continues to grow in Chattanooga. Already, about 14 buildings in town feature these special tops. Once complete this green rood at the Creative Discovery Museum will be the largest in Tennessee."

This excerpt was taken from an article written by Joe Legge. For complete article, go here: http://wdef.com/news/creative_discovery_museum_gets_green_roof_to_help_storm_water_runoff/03/2010
 
For more information on Cell-Tek's Green Roof System visit our website: http://www.celltekdirect.com/

SG Series Stabilizer Grid: Freeze Thaw Cycles

The Stabilizer Grid itself can withstand freeze/thaw cycles. It is virtually indestructible! But, you are probably also wondering if it has any affect, positive or negative, to the base system during freeze/thaw cycles.


Freezing and thawing (expansion and contraction) in the base causes shifting because as one area contracts then a void is formed and surrounding materials will want to move into that void which then creates another void! It's a vicious cycle and the end result of any base material movement can adversely affect a normally level pavement. The Stabilizer Grid can minimize this phenomenon in two ways:


- The obvious one is that lateral movement is impossible because the aggregates are compacted into cells, they are not free to move laterally.


- Additionally, the grid is a matrix of connected cells that become a solid rigid mattress when filled and compacted with aggregates. Vertical pressure is substantially restricted because any upward pressure would meet the resistance of the entire mattress.


It is still important to remember that drainage is vital since it is the moisture in the system that expands and contracts due to extreme freeze/thaw cycles. Employing drainage techniques such as using washed aggregates as an infill material and installing drain pipes under the system will go a long way to preserving the integrity of any base system.

Cell-Tek Update March 2010

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