We start them young here at The Gaines Group. The advantage to these young workers is you just have to give them a place to live and feed them and they work hard. For those waiting on design solutions from us – we have our best team on it! The one limitation is all our products seem to be on a Lego grid system. They also seem to either work in primary colors or all white?
Now if only I could find a building product that would work to execute these designs…
Fly Ash is a fine, glass like powder recovered from the coal-burning process for the production of electricity. Fly ash can be mixed with lime and water to form a cement like compound similar to Portland cement. Using fly ash in concrete creates a denser mix that provides a smoother surface.
Fly ash is also known as “pulverized fuel ash.” It was released into the atmosphere until air pollution standards required it to be sequestered. It is commonly used to replace Portland Cement in concrete mixtures. It is also used in trim products the resists expansion and contraction as well as water intrusion. Finding uses for waste products reduces impacts on landfills and on virgin ingredients.
It is always exciting to see dirt moving on a project job site. Our latest ground breaking is for the new Harmony Square Dairy Queen. This project is sweet!
If you have been to the existing Dairy Queen you will certainly look forward to the added space this new project will provide. It will also expand the outside seating area, features solar panels, skylights, a high-efficiency heating and cooling system, and an advanced insulation package. In other words, the upcoming Dairy Queen is sustainably designed! Can you say blizzards made by the power of the sun?
An open letter to Mark Dorsey, New Executive Director and CEO of CSI
Dear Mark,
Welcome to the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). I am excited to see where you lead us in the future.
You are going to be contacted by CSI members, many CSI members, with lots of thoughts and opinions. Some members will be young and some will be more experienced – again, all will share with you lots of thoughts and opinions (it is what we do). CSI members have a wide spectrum of expertise – architects, builders, product experts, specifiers, and engineers – all with lots of thoughts and opinions (again, it is what we do). These are the leaders of the construction industry. They all have a common character trait, members of this organization love CSI. I am no different – I too love this organization and want to see it grow to be even better than it is today. So like any good CSI member – here are my thoughts and opinions for you:
First, our members love this organization like you have not experienced before. Once you become a CSI member and get involved, you are part of a family. This goes beyond paying annual dues and attending a meeting. The members of this organization want other members of this organization to be successful and for this organization to be successful. We care about each other and will help a complete stranger in the industry – if they have CSI on their business card. We rely on each other for information, advice, and support – and we get it without question. Welcome, you are now part of our family! Just as a heads up, like any family, we have a few members that are a little, lets say different. So careful who you associate with early on in your tenure! You might not become a Kraken immediately if you don’t build the right alliances.
Second, this organization is not just a place to hang your hat as a member. This organization wants members to be involved, plugged in, expressing opinion, and providing expertise. If you understand technical documents, you will be writing for CSI. If you are passionate about education, you will be on a CSI committee. If you blog, you will be presenting at the Construct Show. If you are on social media, you will help others in the organization to get on social media. If you let your guard down, you will be on stage yodeling at Construct. If you know how to shake things up and build community, you will be a Kraken. As our new CEO, we want you to find members with talents and put them to work.
Third and this is important, if you are on twitter, find yourfamily, we are here and active. If you are not on twitter, you will be ridiculed until you get on twitter. This is where #CSIKraken gather, talk, and have fun – join us! Now!
Fourth, we are looking forward to your leadership, vision, and inspiration. Challenge our standards. Push us to into the future. We are here and ready to support you. We might be a little busy having fun, but we are ready to work.
Finally, the CSI staff is amazing. They go above and beyond to support members and we love working hard to support them. Take care of them – they are critical to the success of this organization!
Over the last 20 years, we have been making small changes around our house to reduce our environmental footprint. Those little steps around our house are making a big difference.
We changed all our lightbulbs in our house to CFLs and cut our energy bill by 5%. We have now been changing over to LED bulbs to further reduce our heat gain from lighting spaces and energy consumed by lighting rooms.
I started driving a Prius to reduce our monthly gasoline usage. I went from a 26 MPG car to a 46-48 MPG car. Driving for work around 8,000 miles per year has had a major impact on our monthly expenses and our environmental footprint. Zoom has been a great way to reduce the need to drive to as many meetings. We also moved into town and closer to school and work to reduce our driving daily.
There is more work to be done, but small steps will make a big impact over time.
Wastewater from bathtubs, shower drains, sinks, washing machines, and dishwashers is considered grey water. Grey water can be recycled for irrigation, toilet flushing, and exterior washing uses. This conserves potable water resources. Incorporating plumbing systems that separate grey water from black water which can result in costs savings.
Greywater may contain traces of dirt, food, grease, hair, or cleaning products. It can look dirty but is beneficial to use as an irrigation as a beneficial fertilizer. Reusing greywater not only saves on water usage, but also reduces the amount of water that is sent through the septic or sewer system.
Basic Greywater Guidelines
1. Don’t store greywater for more than 24 hours. The nutrients start to break down and can create a bad odor.
2. Minimize contact with greywater to reduce the chance that a human or animal might drink from the source.
3. Infiltrate greywater into the ground, don’t allow it to pool again to reduce the chance of humans or animals drink it or mosquito breeding.
4. Keep your system as simple as possible as it will last longer and cost less to implement.
5. Install a 3-way valve for easy switching between the greywater system and the sewer / septic.
