Permeable Pavers

Could This Paving Stone Save Your Life? : Eco Child’s Play

qwertymark — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:06:09 +0000

How Paving Stones Can Help

If a total driveway re-do is in your household budget, you can ditch the whole idea of sealant. A permeable driveway be made of eco-friendlier paving stones, concrete pavers, gravel, grass, and many other materials.

Aside from reducing potentially toxic substances on your personal property, paving stones and other permeable driveways help filter and cleanse stormwater. That’s healthier for your local waterways, and it can also help prevent local flooding.

Permeable driveways can permit plant growth, which helps cool your property in hot weather. You can also construct your permeable driveway with light-colored gravel or pavers that absorb less heat in the summer.

Maintaining a Permeable Driveway

There are a couple of things to keep in mind once your permeable driveway is installed. To keep detergents from leaching into the soil (and from there into your local waterways), avoid washing your car in the driveway. Commercial car washes generally treat their wastewater, and they recycle their water.

If weeds become a problem, check with your local garden shop on eco-safe ways to keep them at bay. A dose of boiling water can sometimes do the trick.

Could This Paving Stone Save Your Life? : Eco Child’s Play.

McDonalds Uses Permeable Pavers in Chicago

qwertymark — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:03:20 +0000

clipped from www.greenbeanchicago.com

The Golden Arches Go Green: McDonald’s First LEED® Certified Restaurant

A Big Mac, fries and a coke isn’t necessarily what most of us think about when we’re looking to find ways to lower our carbon footprint. But McDonald’s is looking for ways to change that.

In August, the fast food chain opened its first targeted LEED®-certified
restaurant in Chicago. The new fast food eatery is located at 4158 S. Ashland
Avenue, just outside the Stockyards Industrial
Corridor.

The site design includes Unilock permeable
pavers on the parking lot, which allow maximum water drainage while
maintaining a surface strong enough to support the traffic of a 24-hour
restaurant. The use of permeable pavers will also reduce the cost of the onsite
drainage system, clean surface stormwater and minimize stormwater runoff.

Wow, even McDonlads is going green. Maybe the arches will become green. Take note that this McDonals incorporates Permeable Pavers to prevent stormwater runoff.

Permeable Pavers Protect Water Quality

qwertymark — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:59:15 +0000

An article about how Permeable Pavers protect water quality.

clipped from greenbuildingelements.com

when stormwater is allowed to infiltrate back into the ground, it is cleaned and
treated naturally by percolating through the soil. Both permeable pavers, which are hard surface units typically
made of concrete, and pervious concrete, which is a special mix of concrete with
open pores that allows water to readily flow through it, will allow stormwater
even from a heavy downpour to travel into the ground where it will be cleaned as
it recharges the water table.

Permeable Pavers Protect Water Quality

Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, is also
now home to the largest installation of permeable pavers in the country.

In addition to being better for the environment, the permeable pavers also saved money for the owner.

Stormwater Testing with Permeable Pavers

qwertymark — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:51:36 +0000

This is an article about testing on Permeable Pavers.

clipped from www.lid-stormwater.net

Permeable Pavers

Some current studies on the effectiveness of permeable pavers for reducing Total
Suspended Solid (TSS), nutrient, metal and thermal loadings are being
conducted in Florida, Toronto, and Washington State.

The parking lot of the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, which serves 700,000 visitors
annually, has been innovatively designed as a research and demonstration project
for the use of permeable pavers as part of a treatment
train approach, comparing three paving surfaces in conjunction with swales.

Studies at the University of Guelph in Canada have also observed greater
pollutant loads from asphalt surfaces than from concrete or permeable
pavers.

There, a research team led by Professor William James has been performing field
and laboratory tests since 1993 on the influence of permeable
pavers on runoff pollutant levels and thermal characteristics.

In addition, during a lab simulation, the permeable pavers were found to reduce
surface runoff temperatures

Interlocking Permeable Pavers Offer Natural, Sustainable Drainage

qwertymark — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:37:47 +0000

Another great example of how Permeable Pavers were the solution.

clipped from www.acppubs.com

Interlocking Permeable Pavers Offer Natural, Sustainable Drainage

A starting point for future riverfront redevelopment in the city of Neenah, WI, a walkway of interlocking, permeable concrete pavers is providing a test area for permeable paving applications and helping to promote the city’s commitment to green construction and environmental responsibility.

County Materials’ representatives note that H2O Pro Pavers offer the benefits of a locally manufactured concrete product as well as the distinct advantages of a permeable pavement system. Permeable H2O Pro Pavers allow rain to rapidly infiltrate through the full perimeter joints of each paver to eliminate standing water. The water drains into specially designed sub-base materials, where it is naturally filtrated before recharging the groundwater.

We would definitely use permeable pavers again,” said Doucette, and added that,
“permeable pavers work very well