Permeable Paving & Pavers
With a number of environmental threats looming, and the destruction of our natural world reaching a frightening stage, people everywhere are adopting a more earth-friendly way of doing business. But while global warming, acid rain and over fishing seem distant, the pollution and erosion caused by impermeable pavement may be more immediate for many communities.
Perils of Impermeable Surfaces
When precipitation falls onto impermeable surfaces such as standard concrete or asphalt, it cannot drain through the surface and instead must run off towards the lowest point. The associated storm water runoff can negatively impact the environment by decreasing the natural groundwater recharge process; collecting pollutants and washing them into water bodies thus degrading water quality and causing erosion. Permeable paving is an exciting new technology that helps prevent these negative effects.
 Benefits of Permeable Paving
Permeable paving (also referred to as pervious paving or porous pavement) provides the strength and stability in surface of asphalt or concrete, while allowing water through the surface of the paved area rather than over and off it. This feature prevents erosion and enables water quality and ground water stability. Permeable pavers such as the EcoGrid system allow water to pass through the surface directly to the soil underneath. This natural method of filtration prevents the accumulation of toxic chemicals and pollutants from reaching the water table and prevents flash flood style, erosion causing runoff.
Also with EcoGrid you can create grass pavers by filling the grid system in with seed and actually have a turf-surface that won't erode or wash away. So not only can your parking lot and driveways help the environment, they can look great too.
There are other benefits to permeable pavers beyond its good stewardship and attractiveness. The installation of permeable surfaces is actually considerably easier in some cases than asphalt or concrete. EcoGrid, for example, has a simple yet reliable locking system and the pavement is actually snapped into place. This can mean less time to be apologizing to your customers or clients about the mess of re paving. It can also be great for the vegetation aside your paved area. Trees are stunted in their growth by traditional pavement - their roots can't go under the road and still get water. With permeable paving trees and other plants near your paved area can reach their full maturity.
 For all these reasons governments everywhere are adopting permeable paving as a strategy for sustainable redevelopment. In Scottsdale, AZ, the city is renovating parks with permeable paving and in Vancouver, BC, as a parts of its sustainable streets project, back lanes around the city are being re-laid in part with permeable pavers. In Queen Anne's County, MD they are using a chunk of their federal stimulus money to install permeable pavement at Bloomfield Farm, a local green space and events centre. With the federal government making a commitment to backing green technologies the incentives for permeable paving will only increase in the future.
Our water system is a complex web which we have disrupted with all our paving in the past. Permeable paving offers an attractive alternative to make sure that our future is healthier than our past and our children still have this beautiful planet to enjoy.
Learn more about EcoGrid and its environmental sustainability benefits.
|
