That combination was just what the company was looking for, said Bob Stewart, the efficiency expert in charge of the project.

?EUR??,,????'??We?EUR??,,????'???re looking to make the industry more sustainable,?EUR??,,????'?? Stewart said. ?EUR??,,????'??Part of that is using fewer resources and another is creating a direct financial benefit for the company.?EUR??,,????'??

The brick industry is a water-intensive one, with large quantities required for production and for cooling, cutting and washing the finished product. The decision to curtail water use was reached in 2002, when prolonged drought conditions threatened to limit the water supply at Glen-Gery?EUR??,,????'???s York, Penn. plant.

Managers achieved significant savings by reusing water from the brick-making process for cooling instead of importing a separate supply for cooling alone. Savings were such that the York Water Company at first thought something was wrong with the plant?EUR??,,????'???s water meter and visited the plant to replace it. The facility was later recognized by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the agency that manages and protects the river, for a 54-percent reduction in water consumption.

Improvements at the plant cost just $800 but dropped monthly consumption from over a million gallons to 476,000 gallons. The plant?EUR??,,????'???s monthly water bill dropped from $1,258 to about $600 after the improvements were made.

Glen-Gery?EUR??,,????'???s Mid-Atlantic plant at Shoemakersville, Penn. received similar upgrades in 2003. First, plant managers rerouted water from the brick-making operation to cooling, limiting the need for water from an on-site well. The change also eliminated runoff that had been routed into a nearby stream, ending the plant?EUR??,,????'???s need for a state-issued discharge permit.

The Shoemakersville plant also installed a pair of wastewater filtration units to cleanse brick dust from water used to wash brick molds and from water used in the cutting process. All in all, the plant saves more than 5,000 gallons of water a day over previous usage, with a savings of over 6 million gallons annually expected.

The work begun at the two plants is now proceeding at Glen-Gery?EUR??,,????'???s eight other manufacturing facilities. Relatively simple and inexpensive measures can result in savings of both water and dollars, Stewart said. And those savings are accompanied by gains in environmental protection and positive public perception as well, he added.

CONCRETE PAVING EDUCATION

The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute offers regular installation classes that award ICPI Certificates to graduates. Two are scheduled in November at east coast locations ?EUR??,,????'??? see the institute?EUR??,,????'???s website for additional dates and locations: www.icpi.org.

The first class runs Nov. 11-12 at Essington, Penn. More information: Colleen Swider at (856) 845-6200 or cswider@ephenry.com.

The second November class is for Spanish speakers. It runs Nov. 18-19 at Woodbury, N.J. Information: Colleen Swider at (856) 845-6200 or cswider@ephenry.com.

Participants should be high school graduates with at least one year of installation experience.

THERMOPLASTIC PAVERS

Tiles made of thermoplastic are now doing the job of concrete and ceramics, standing up to the punishment dished out by cars, trucks and pedestrians in crosswalk areas. The plastic is more durable than the more traditional materials, the product?EUR??,,????'???s manufacturer claims.

The plastic tile is sold under the brand name DuraTherm and has been used for high-traffic crosswalks in New York, Los Angeles and Annville, Pennsylvania. The product resists skid marks, cracking and heaving better than traditional material but is available in somewhat limited patterns and colors, manufacturer StreetPrint of Surrey, British Columbia says.

16 – Average dollars per square foot for concrete used to construct skateparks.

140,000 – Approximate cost, in dollars, to construct 10,000 square foot concrete skatepark.