Author: Brad Barbeau

Living in a drought-prone state has motivated many California residents to trade lush, green lawns for sustainable landscapes that require less water to maintain. For those aware of the “cash for grass” rebate programs, their pocketbook thanks them.

In recent years, California experienced one of the worst droughts in its recorded history. In response to the drought, many counties throughout the state of California have developed “cash for grass” rebate programs.

These rebate programs encourage homeowners and businesses to remove water-hungry turf and replace it with drought-tolerant landscaping, by off-setting some of the associated costs. Typically, the rebate amount is determined based off the square footage of turf being replaced, with some programs offering as much as up to $2 per square foot!

Replacing turf with sustainable landscaping solutions provides homeowners and businesses with exciting opportunities. Not only can they conserve precious water, they can help maintain the integrity of our groundwater by choosing landscaping options that reduce runoff, and assist with stormwater management.

Learn more about drought rebate programs here

In 2010, the National Park Service began work to update and expand the Marin Headlands, an outlook of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, famous for its unique geology. GraniteCrete was chosen as the paving material for the job due to its low impact, its porosity and its permanence: GraniteCrete requires minimal maintenance to last beautifully for decades.

Marin Headlands’ characteristic red-brown topography formed millions of years ago by lava spilling from vents and mixing with radiolarians (microscopic protozoans). The paving upgrades needed to blend seamlessly with the surroundings to preserve “the crown jewel of the Golden Gate National Parks,” so the National Park Service required the color of the new paving to match the existing native material. This expansion also required excavation of the surrounding hillside to allow for a widened roadway and vista turn outs.

All of this presented GraniteCrete with a unique challenge: None of GraniteCrete’s four standard colors exactly matched the deep red-brown color characteristic of the area terrain.

As a leader in innovation and sustainability in surfacing solutions, GraniteCrete worked with the architects to solve two issues as sustainably as possible, the color matching and the disposal of the excavated material.

Normally, GraniteCrete admixture is mixed with decomposed granite brought in from an outside quarry. However, for this project, GraniteCrete Admixture was mixed with the on-site material that was being excavated – the trademark red-brown cherts for which the area is known. In a process that had never before been attempted, the excavated cherts were sieved to GraniteCrete’s specifications and then combined with GraniteCrete Admixture to create the perfect color, sustainably.

If the on-site material had not been used, twenty-four truck loads would have been needed to transfer the materials off site for disposal, and another twenty-four needed to bring in new decomposed granite! The use of the on-site material saved gas, reduced the wear to our roads, cut down on emissions, and saved more than $70,000 in trucking costs.

What was done at the Marin Headlands was unprecedented in the aggregate stabilizing industry. GraniteCrete is proud of its part in this
sustainable and environmentally successful project and we encourage you to visit this natural wonder. It is truly the crown jewel of the Golden Gate Recreation Area. See it for yourself and bring a picnic lunch!

GraniteCrete offers 4 standard colors, along with custom colors, each made with organic toxin-free pigments. Combined with natural decomposed granite, GraniteCrete is your permanent, permeable and natural paving solution for trails, walkways, driveways, parking areas, and yes, even bocce ball courts!

Our thriving communities increase the number of buildings, roadways, and sidewalks – and concerns about stormwater management. The pressure is increasing for builders to choose low-impact development solutions, and many communities are implementing solutions that comply with C.3 requirements.

So, what is C.3?  C.3 is a requirement for new developments—and redevelopments—to meet stormwater design compliance requirements.  Among others, requirements that must be met include:

• Minimize impermeability and reduce runoff
• Control runoff rates and durations, if required
• Provide for operation and maintenance of stormwater facilities

It also requires that, when possible, permeable surfaces should be used instead of traditional paving solutions so runoff can filter through to the underlying soil.  Runoff can carry pollutants that reduce water quality and negatively affect the beneficial uses of our waters.  C.3 seeks to protect our water sources from these issues.

When planning new developments or redevelopments, a stormwater control plan must be created that illustrates how the project will implement stormwater controls into the project’s design and landscaping.  The plan should also show the size and location of both permeable and impermeable surfaces, proposed stormwater facilities, and detailed information of how runoff will flow from the impermeable surfaces to the stormwater facilities.

It is recommended by C.3 that to comply with these requirements, landscape architects look toward Low Impact Development (LID).  LID is an approach that seeks to control stormwater at the source and mimic the development site’s natural hydrology; it encourages architects to implement designs that will capture stormwater runoff and use it for local landscape irrigation and groundwater recharge.  This can be done in a variety of ways, including the use of rain gardens, native plants, and by installing permeable pavement.

An excellent permeable pavement solution that is often overlooked is permanent decomposed granite that does not contain a resin or polymer base, such as GraniteCrete.

GraniteCrete meets C.3 requirements as a stand-alone product.  It is a permanent, permeable, and natural paving solution.  It contains no polymers or resins, meaning it will not cause any unnatural substances to leach into the soil or groundwater over time.  It stays in place, and is able to self-repair any minor cracks that might occur on the surface due to normal usage.

Not only is it an ideal paving solution to meet C.3 requirements but best of all, GraniteCrete contributes two LEED credits when it comes to stormwater design:

• Credit 6.1 – Stormwater Design – Quantity Control (1 point) GraniteCrete helps decrease the amount of stormwater runoff on a site
• Credit 6.2 – Stormwater Design – Quality Control (1 point) GraniteCrete helps reduce water pollution by increasing on-site filtration.

Interested in using GraniteCrete on your next project?  Contact us to get started.

SaveSave

Professional baseball player, devoted family man, salesman extraordinaire: GraniteCrete’s newest salesman hits a homerun!

After studying English at San Jose State University, Fred was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 4th round as a Catcher/Power Hitter. After several years with the Tigers, Fred retired from the game and entered the sales world. Over the course of his illustrious sales career, Fred has received several top awards and been honored with Gold and President’s Club Awards.
Having worked in pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and renewable energy industries, Fred has a wealth of sales experience and is truly a valuable addition to our team.
Fred strives to understand each client’s unique needs and challenges. By educating clients about new and emerging technologies, and offering valuable insights gained from decades of experience, Fred empowers clients to make the best decision to meet their needs.
Fred’s first spring training was in TigerTown, Lakeland, Florida, and his first year as a professional baseball player was spent playing on a Triple A Team in Evansville, Indiana. According to Fred, Minor League Baseball is one of the hardest lifestyles, where players are required to live out of a suitcase and stay in B-Hotels. Travel while in the minor leagues is another challenge, with players spending 10 to 14 hours a day on a bus, mostly traveling at night. To pass the time, Fred would read; one of his favorites was Jaws. “I will never forget reading Jaws on a bus to Key West, Florida,” says Fred, “I read it all through the night. I don’t think I ever went back into the ocean after that book!”

Later in his baseball career, Fred was drafted to the Detroit Tigers as a catcher, and was considered to be a power hitter with a strong arm. After Fred left the Detroit Tigers organization, he was offered another professional baseball contract in Italy, where he played pro-baseball for the William Lawson Team.

SaveSave