PHOTO CREDIT: NPCA “In the future it will be more important to build more resilient homes that can adapt to and withstand these extremes.” He says it is important to note that these initiatives have come out of the industry, they have not been mandated, and they are being put into place across North America. NPCA president Ty Gable says this is just one example of a co-operative effort between all three organizations. “We all realized the importance of this and have banded together to find a common solution.” Gable says while many trade associations tend to be re- actionary, the intent here was to be proactive. “It makes sense to us to work with government to promulgate law, to be included in the laws as they are made and to help develop them.” Hall says in Canada the associations have been ap- proached by provincial governments, looking to under- stand the initiative and to be part of the solution. Another way the associations are working together is in the development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which include environmental data about products, including lifecycle information, and which are now required for many projects. “There are many ways to develop EPDs but we believe they need to be verified by a third party in order to be ef- fective,” said Hall. “We are working with ASTM Interna- tional (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) in the U.S. and Canada, and also with the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, and hope to have EPDs in place by the end of 2015.” Other co-operation is evident in the NPCA’s Precast Uni- versity. Gable says this educational program provides com- pany owners who truly embrace environmental protection an opportunity to educate their team. Owners themselves can mandate employees and to attend but the association does not force the requirement. “A truly sustainable envi- ronment only exists when everyone in the building knows what and why and how things need to be done.” Gable says Precast University courses are offered online and in person. Starting with basic concrete technology, the courses are designed to teach students to become experts 28 – April-May 2015 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report at production. In the end, graduates receive certification as a master precaster. Covering safety and sustainability from a philosophical level right down to practical situations on the plant floor, courses are suitable for office staff, upper management and employees in every stage of production. Hall says NPCA opens its courses to CPCI members as well, sharing the information and resources to ensure the industry overall is strong. CPCI has also undertaken an educational program de- signed for architects and engineers. “We do a lot of semi- nars across Canada including one called Infrastructure for Life in which we demonstrate to owners and designers that first cost may not be the real cost.” Hall says the program intends to educate professionals in costing out projects, looking at lifecycle and mainte- nance costs. The industry he says is working to create con- crete that is more durable and the industry should be planning to and expect to build structures and infrastruc- ture that can last 100 years. Beyond infrastructure, the associations are also con- tributing to research on building envelopes. “We’re work- ing with climatologists in North America doing research on our weather and the way we are seeing more extremes,” said Hall. “In the future it will be more important to build more resilient homes that can adapt to and withstand these extremes.” He says while other materials may not tolerate extreme weather, concrete is resilient, durable and adaptable to whatever will come. The associations are also applying social media, com- municating key messages through Facebook, Twitter, e- news as well as through more conventional methods including newsletters and their own precast concrete print magazines. For more information on the North American Concrete Industries visit www.npca.com, www.pci.org and www.cpci.ca.