Green Roads

I received an email today about building better roads and in turn building sustainability via energy efficiency in fuel use.

Given the timing and the nature of our current Congress and the debate about job creation and infrastructure the timing could not be better.

I will not reprint the article, Green Technology Road Improvements, here; however feel free to read it at your leisure as I feel they make excellent points regarding ways that energy consumption must be reduced from more than one level the user.

As the authors maintain...

Road systems may be one of the largest, most immediate and least expensive sources of untapped energy savings available. Improved roads can provide significant reductions in fuel consumption at no additional cost to road users and with no changes required as far as driving habits or type of vehicle used. At the same time, road owners can construct more fuel-efficient pavement systems and stabilized running surfaces at lower cost than conventionally designed roads through innovative, sustainable product technology.

We have already made great headway in realizing that the type of concrete one uses has immense effects on water savings and in turn green house gas emissions... why not realize that efficiency is not just the role of the automobile.