Each of the following describes an existing problem with a known solution. But the engineering and construction communities remain largely oblivious -- of the problem, of the solutions, or of their role in both...


The production of portland cement -- the glue that holds concrete together -- accounts for seven to eight percent of the total greenhouse gases produced on Earth by human activity. However, it is now well-established that the residue from coal-fired power plants, or fly ash, can be used to replace half or more of the cement in concrete, at lower cost and higher quality.


Straw left in the fields after the harvest of rice, wheat and other grain crops has historically been burned at great cost to air quality. However, it is now well known that baled straw can be stacked and plastered to create surprisingly strong, durable and superinsulated buildings.


Large scale animal farms generate huge quantities of waste that pollute local ecosystems and watersheds. However, that waste can be diverted into constructed wetland areas in which beautiful groves of timber-quality bamboo grow year-round, yielding an annual harvest of a versatile building material.


Rice is the primary food crop for most of the world's population. Worldwide we burn 60 million tons a year of just hulls (the papery covers that are removed from the grain in milling), thereby generating extensive air pollution. However, pilot projects burn rice hulls in cogeneration plants to produce electricity, and the ash collected from the exhaust has been shown to be a performance-enhancing additive/replacement for cement. Rice producers worldwide can turn their waste into power and building materials!