Donated Brick Make Crisis Ministries Project Greener

Good progress is being made on Crisis Ministries new facility. When finished, it will be a 30,000-square-foot building including an emergency dorm for men, a dorm for Veterans, a clinic, a dental room, a commercial kitchen and dining hall, a donation center, counseling offices, and a conference room.

The building has been designed with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind. It incorporates energy efficient lighting and HVAC units as well as plenty of windows to make use of  natural light.

This week we saw bricks forming columns around what will be the dining hall. But these aren’t just any bricks. Made by CalStar Products, a company based in Wisconsin, they are manufactured from fly ash with up to 37% recycled content in a process that uses up to 81% less energy and emits up to 84% less CO2.

GreenBy3 secured a commitment from CalStar to donate all of the brick for the building’s exterior. “We are thrilled to be a part of the Crisis Ministries project – and a part of making it green,” said Craig Ratchford, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Calstar. “Because our bricks are manufactured using a low-energy, low-carbon process, they’re helping to reduce the environmental footprint of the building before it is even occupied.”

CalStar Products Inc. develops and manufactures sustainable building products that allow customers to dramatically reduce the embodied energy and carbon footprint of their projects and incorporate significant recycled materials, without compromising building performance and budgets. Founded in Silicon Valley and headquartered in Wisconsin, CalStar’s mission encompasses national priorities of supporting energy independence, mitigating climate change, preserving natural resources, recycling industrial by-products, and creating green jobs.

Tagged: Crisis Ministries, Green Building, Project Update