Setting the Sustainability Standard in Stone
One site the company reclaimed within the last three years is being mentioned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as a possible nominee for the state’s reclamation of the year award.
“They’re very happy with the grading we did, and I’d love to get that award,” says Bellospirito.
Although that might sound a bit fanciful, Bohrer, too, says Michels views itself as environmentalists and stewards of the land.
Click on the photo …“A quarry is a major investment, and when it’s played out, we want a return on that investment,” he says. “Many times, the quarries are turned into golf courses, or you can build a condominium complex or subdivision around it, put in a lake, and it becomes an asset to the community.
“It’s just during the process of quarrying that people look at it and think, ‘Wow, look at all that mess.’”
HIDING OUR LIGHT
Even the best quarriers probably aren’t doing as much as possible to get their side of the story out to the general public. However, there are exceptions, such as Michels, which hosts a yearly “Quarry Quest” at its facilities.
“We believe it’s the largest public one-day open house held at a quarry,” says Bohrer. “We typically have 20,000-25,000 people come in to tour the quarry and be educated on how we do the work, as well as learn about the benefits of quarrying and the use of stone. We’re starting to get the word out that stone is a needed commodity, and we’re environmentally responsible.”
The other area where Michels may be something of an exception is in its approach to getting and renewing quarrying permits. Bohrer says his observation is that many companies try to keep the process as quiet as possible to avoid attracting the public’s attention.
“We don’t do that,” he says. “We want the people to show up and hear what we’re doing and educate them about what we do.”
While the general public is likely to be weighing the benefits of stone for kitchen countertops and bathroom vanities, designers and architects – the people in position to specify stone for larger projects – may also be laboring under some of the same misperceptions, at least according to some quarriers.
“Our original research talked specifically with architects and designers and they don’t have a good perception of what quarrying practices really are,” says John Mattke, president of Cold Spring, Minn.-based Cold Spring Granite Co. and former chairman of the NSC’s sustainability committee.
Additionally, Mattke says many are being pressured by their clients to design buildings that earn LEED points.
