The Transportation Infrastructure Industry Recognizes Bot Construction Group for its Achievements in Environmental Leadership

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 20, 2012 /CNW/ - The Ontario Road Builders' Association (ORBA), in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and the Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA), is pleased to announce that Bot Construction Groups is the winner of the 2012 ORBA Green Leadership and Sustainability Award.

The ORBA Green Leadership and Sustainability Award was established in 2010 to recognize environmental leadership and sustainability measures in the construction of Ontario's transportation infrastructure.  It recognizes contractors that go beyond the scope of requirements on a specific project or develop innovative and sustainable ways of carrying out day-to-day activities.  The award can recognize new products, new equipment or new management and construction methods that promote sustainability.

"Ontario's road builders are continually innovating and employing new measures to help protect our environment," said Hon. Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Transportation.  "This award is a celebration of the many achievements our transportation infrastructure industry has made toward promoting green methods of construction.  I offer my sincere congratulations to Bot Construction, for their winning submission, and to Dufferin Construction and The Miller Group for their honourable mentions."

"ORBA is pleased to congratulate Bot Construction Group as the winner of the 2012 ORBA Green Award, and applauds its dedication to environmental sustainability measures.  We introduced these awards last year to recognize the efforts our members are making in environmental protection," said ORBA President, Jim Hurst. "The award recognizes the ongoing environmental leadership and innovative achievements being made by road builders towards the objective of environmental stewardship and enhanced sustainability; and also promotes responsible environmental management throughout the industry."

"Municipalities are always looking for ways to improve," said Alan Korell, President of OGRA."The ability to partner with Ontario's road building industry to deploy environmentally sustainable solutions provides a template for how local governments and the private sector can work together to find answers to this challenge."

Bot's award is for their development and implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) which establishes a systematic, integrated approach to identifying and mitigating environmental impact risks on construction projects. The company's EMS is a principles-based element of its broader corporate commitment and transforms sustainability values into measurable practices at the field level on every construction project it works on.

Bot's EMS system has demonstrated its value through the avoidance and mitigation of environmental risks and by providing a platform for continuous learning and improvement throughout the company.  Already a requirement in some other industries, Bot voluntarily developed and implemented its Environmental Management System, building on existing models and adapting processes to the conditions of transportation infrastructure construction projects.

The allocation of dedicated staff and facilities resources to the systematic execution of the program is central to the EMS. At the same time the program establishes the obligation, responsibility and authority of all workers to satisfy the environmental principles of the program. Bot's application for the award illustrated how the EMS identified environmental risks of construction at the project planning stage, and led to revised construction approaches that achieved sustainability objectives.

The committee also highlighted two other applicants that demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to sustainability by utilizing innovative products or processes. These submissions were awarded an Honourable Mention, and will be further highlighted on the ORBA website (www.orba.org). They include:

• Dufferin Construction (a division of Holcim Canada Inc.) initiated the use of recycled concrete aggregates in a test section of an MTO highway project in Mississauga.  These test sections will be monitored to determine the potential for use in concrete mixes in the future. Incorporating recycled concrete aggregate into the new concrete mix means reduced demand for new aggregates and the trucking associated with supplying them.  Estimates show that by using 15% recycled concrete aggregate in concrete mixes would reduce the use of virgin aggregates by 22,500 tonnes, on average, at Ontario ready mix plants, thereby eliminating approximately 600 truck trips annually per average concrete plant.
  
  
• The Miller Group receives recognition for its development of a modified micro surfacing product incorporating glass fibres which was proposed to and accepted by the County of Lanark and the City of Kingston.  The innovation results in reduction in demand for high quality aggregates and improvement of the life expectancy and performance of existing pavement structures.  Miller's modified thin-lift pavement product was researched and developed by the company.  Miller also received recognition from the judges for its role in promoting the new technology and for educating owners and contractors about the process.

The winners of the 2012 ORBA Green Leadership and Sustainability Award will also be recognized at the 2013 ORBA Convention.The Ontario Road Builders' Association is the voice of the majority of road building contractors who build and maintain Ontario's provincial roads. In addition ORBA boasts approximately 100 associate members who supply products and equipment to the industry. To learn more about ORBA go to www.orba.org

Karen Renkema, Director of Government Relations, ORBA
[email protected]; [phone] x223; (cell) 416-768-4848