Article #2

With the “green” campaign going strong in America, a new green product has been introduced. Now along with green cars and clothes, people can build their homes, decorate their gardens and make patios with green brick. The actual bricks are not green, but rather the means to produce them. Newly developed technologies allow the bricks to be made of “fly ash, a by product of coal.” Essentially, this makes them a recycled product. The technology will also result in about 85% less emission from production of the bricks. The article reports that surprisingly green construction is thriving in this economic climate. The bricks cost approximately the same as the frequently used clay bricks, and the amount invested in green construction has almost doubled since last year.

For a while, technological advances are what polluted the air. Images of the Industrial Revolution always show new and effective technologies being at fault for the grey clouds in the air and the waste in water. Technology, however, has made a complete turn around to support the “green” campaign. Now, advertisements to encourage the green technology movement are all over the Internet, television, and radio. The incentive to follow the movement is also advertised. Government offers tax breaks for those in green homes. The government funded “Cash for Clunkers” encouraged people either slow to change or financially restricted to upgrade to a more fuel efficient, environment friendly, and almost trendy vehicle.

The technology that encourages green lifestyles, also, will take the movement further than it has been taken before. The green movement is nothing new, obvious from previous trends of hippies and tree huggers. When I was looking for an article to blog on, I came across many that had to do with green technology. With constant reminders that natural resources are diminishing due to our negligent and wasteful behavior, avoiding the issue is nearly impossible.

My only reservation with these technologically advanced bricks is their lack of history and product testing. I feel that the rush to get green products outs and available to the public restricts guarantee and quality on the back burner. The article mentions that how the bricks will weather over time is unknown. How could they, then, be depended on for large buildings or anything more than a small pathway? The products are so new and unfamiliar that the ASTM's panel for brick standards does not even have standards for green brick production. I feel more testing of the product should be done before any serious construction based around it is too risky. After some time and research, however, the bricks could prove me completely wrong and be as popular and successful as hybrid cars in America have been.

Tuna, Cari. "Putting "Green" Technology Into Bricks." The Wall Street Journal 4 Nov. 2009, US Edition ed. Print.