LAST WEEK AT A JOB on Spadina Road, the Green Apple crew installed concrete foundations in the front and back yards of the property. Cement isn’t exactly the most environmentally-friendly of materials, to say the least. To turn limestone into a powder that can be re-hardened into whatever shape your heart desires requires a massive amount of fossil fuels, and releases large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. So we don’t take concrete lightly. Sure, it can be used in certain circumstances when other materials can’t cut it, but under the current building system, it is used far too often on jobs that simply do not require it. We decided that the Spadina job demanded it; we’re not purists, but we are trying to push the envelope, and to push ourselves, as well.
IN ANY CASE, ONE OF THE characteristics of concrete is that it hardens quite quickly. If you want it to look good, you’ve got to move fast. So when you’ve got a lot of concrete to pour, you call in the reserve units to have as many people as possible out on the site. And that’s why I found myself ankle-deep in grey soup last Friday, alternating between freezing my buns off and drenched in sweat, at 7:30 in the freaking morning! Actually, it was good to get a decent workout and be outdoors during the daytime for a change, and it was fun to be out in the field with John, Victor, and Bob. In the end, the pour went without a hitch. Many thanks to Julio who came through with the cement truck, and wasn’t shy about picking up a shovel and lending a helping hand!
