I want my kids to climb mountains and not landfills.

I want my kids to climb mountains and not landfills.

Have you ever seen images of granite harvesting? It’s not a pretty one. We are literally moving mountains, painstakingly extracting it from beneath our feet.

Countertop sales in the U.S. are expected to increase by 5.1% in just 2 years. That’s a mountain of granite to be processed. So where does the mountain go?

After its mined, classified and sent to port it will make its journey across the oceans to the U.S. America imports granite from over 50 countries.

Places like China, Brazil and India are our largest suppliers. Once in the U.S., the granite is offloaded and trucks around the country to warehouses. There it is catalogued and shipped again to your local countertop fabricator. Thousands of miles have passed since the granite was unearthed.

Each kitchen countertop is custom created. Fabricators build templates to utilize the prettiest pieces of the slab. Then the cutting process begins, trimming length, width, corners and cutting out for the sink. It’s calculated that fabricators dispose of up to 69% of a slab. 69%! More than half of the mountain is sent to the closest landfill where it will spend its life buried beneath a pile of trash. How beautiful is that mountain now?

I want my kids to climb mountains and not landfills.

Granite is an amazing stone, with its density and life-cycle it can be used down to the dust. Meaning that none of the mountain needs to go to waste. Pioneers for the use of countertop fabrication scrap, like A & E Recycled Granite in Arizona, StoneTek in Montana and Eco Granite in Detroit are converting all parts of the mountain into functional building materials. Working with the International Recycled Granite Network they are encouraging recycling, developing change within industry practices and benefiting their communities.

Their Recycled Granite products are created solely from the waste of the countertop fabrication industry. Solid granite Pavers that add beauty to any outdoor living space. Split Stone Tiles that can sparkle with mica and shimmer with quartz crystals. Its design applications are unending, complimenting modern architecture, period design and it adds a feeling of sophistication to any project inside or outdoors.

Want to learn how you can use more of the mountain?

Visit http://recycledgranite.com/where-to-find to find a manufacturer near you.

#Earthday #RecycledGranite #Recycle #Green #SWANAEarthDay #MrsGreensWorld #Tucson #Arizona