Author: owner

Real Life Sustainability (continued from page 3)
Many homes in Connecticut are now being raised for repair. That activity will go on for many years. And it is gratifying to be able to relieve the terrible burden of uncertainty for these unlucky homeowners. But every time I see a home being raised, I wonder what’s going to happen to the tainted building material being dug out. We didn’t know enough to protect our buildings from the original harm - can we adequately protect ourselves in the future? As we remove the deteriorating concrete from our homes, what harm can it continue to cause where the materials are taken for disposal? Is it dumped in a landfill? Is it being recycled - should it be recycled? How and where might this material turn up next? How will we know whether material has been screened for harmful levels of pyrrhotite before selling or reselling tainted materials? What are creative and appropriate uses for tainted concrete? Are there any?
There are, of course, benefits to recycling concrete rather than dumping it in a landfill. Concrete recycling is an increasingly common method of utilizing rubble that used to be trucked to landfills for disposal. Recycling old concrete:
Saves landfill space
Creates Employment
Conserves natural resources by reducing the need for gravel mining, water, coal, gas and oil
Drags down material and waste transport expenses
Recycling one ton of cement could save $1,360 gallons water, 900 kg of CO2.
Some fairly recent statistics show that the increasing demand for construction aggregate exceeded 48 billion kilos with the highest consumption being in Asia and Pacific. The high demand for concrete means more new buildings can be constructed after the demolition of old ones. A big volume of construction and demolition waste is a byproduct of economic growth.
There are other uses for old concrete:
● Smaller pieces of concrete can be used for new construction. Sub-base gravel is laid down as the lowest layer in a road with fresh concrete or asphalt poured over it.
● Crushed recycled concrete can also be used as the dry aggregate for brand new concrete.
● Larger pieces of crushed concrete can be used as a very effective method of controlling stream bank erosion.
● Crushed concrete can be combined with other materials to create a substitute for landscaping stone or mulch.
● Wire cages can be filed with crushed concrete and stacked together to provide economical retaining walls.
Are these viable uses for pyrrhotite-tainted concrete?
There is yet much work to be done in this area, and many questions yet to be answered. We need to prepare for the potential of undiscovered damage to schools, municipal buildings and critical infrastructure. We have to master the science and support legislation and regulation that assures the devastating outcomes we now face cannot hamper our future. It remains to be determined how best to contain harmful pyrrhotite, insure that it is better regulated, or not sold at all.
There is in place a two-year voluntary agreement with the owner not to sell material from the quarry at issue for residential purposes in Connecticut. It does not prohibit sales for commercial use. And what about the safety of those to whom materials might be sold to surrounding states? We may not be able to write laws to regulate their use of materials, but what duty do we have not to put what we know to be a harmful substance into the stream of commerce? What warning is appropriate before the tainted materials are sold in other states or countries? The moratorium recently extended for another two years, has no provision to protect people outside Connecticut. Nor does it prevent sale for non-residential commercial use. The Quarry owner says he is no longer in the concrete business, but how do we know? And how long will that part of the business remain closed when there is no moratorium in place?
I believe that the moratorium on selling material with pyrrhotite should be neither “voluntary” nor time limited. I’ll be working on that outcome. In the months ahead we have to plan creatively for the future using every available resource (e.g. University research, public advocacy, grants from foundations, federal government, philanthropists or agreement for shared risk funding by insurance companies).
We will have to monitor and support efforts by the captive insurance program to make sure that affected homeowners come forward, understand the various benefits available and know how to apply for them. We will continue the battle for visibility, public ownership of the issue and buy-in to the problem. We need viable, comprehensive solutions to this multi-faceted crumbling catastrophe that is devastating Quiet Corner lives and town coffers.
Submitted by:
Pat Wilson Pheanious, JD, MSW
Rep. District 53

“Believing that the earth is home to all, CREA facilitates analysis of human, social and economic policies
from the perspective of their effects on human lives, beginning with the lives of those who are poor.”
~CREA Mission Statement

CREA: Center for Reflection, Education and Action
Hartford, CT

2019, Issue #3

CRUMBING FOUNDATIONS: Some Questions to Think About…
This issue of Starting Points contains an article by Pat Wilson Pheanious, a member of CREA’s Board and the CT State Representative for the district being impacted by crumbling foundations here in CT. We decided to use Pat’s article because it takes us thru the reality of dealing with a situation, personally and as a community.
Over the years, we have often written about charity, advocacy and systemic change as it applies in various settings. When we first read Pat’s article, it was clear that the response to the crumbling home foundations need all three of the levels of response and not just once, but over and over and over. When we couple the facts of the crumbling building foundations with responses: first the charity (help the families), advocacy (get the towns, local and state governments, etc. involved), and systemic change (how do we dispose of the contaminated concrete so it cannot do further damage, how do we replace schools and other community buildings, how do we make certain that the contaminated concrete does not end up being used somewhere else so it can do further damage, etc.) and couple that with FIND, FIX and PREVENT, we are faced with the reality that we need to spend time, energy, financial resources to get it right and do it right, both now and in the future.
As you read Pat’s article, ask yourself how your community would respond? How you would respond? The major challenge is acting as a community willing to find, then fix, then figure out how to prevent. We may not be faced with this particular issue in each of our communities but we are and will be faced with others. Responding systemically is key if our communities are going to be truly sustainable. Read what Pat has written and think of your own community. What kinds of ideas come to mind?
Real Life Sustainability: How towns, families, local and state governments come together to address a problem.
The “Crumbling Foundation” is a phenomenon that is having devastating impacts in northeastern Connecticut. Hundreds of homes in 36 towns have foundations that are cracking or crumbling due to the presence of pyrrhotite, a naturally occurring iron sulfide which over years reacts with water and oxygen causing concrete to deteriorate.
Beginning in early 1980s, stone aggregate sourced from Becker’s Quarry by concrete company J.J. Mottes was used in the construction of northeast Connecticut homes. The quarry is located in Willington, CT on a vein of rock containing significant amounts of pyrrhotite, a naturally occurring iron sulfide mineral. As a result, the stone aggregate from this quarry that was used to produce the concrete contained elevated amounts of this mineral. Pyrrhotite expands when exposed to water and oxygen, causing concrete containing it to swell and crack. Foundations can develop cracks and gaps that expand over time, impacting the attached structure and causing the concrete to crumble. Once the tell-tale map cracks appear, the damage is irreversible and the most effective repair is to replace the existing foundation.
Current estimates for replacing a home’s foundation are between $150,000 & $250,000. No homeowner can afford to watch their primary investment fail. For those who might be living paycheck to paycheck, discovery of a crumbling foundation presents a truly devastating challenge. A family’s stability crumbles along with their economic security and peace of mind when pyrrhotite is discovered in their home. I represent the 53rd District’s “Quiet Corner” (Ashford, Tolland and Willington), in the epicenter of the damage zone. Homeowners and the entire community suffer when pyrrhotite is discovered. Grand lists in my towns have been reduced by the reassessment of more than 185 homes in Ashford (-1.3M), Willington (-.3.2M ), Tolland (-7.4 M).
In May 2016 the legislature charged the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) to investigate the causes of concrete foundation failure. The investigation concluded that pyrrhotite is necessary for foundations to deteriorate and that JJ Mottes was the only company producing concrete connected to crumbling foundations. The report also found that no foundation poured before 1983 or after 2010 were reported to DCP but that due to unpredictable conditions this date range may be extended.
As the DCP investigation began, JJ Motes and Becker’s Quarry entered into an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with the state, agreeing not to sell aggregate from the quarry, or products containing it, for residential purposes until July 2017. That agreement was extended in 2018. The most recent agreement was signed by Becker Construction Company this July, extends for two more years the “moratorium” on the in-state sale of pyrrhotite-tainted materials for residential purposes. (next on page 3)

CREA, Inc.
PO Box 2507
Hartford, CT
06146-2507

CREA: Center for Reflection, Education and Action, Inc.
is an independent 501(c)3 organization.
Executive Director: Ruth Rosenbaum, TC, PhD.

PHONE: 860-527-0455
E-MAIL: crea@crea.org
WEBSITE: www.crea.org

Lady Liberty Welcomes All - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Many people these weeks have been quoting a sign read by countless Americans, our parents, grandparents as well as those just reaching our U.S. shores filled with hope. And visitors from all around the world have come to get a glimpse of the embodiment of the dream that America has represented in the world for so long. The sign I’m referring to, standing tall on our shores since 1886 , reads in part, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door ….”
The Statue of Liberty has long been a symbol to tired immigrants, to proud Americans and to the entire world of who we are as a country, as a diverse yet united people. Just as many of our ancestors did, we understand deep within our roots, the desire to find a better life for ourselves and our families. We know from our own experiences or from the stories we’ve heard growing up, that America has always meant hope. It’s a place where all people from all places can come together and work and live and raise families. We have not always been perfect. There have been struggles to live up to our ideals and include everyone. But we have always agreed that those words on the plaque of our Lady Liberty define us, that shining torch of light and hope is who we are as Americans.
But when acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli intentionally reworded Emma Lazarus’ famous poem to apply to only Europeans while announcing changes to our immigration policies, that collective notion of what it means to be American seemed to crack open, revealing deep divisions among us. Many people were outraged at the thought of changing who we have always been, a nation of immigrants - the melting pot. And, unfortunately, many people were not.
People are still coming here for the same reasons many of our parents and grandparents did. They come here to feed their children when they are starving, to find safety against violence, to work and live in a place that accepts them and provides an opportunity to succeed, to provide a better life for themselves and their families. Only Native Americans were here from the start. The rest of America was and is made from people all over the world. We may say we are Irish-American or African-American, but we are American. Our differences are what makes us the same. That is what makes America unique and what has always made America great.
Statistics show that immigrants, both documented and undocumented, pay into our tax system, receive fewer benefits and provide an overall positive affect on our economy. Of course arguments can be made from both sides. And there’s a thing called “confirmation bias” that we are mostly all guilty of, at least at times, “the tendency to search for information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs”. So no matter what “side” we may fall on, and no matter what information we use to defend our positions, maybe there’s a bigger picture. Do we want to be an America that is so divided? Do we want to rewrite the words that have come to mean how we see ourselves – all of us, as Americans? Are we ready to change the symbol of hope that our Lady Liberty shows to the world? Or can we remember how our ancestors arrived and count the things we have in common as human beings, which are so much greater than our differences? Do we want our identity to crack and crumble? Or will we choose to stand tall, with the knowledge that our strength lies in our diversity, and continue to shine a light on each other and the world?

These are just some examples of our new fair trade products: new flavors of chocolate and
walker bags that can be used on walkers and wheelchairs.

CREA TO RECEIVE ARCHIDIOCESAN JUSTICE AWARD
A few weeks ago, we received a call from Lynn Campbell, Director of the Hartford Archdiocese Social Justice Office to tell us that CREA is this year’s recipient of the Hartford Archdiocese Most Reverend Joseph Donnelly Organization Award for our work on Social Justice. The award will be presented at the Annual Social Justice Dinner on October 22, 2019.
Sister Ruth Rosenbaum, TC, PhD, Executive Director and Co-Founder of CREA, will accept the organization award. For the past 23 years, CREA has been working in the areas of corporate responsibility (including socially responsible investing), sustainable communities, human rights and labor rights and climate change.
While Sr. Ruth will accept the award for CREA, please know that the award belongs to all of us: donors, prayer partners, colleagues, volunteers and all who make our work possible. The Award is for all of us. Congratulations &Thank you!

Fair trade sale season is here! We’ve had a lot of feedback to help us order popular items, as well as some new crafts! Hope to see you there, and volunteers to help are always welcome and appreciated! (hint, hint!)▼

date	location	city, state	time
9/28-29	Our Lady of Mercy	Plainville, MA	After all masses
9/28-29	St. Theresa of Avila Church	Woodbury, CT	After all masses
9/29	Church of Nativity	Bethlehem, CT	After Sun 8 am mass
10/5	UCC Super Saturday Conference	Framingham, MA	8 AM – 4 PM
10/5	Boston Archdiocese Justice Conference	Boston, MA	8 AM – 3 PM
10/14 (Mon)	UCC Artisan Market	Quincy, MA	10am - 2pm
10/19-20	St Mary, Star of the Sea	Unionville, CT	Sat afternoon & Sun morning after masses
10/26-27	St. Dominic Parish	Southington, CT	Sat 5pm, Sun 8:30 & 10am—after all masses
11/1-2	UCC Tri State Conference @ DCU Center	Worcester, MA	Fri 2-9pm, Sat 8-4pm
11/2-3	St. Brigid	Lexington, MA	After all masses
11/9-10	Sacred Heart	Bloomfield, CT	After all masses
11/10	Sacred Heart	Lexington, MA	After Sun 7am & 10am masses
11/16-17	St. Thomas Apostle	West Hartford, CT	After all masses
11/16-17	Medical Aid to Haiti @ St Peter Claver Church	West Hartford, CT	All day Sat and Sun
11/23-24	Holy Family Church	Concord, MA	After all masses
11/23-24	St Ann Parish	Avon, CT	All day Sat and Sun morning
12/7	Our Lady of Fatima @ St. Brigid	Maynard, MA	After 4pm mass
12/8	Our Lady of Fatima Church	Sudbury, MA	After all masses
12/14-15	St. Mary Parish	Portland, CT	After all masses

Real Life Sustainability (continued from page 1)
However, according to the State Building Inspector, “standards” have not yet been adopted! The State Building Inspector uses the American Concrete Institute standards for concrete, but those testing standards do not specifically identify the presence of pyrrhotite. Moreover, there is not a consensus regarding what is an unacceptable level of pyrrhotite. The application of Standards will be delayed until there are clearly defined testing methods and thresholds.
In other words, we don’t yet have the science to support more stringent regulations or to take more definitive legal action.
● Pyrrhotite is a natural occurring substance found in many rock formations in trace amounts. We know that pyrrhotite is necessary to trigger a crumbling foundation, but we don’t know how much is enough to cause damage.
● We know that pyrrhotite in some quantity may react over years depending on factors such as moisture, oxygen and pressure.
There have been numerous legislative attempts to assist affected homeowners. In recent years the State legislature, Capitol Region Council of Governments and the Department of Housing have worked to inform affected homeowners, run programs to test foundations, provide loans, state and federal income tax deductions, screened contractors, and protected buyers and sellers in various ways. There is a program in place to assist owners of the most badly damaged homes to get grants of up to $175,000 to get their homes lifted and new foundations set. A captive insurance company (Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Co, LLC (CFSIC) was created to facilitate grants and other financial assistance. To support the grant making, CT state has committed 100 million in future bond funds. An insurance surcharge of $12 is assessed against everyone who procures homeowners insurance in the state to help fund the grants. It is estimated that these funds combined will meet only about 1/3rd of the funds needed to address the full extent of the problem. Continuing to fund this important program is an on-going priority.
It should be noted that Legislative fixes and attempts to protect the public described above apply primarily to homeowners and residential structures. Until recently it was thought that the differences in building standards between residential and commercial properties protected the latter from deterioration. However, recently, the Birch Grove School in Tolland was found to have pyrrhotite in its foundation. The school is being demolished and replaced at substantial cost to state and local taxpayers. How many more Birch Groves are there? The laws now in place are not adequate to address crumbling foundations yet to be discovered in schools, municipal buildings, bridges and other commercial buildings.
In 2017 the legislature made it illegal for anyone to knowingly use concrete or recycled material containing pyrrhotite in residential or commercial construction, unless it meets “certain standards established by national organizations and adopted by the State Building Inspector.” (PA 17-2 JSS (Sec. 338-346). Anyone selling concrete or recycled material containing pyrrhotite must provide the purchaser with written notice that the concrete meets the described standard. (continued on page 4)

New Singing Rooster Chocolate (and other products?)

Is This the End of Recycling?
The last few decades have seen recycling become part of our culture, and we’ve accomplished a lot, but many of our carefully sorted recyclables are being sent to landfills. We were sending most of it to China for decades, but at the end of 2017 they announced new standards for imports of recyclables and banned materials that were too contaminated or hazardous. and now India and Malaysia are following their lead. This global crisis caused disruption in the global market, reduced the prices of recyclables, and raised moral questions about the common practice of exporting waste from developed countries to those with few environmental regulations.
Waste management companies all around the country are left with the choice to pay higher rates, or send recyclables to landfills and incinerators. These changes are coming at a time when we’re producing more waste than ever, and US companies don’t want to process the waste because about a quarter of what we try to recycle is contaminated. Even in cities with the latest in recycling technology and the most progressive environmental programs, there are still many limitations. People still have to be paid to sort through a lot of the waste by hand, not to mention the upkeep of machines slowed by contaminated recyclables. It’s often cheaper for companies to manufacture using new materials than recycled ones. And in the US, at least, it rarely makes sense to employ people to sort through our recycling so that it can be made into new material, because virgin plastics and paper are still cheaper in comparison. Recycled plastic costs pennies more than new plastic, and those pennies add up when you’re manufacturing millions of items. Plastic bottles don’t get recycled into new plastic bottles - they become things like synthetic carpet or even clothing - there will always be a breakdown and an end to the life cycle of these materials.
Add a fourth “R” to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” - “Refuse.” It’s up to us as consumers and taxpayers to demand reduction of this pollution at its source. Recycling transforms trash into new products without an effect on our natural resources. It will continue to pile up and become part of our food and water supply. Every water bottle we throw away still requires fuel to transport it, water to clean it, and time/effort to process it (often by hand). Landfills are the 3rd largest source of methane emissions in the US. And burning plastic can create some energy, but it also produces carbon emissions - many “waste-to-energy” incineration plants release more harmful chemicals like mercury and lead than coal plants do.
Let’s make laws that promote effective recycling, like the national bottle deposit and bag tax bills proposed in 2009. When the UK implemented a fee for plastic grocery bags, use decreased over 80%. In Germany, a 2003 national bottle bill resulted in recycling rates of over 98%. These laws could help recover the estimated $8 billion annual cost of plastic pollution. Don’t accept individual responsibility for a problem we have little control over, without first addressing the source. It’s time to stop blaming consumers for our plastic crisis and demand a better system.