Question by amberfire12: Eco-Friendly Replacement Driveways?
Just wondering if anyone out there has any personal experience with eco-friendly driveway replacement, i.e. which option did you choose, are you happy with your choice? Was the cost of this option more or less than other available options? And, finally, we live in the Midwest and need to know how well it will survive going from summer to winter, etc. etc.
Thanks!
Best answer:
Answer by snorkweezl
The big considerations for “eco-friendly” driveways are permeability, solar-reflectance (albedo), and the long-term impacts of the material of choice. In your case, it also needs to stand up to real freezing. Open-grid pavement with a light-colored gravel infill I think would be really great for your application. It gives it a bit of formality while still being permeable (meaning that stormwater won’t sheet off your driveway and wash out surrounding soil or overwhelm storm drains) and the light color means that your yard will stay cool in the hot months, which in turn helps keep your home cool. I’ve seen this used extensively all over the country with no real complaints, and it’s recommended by the US Green Building Council as an acceptable compliance material for reducing the non-roof heat island effect and stormwater runoff.
If you don’t mind a more natural look, grasspave2 (http://invisiblestructures.com/GP2/grasspave.htm) might also work well for you, but it’s a new product and I haven’t seen it in many applications yet.
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Tags:driveways, Ecofriendly, Green, Living, replacement
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