The leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries' community.
PELA is a 10-month hybrid program with online and in-person educational sessions and networking opportunities.
Careers in the Aggregates, Concrete & Cement Industries
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) is the industry’s unified voice, representing more than 200 member companies across the state.
Creating a unified and strong voice for our industry.
PACA monitors and analyzes local, state and federal regulations and advocates for a balanced approach by the regulators.
PACA builds a bridge between our members and our partners at PennDOT, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission along with Pennsylvania’s construction industry to further the use of our materials to the benefit of the commonwealth.
One of the most effective tools in government relations for an industry is a robust advocacy/grassroots strategy.
In the last legislative session, we contributed over $275,000 to our political champions.
November 2025 at Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA (PACA members only event).
PACA offers comprehensive concrete certification programs for ACI, NRMCA, and PennDOT in the central Pennsylvania area.
Membership has its privileges - most of PACA's events are open to PACA members only.
PACA conducts numerous education and training events during the year.
Choose concrete for your next parking lot project.
Streets built with concrete are built to last, consider concrete for your next project.
Concrete's strong, resilient and the choice for your next building or bridge.
PACA works with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) to convert your parking lot or building project to concrete without hurting your bottom line.
PACA drives a member-approved strategic plan to increase market share and engages specifiers and owners on the value of concrete in their projects.
This program provides free continuing education to the design and specifying communities. There are currently four courses available, ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes focused on the cement, aggregates and concrete industries. You'll receive a certificate of completion once you pass a quiz. The bookmarking feature allows you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.
Governments have certainly played a role in driving the green building boom. State and local efforts followed those initiated at the federal level. Today, authorities across all levels of government pursue more sustainable construction.
In 2021, the Congressional Research Service published an overview of green building issues. The report defines “green building” as “integrated building practices that significantly reduce the environmental footprint of a building in comparison to standard practices.”
LEED is the best known rating system for determining for applying green building criteria to projects. The U.S. Green Building Council set the standards for LEED certification. Categories focus on energy, water, materials, sites, and the indoor environment. They are the basis for many of today’s updated municipal and state building codes.
BREEAM is another collection of validation and certification systems promoting sustainable built environments. Its holistic approach simultaneously addresses net zero, health, and ESG goals. Millions of global structures are registered in the program. It is the product of the BRE Group.
GreenPoint Rated (GPR) is a program of California-based Build It Green, a professional non-profit organization. Independent raters take a step-by-step look at a building’s design and construction.
Many states have adopted green construction initiatives. California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are three examples.
The California Green Building Standards Code is found in California’s Code of Regulations, title 24, part 11. The nation’s very first state-mandated green building code is known as CALGreen. In 2007, state officials began to carry out the state’s landmark climate initiative, Assembly Bill 32.
Among its provisions was a requirement that greenhouse gas emissions return to 1990 levels by 2020. Buildings were identified as the state’s second largest source of GHG emissions, and CALGreen is one response.
In January, 2023, New Jersey’s Low Embodied Carbon Concrete Act (LECCLA) became state law. It received widespread bi-partisan support in both the state’s assembly and senate. Representatives believe the LECCLA will make New Jersey a leader in low-carbon concrete.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sets the embodied carbon guidelines. These baselines are expressed as the amount of CO2 generated per cubic meter of concrete.
Those who meet the benchmarks will receive a tax credit of up to eight percent of a contract’s value. A concrete producer may qualify for up to $1 million in credits per year. The program’s total tax credits max out at $10 million. To qualify, concrete producers must supply 50+ yards of concrete for state-funded projects in one year.
Pennsylvania’s GreenGov Council incorporates sustainable practices into state functions. These include policy, planning, procurement, operations, and regulatory. The secretaries of three state departments co-chair the Council. They are General Services, Conservation and Natural Resources, and Environmental Protection.
Increasingly, cities work to decarbonize both publicly- and privately-owned structures. Some embrace net-zero policies requiring that new projects produce as much energy as they consume.
The Denver Green Code (DGC) is a voluntary code adopted in 2019. It promotes the use of mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency to address climate change. The DGC embraces a shift from ameliorating environmental impacts to creating regenerative outcomes.
The DGC promotes an integrated design process. It seeks to 1) exceed code requirements, and 2) speed adoption of mandatory regulations. Together, these efforts promote adoption of Denver’s Comprehensive Plan 2040.
Its many provisions include those that promote improved building performance and sustainable materials. For example, Section 901.3.2 of the code sets standards for embodied carbon of concrete. For example, if the minimum specified compressive strength is 4500-5499 psi, CO2 emissions are limited to 409 kg/sqm. Higher limits apply to high-early-strength (533 kg/m3) and lightweight mixes (675 kg/m3).
New York City’s Local Law 97 passed in 2019. It is part of a plan to make the city carbon neutral by 2050. It is one of the more aggressive state initiatives for reducing emissions. Local Law 97 seeks to reduce emissions of NYC’s larger buildings by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. It requires that 25,000+ sq ft buildings meet energy efficiency and GHG emissions standards by 2024. Even stricter limits will apply in 2030. Check out the current version here.
The combination of CALGreen and local requirements is known as the San Francisco Green Building Code (SFGBC). San Francisco’s green building requirements apply to new construction and major renovations. They apply to residential, commercial, and public projects. The SFGBC requires compliance with requirements linked to GreenPoint and LEED rating systems.
A 2019 Pittsburgh ordinance requires that municipal building projects be net-zero-energy (NZE) ready. This applies to new construction and retrofits alike. This tends to promote the installation of renewable energy equipment on-site.
Want to reduce embodied carbon in the designing of your next project? Consider using the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool. It is both free and easy-to-use. The tool reduces a project’s embodied carbon by comprehensively assessing construction material supply chains.
The Pennsylvania Aggregate and Concrete Association (PACA) regularly reports on industry innovation through its specifyconcrete.org website. We welcome your questions about your current or future concrete projects. Contact us today!
February 22, 2024
Proficient carbon calculations are increasingly important as “Buy Clean” legislation proliferates. New York and Colorado are among the states that now require carbon calcs for public projects. An estimated 40% of emissions are from the built environment. According to one estimate, the planet’s total building floor area will double by 2060. This makes the concrete industry a key player in the quest for net-zero emissions products and projects.
February 15, 2024
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) notes that cement production is “so carbon intensive that even though cement makes up less than 15% of concrete by weight, it accounts for 90% of concrete’s carbon footprint.” The use of fossil fuels to fire cement kilns is a key source of these carbon emissions.
February 08, 2024
In the quest for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, everyone has a role to play. In the concrete industry, this includes everyone from manufacturers to contractors, and from trade associations to governments. Here is a review of some of the major initiatives impacting concrete’s sustainability.
February 01, 2024
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) requires high-temperature calcination of limestone. It is possible to use various emissions-reducing pozzolans in concrete. Fly ash comes from coal-fired power plants. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) comes from steel mills. Another SCM is metakaolin derived from kaolin.
The program is delivered in one (1) module and it should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will receive a certificate of completion once you pass the quiz. The bookmarking feature will allow you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.