From its nerve center in Monterrey, Mexico, CEMEX supplies building materials to the rest of the world. In fact, CEMEX has many cement plants in the US. One such facility, in Davenport, California, is the subject of much respect, particularly from environmentalists.

CEMEX Davenport’s air quality is the 2007 winner of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Award for the best energy-efficiency operations. In addition, the Davenport plant received the highest honor at the Annual Cement Industry Environment and Energy Awards in 2008.

CEMEX’s Davenport plant won that year’s Overall Environmental Excellence Award. The Portland Cement Association and Cement Americas magazine, the governing bodies of the award, were particularly impressed with the factory in the categories of land stewardship, energy efficiency, and environmental performance.

Davenport’s ,a href=”http://www.cemexusa.com/ac/ac_mc_pr_041206.html”>CEMEX air quality factory reclaimed some acres of land in its community. In turn, the reclamation allowed forests, grasslands, and chaparrals to sprawl even wider. The said factory has also shepherded a tree planting program that allows 20,000 redwoods to sprout every year. Timber has been aplenty in this new wilderness. Each year, CEMEX harvests some of them to give to the locals.

As Davenport is a seaside community, CEMEX’s environmental advocacy extends to the sea. CEMEX protects the water bodies around its factory, which are prolific breeding grounds for steelhead trout and oho salmons.

For its cooling water system, CEMEX’s plant only uses recycled wastewater. Cement kiln dust, the factory’s main byproduct, is sold rather than thrown.