Using permeable material to landscape is always a benefit over other options. Puddles are unsightly, and are difficult to manage when they get too large. Permeable pavers have grown in popularity because of their ability to shed water. With cities expanding exponentially, and urban developments sprawling away from cities, huge areas of land that could once distribute rainwater have been stripped and packed to support housing and development. We require sewers and storm drains to handle the task of taking water away.

In the world of the Concrete Jungle, it is natural for water runoff to be discharged into storm drains and run off into lakes and oceans. It carries with it all manner of waste and pollution from the surfaces we live on daily; oil, chemicals, nitrogen, boogers… well that's not so bad but the point is, those pollutants aren't able to penetrate the waterproof materials we use to build, unlike permeable pavers that shed their water.

Imagine a world where you can no longer swim or fish in fresh water, with oceans that wouldn't support life like they do now. The Gulf already has a dead zone, an area that will not support life for any period due to pollution. Is that what you want for your local waters?

We can't hold a candle to the filtration systems that our earth has in place. When we divert it, we are interrupting a very natural process. Therefore, you are probably asking at this point "What does this all have to do with the paving stones?" Well, it's really simple. Regular pavers are laid on a base of compacted material known as class 2-road base, a dense mix of small and fine particles that do not shed water very well.

Concrete and asphalt are also extremely dense, making the passage of water on their surface difficult. Standard paving stones are a move in the right direction but the best way to Go Green is to step it up and jump toward permeable pavers.

Permeable pavers systems let the surface water drain into the space between the paver stones. There, it filters down to a base of sand and other fill that is easily penetrated and is engineered to store water as it filters it down into the natural earth.

Permeable pavers are designed to help every residential homeowner reduce their carbon footprint and help restore the homeostasis of the world, one interlocking paver at a time. If you're interested in going green, this is a great first step toward building the value of your home, improve its aesthetic value, and do just a little more to save Bambi.