In late 2006 the Government of Canada through Natural Resources Canada commissioned the EcoSmart Foundation with the support of an industry-government advisory committee to disseminate information on the use of supplementary cementing materials -SCMs- in Canada.
The EcoSmart AP2K -Action Plan 2000- 2007 Dissemination Report summarizes the dissemination aspect of the project aimed at increasing acceptance of SCM use in Canada. Information exchange through a series of consultative meetings complemented the findings of an online SCM survey conducted through a separate assessment project also contracted to EcoSmart by Natural Resources Canada during the same period. Content and messages developed for dissemination included a 2-page “SCM Basics†document and direct audio-visual presentations delivered through both the online survey and at the consultative meetings. However the great value of the project was the communication that took place within the consultative meeting discussions. It was this open dialogue on the use of SCMs that provided the project partners -representatives of EcoSmart CANMET and the Advisory Committee- the opportunity to target information on SCMs to each organization consulted and to directly respond to questions and concerns put forth by meeting attendees.
Feedback received during the meetings focused on current levels of acceptance and use barriers to increased use influences of market forces and attitudes and concerns of stakeholders. While there are still many barriers and misunderstandings about the proper use of SCMs acceptance levels have increased in recent years and even many of those traditionally resistant are becoming more open to such technologies. There is also an overall recognition among stakeholders that more should be done to increase the level of SCM acceptance and use. Greater education training tools research and clarification of policies and standards are a few of the areas where improvement could be made.
Technical Report Author: EcoSmart Foundation