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Region of Waterloo joins Socially and Environmentally Responsible Aggregate (SERA) Standards Development Panel

TORONTO, ONTARIO — (Marketwire) — 10/21/11 — Socially and Environmentally Responsible Aggregate (SERA) is pleased to announce that its Standards Development Panel, which was announced on September 27, 2011, will benefit from the participation of staff from the Region of Waterloo. The addition of the Region of Waterloo to SERA–s efforts reflects an interest in SERA that has been developing across the province since its launch on June 1, 2011. In four short months SERA has achieved significant progress including:

— Meeting with stakeholders across the province to discuss opportunities that certification presents and how they might be involved in SERA–s work

— Receiving constructive input on the

— Forming a balanced expert

— Convening a Founding Board of industry and community leaders

— Organizing a –state of the debate– session on recycling of aggregates

— Receiving lots of media attention. Including in-depth coverage from “” magazine

“The Region of Waterloo is excited about the opportunity to participate with progressive aggregate companies, community groups, municipalities and environmental groups in developing a world-class standard for aggregate extraction,” says Chris Gosselin, Manager Environmental Planning, Region of Waterloo. “We are proud to be a part of the group seeking to define responsible aggregates in world-class terms.”

As one of the largest aggregate producing municipalities in southwestern Ontario the Region of Waterloo has given significant thought to addressing the growing demand for aggregates while preventing or minimizing the potential impacts of mineral aggregate operations on surface water and groundwater resources, surrounding communities, cultural heritage resources, environmental features and ecological functions, and agricultural resources and operations. Through its previous work experiences the Region of Waterloo brings valuable hydro-geological, consultation and land-use planning knowledge to SERA–s technical panel.

About SERA–s Standards Development Panel

SERA–s Standards Development Panel is tasked with producing an effective and functional final standard that establishes credible, practical and measurable requirements for socially and environmentally responsible aggregates in Ontario. The panel, which is chaired by Dr. Brenda McCabe, Chair, Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto is composed of a broad group of expert stakeholders including:

More information about the groups and individuals participating on SERA–s Standards Development Panel can be found at .

About SERA ()

Socially and Environmentally Responsible Aggregate (SERA) is a not-for-profit organization that will create, administer and promote widespread support for certification of responsibly sourced construction materials. Its initial focus is on establishing a voluntary certification system to promote responsibly sourced aggregate materials in Ontario, offering operators an innovative way to demonstrate their efforts to recognize the social and environmental expectations of local communities.

Contacts:
SERA
Nicholas Schulz
Director of Communications
647-883-2719

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