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Seaman Corp. is seeking a geomembrane product sales specialist for the western U.S. and Canada. Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering with five years experience in engineering consulting or construction; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Competency in a broad range of civil engineering topics preferred. Learn more at the LinkedIn posting. Learn more here.;

Demtech Services, Inc. is now a Premium Underwriter of Geosynthetica. Demtech serves the thermoplastic welding equipment field with fast, light specialty machines that improve efficiency in fabrication shops, production facilities and on construction sites. Demtech’s state-of-the-art wedge welders, extrusion welders, hot air tools and other products help ensure quality geosynthetic installations. Learn more about the company and its machines on Demtech's website. Learn more here.;

Waterproof Membranes 2011 will be the 5th in AMI's annual series and will take place at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany from 15-17 November 2011. On the first evening there is a welcome reception and registration, followed by a 2-day program of presentations. A specialist exhibition runs alongside the conference. Waterproof Membranes 2011 provides a global forum for all companies involved in waterproofing, including end-users, specifiers, architects, expert installers, manufacturers, researchers, and suppliers to the industry. The conference aims to debate the latest technology in membranes and the extensive potential on offer to the building and construction industry. Abstracts are accepted through 16 May 2011. Learn more. Learn more here.;

Fiberweb, Inc.'s new website, www.DefencellUSA.com, showcases Defencell Force Protection Systems, a lightweight ballistic and blast barrier solution that offers weight and space savings over existing protective barriers. Created exclusively for US military personnel, DefencellUSA.com provides performance data that highlights how the Defencell system can effectively reduce the number of containers necessary to transport and construct ballistics fortifications in both combat and training.

RPM International Inc. (NYSE: RPM) today announced that its RPM Performance Coatings Group has acquired Pipeline & Drainage Systems Ltd. (PDS), a leading supplier of curb, bridge and channel drainage products for construction and infrastructure markets, primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Based in Wakefield, England, PDS has annual sales of approximately $8 million. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to be accretive to earnings within one year, were not disclosed.

Mrs. Rinku Appalwar, Director Finance from Emmbi Polyarns has won the Leader in Manufacturing Award at the Women Leaders in India Awards 2010 at the Radisson Hotel, New Delhi, on the 10th of December. Emmbi has produced FIBC (jumbo bags), geotextiles, canal liners, pond liners, flexible tanks, PP fibrillated stitching yarn, container liners, protective irrigation systems, and more. Learn more here.;

The Board of Directors of Sika AG and CEO Ernst Bärtschi have agreed that after seven and a half years of successful engagement as chief executive officer, Ernst Bärtschi will resign from his office as of May 2012 and enter retirement. At that time he will have reached the age of 60. Sika AG, located in Baar, Switzerland, is a globally active specialty chemicals company

IECA's Annual Photo Contest is an opportunity to gain visibility and to share your accomplishments with the erosion and sediment control community. Entries will be displayed on IECA's website and also laminated and enlarged to be showcased at Environmental Connection. Voting will take place at Environmental Connection, and ribbons will be awarded at the conference. The contest is FREE. Learn more here.;

Adding sensors and other devices to bridges, tunnels and buildings can turn them into “smart structures” capable of sensing and, in some cases, even responding to problems. The Economist reports. Learn more here.;

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts have found a commercially viable way to use renewable waste materials to take the place of petroleum in the production of plastic products, according an article in Thursday's edition of Science. Researchers have found a way to use renewable products such as farm waste or wood chips to make chemicals such as benzene, toluene, xylenes and olefins. The chemicals are used to make plastics and synthetics. Learn more here.;

Exeed Industries LLC, an Abu Dhabi-based specialised manufacturing investment company, today announced products from two of its major divisions--fibre and building materials--received significant interest during its successful participation at The Big-5, the largest building and construction exhibition in the Middle East. Held from 22-25 November in Dubai, The Big-5 witnessed Exeed highlighting its Precast, Premium Plaster, Aswar, Litecrete, Geotextile and Glasswool range.

AMI is organising the 2nd international conference on Polymers in Photovoltaics 2011 from 12-14 April 2011 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany to discuss these issues. Senior Consultant, Kerry Satterthwaite will outline the market situation and future prospects, and lead manufacturer Solarfun will talk about the latest developments in modules. Learn more about the conference in the newly released event program. Learn more here.;

Heartwood Place, which builds and manages affordable housing in the Waterloo, Ontario region. The former newspaper printing facility site, they discovered, had been graded years before with fill from foundries, which contained lead, among other contaminants. One of the solutions used to make this brownfields site viable for building on involved geotextile encapsulation of contaminated material. Learn more here.;

Photovoltaic manufacturing is still undergoing change in terms of technology and materials. Production costs per module need to come down to a more profitable level whilst maintaining durability and enhancing performance and functionality. AMI is organising the 2nd international conference on Polymers in Photovoltaics 2011 from 12-14 April 2011 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany to discuss these issues. Senior Consultant, Kerry Satterthwaite will outline the market situation and future prospects, and lead manufacturer Solarfun will talk about the latest developments in modules.

The largest marine oil spill accident ever is over--or is it? BP, the energy giant responsible for the blunder at the now infamous Macondo well, located off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, finally declared the troublesome well officially dead in September 2010. Numerous types of equipment and technologies have been deployed to aid in cleaning the affected Gulf region. Among them are various types of geomembranes. In more ways than one, geomembranes have been vital to curbing the environmental damage caused by the spill. The following information details the distinct applications of geomembrane products in the Gulf cleanup effort. Read more from Bill Shehane and Kim Seaman.

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has reapproved D7106, "Standard Guide for Selection of Test Methods for Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer (EPDM) Geomembranes." It is available as D7106-05(2010). This guide includes test methods for scrim-reinforced, composite, and smooth, non-reinforced EPDM membranes. Learn more here.;

ASTM D35 on Geosynthetics has reapproved D7177, "Standard Specification for Air Channel Evaluation of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Dual Track Seamed Geomembranes." It is available as D7177-05(2010). This specification covers a nondestructive evaluation of the strength and continuity of parallel PVC geomembrane seams separated by an unwelded air channel. Learn more here.;

Cotton Inc. has recognized seven recent innovations that display cotton's versatility. Among the technologies recognized is Alabama-based Mulch and Seed Innovation's for use of cotton in erosion control products. Mulch and Seed's premium products are marketed under the brand names Hydra CM™ Steep Slope Matrix and Hydra CX2™ Extreme Slope Matrix. These materials are distributed by North American Green. Learn more here.;

Five years into a two-year plan to cap the Flint Road landfill in Charlton, Massachusetts at no cost to the town, two companies have defaulted and the board of health is preparing a $1.3 million check to hire a third. The 10-acre site has been capped with a geomembrane but still needs a soil cover. Project officials are concerned with the cap's integrity from prolonged exposure. Learn more here.;

Geocomp Corporation, a leading geo-engineering services firm, is pleased to announce that Jack F. Salerno, P.E. has been named as Branch Manager in the New York office. In his new role, Mr. Salerno has overall responsibility for project management, client development, and technical oversight. Mr. Salerno has more than 25 years of experience in the disciplines of structural engineering and project management. Through his extensive work on a variety of structural facilities in the New York and New Jersey area, Mr. Salerno has been involved in all phases of structural engineering including design, rehabilitation, construction and inspection.

Like other forms of social media, Twitter is simultaneously alluring, daunting, and befuddling to businesses of all sorts. Some in the erosion control and geosynthetics fields have found it to be of good use, though, in staying in touch with clients and colleagues while adding to marketing reach. It can be particularly useful for active users posting regularly and on matters of importance to their business. For example, Mark Myrowich at Biotic Earth has used it to post photographs from job sites. This can be especially interesting for return visits to sites to document progress. Learn more here.;

Sika AG announces that its US subsidiary, Sika Corporation, has acquired May National Associates, Inc., a leading manufacturer of silicone and polyurethane products for sealing and bonding in Construction, Industrial, and Distribution markets. May National is located in Lakewood, New Jersey with annual sales revenue of approximately $20 million USD and 60 employees.

As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) RE-Powering America's Land initiative, the agency has developed a two-year draft management plan to advance the development of renewable energy on potentially contaminated land and mining sites. The draft plan describes activities EPA can take to build upon the progress that the initiative has achieved since its launch in September of 2008. EPA started the initiative to determine the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites. Superfund sites are the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified by EPA for cleanup due to the risk they pose to human health or the environment. Brownfields are properties at which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence of contaminants. The initiative aims to decrease the amount of green space used for development, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide health and economic benefits to local communities, including job creation.

A proposal to manage toxins in Australia's Kendall Bay would bury contaminated silt under a 5 hectare blanket of geotextile. The 40-metre-wide geotextile strips would be installed over 56,000 sq m of the bay and weighted down by 400 mm of basalt rock. The combination would of materials would stop boat propeller activity from disturbing the soils in the lake bed. The Mortlake gasworks plant had operated along the shore for 100 years. The new remediation plan is being pushed by a developer who wants to open a 172-berth marina. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy with the goal of increasing the sustainability of water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States. Communities across the country are facing challenges in making costly upgrades and repairs to their aging water infrastructure, which include sewer systems and treatment facilities. Making this infrastructure last longer while increasing its cost-effectiveness is essential to protecting human health and the environment, and maintaining safe drinking water and clean water bodies. The new policy is part of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's priority to protect America's waters.