Special Series

Social media should come as standard equipment for small businesses, writes Alison Diana. Studies show that more than half of small to midsized companies use social tools to drum up new business, and that more than a third post daily messages to social-networking sites. If you're not doing the same, you risk getting left behind, she argues. Learn more here.;

In the autumn edition of TenCate's magazine txtures, TenCate Grass takes center stage with articles on sustainable grass solutions, markets, and intriguing uses, such as in oil spill cleanup and rainwater harvesting. Also in the issue is a roadmap of technology and innovation, TenCate's Miramesh SG for slope stabilization, and more. Read the Autumn 2010 issue txtures online. Learn more here.;

Spartanburg, South Carolina's city council is expected to issue up to $10 million in general obligation bonds to finance closing the Arkwright dump and for improvements at Stewart Park. The dump, described by some as a donut, is in need of a closure cap. City administrators identified the Arkwright closure, currently estimated to cost about $6.8 million, as a strategic priority and hope to position the site for potential redevelopment. Work might begin as soon as spring 2011. Learn more here.;

The Sun Live, which covers news from New Zealand's Bay of Plenty area (Tauranga), reports in a city roundup that reconstruction of scour protection work at a stormwater outfall is due to commence on 20 September 2010. The two-week project will replace rusted gabions with sand-filled geotextile bags. The gabions have apparently failed because of weathering. Learn more here.;

In Barrie, Ontario, Canada, a 1960s-built landfill is getting a long-overdue make over. The site is part of a multi-year remediation that will see the reburial of the site's waste in modernized cells with PVC geomembrane liners and a leachate collection system. Learn more here.;

The "Living Danube" is the advanced wastewater treatment plant project in Budapest, Hungary, that is being built to achieve a general recovery and environmentally sustainable management of the Danube River. Another stage of the project was recently completed resulting in the plant now being protected by a high performance green roof that exploits the properties of DuPont™ Typar® Geosynthetics to deliver long-term reliable functionality. Read more.

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is pleased to announce that the official association Facebook page has passed the 500 "likes" mark. This milestone was celebrated by awarding one Facebook community member with a $25 gift card. IECA would like to congratulate member Kent Stevenson of Stevenson Supply in Santa Rosa, California for winning the drawing. Learn more about IECA's online community through Facebook.

Applied Market Information (AMI) has released the program and registration brochure for Waterproof Membranes 2010, the fourth international conference in this series. Click on the brochure image to the right to download a copy (PDF). Waterproof Membranes 2010 takes place at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany 30 November - 2 December 2010. AMI is offering Euro 100 off registration for those who book their space before October 20.

East Coast Erosion Control, Bernville, Pa., has expanded their offering of erosion products to include GroundControl Hydromulch. The Hydromulch product line is designed to promote vegetation growth while saving time and money. The special natural reinforcing fibers of reclaimed cotton plant material are combined with straw and a blend of proprietary additives which help these products to blanket and contour to the surface easily. Each of the products meets or exceeds current industry standards.

The 31st Geotechnical Conference and Exhibition of the German Geotechnical Society (DGGT) will take place 3-6 November 2010 in Munich at the International Conference Center of Munich. The event celebrates 50 years of DGGT events and activities. Two key presentations may be of significant interest to the geosynthetic community: “25+ Year Performance of Geotextile-Reinforced Embankments on Soft Ground in Germany” and "Innovative Scour Protection for Offshore Wind Turbines"

Converting old-school marketing campaigns to take advantage of social media is often better than starting from scratch, writes Bill Flitter. Start by using social tools to monitor the success of existing campaigns, use that process to develop online relationships and finally wrap those relationships into a socially informed marketing campaign, he notes. Learn more here.;

A report recently published by the World Bank's Development Prospects Group argues that biofuel production has had a much smaller impact on food price increases than originally thought, but that the use of commodities by investment funds may have been partially responsible for the 2007/08 price spike. According to the report, titled "Placing the 2006/08 Commodity Price Boon into Perspective," a stronger link between energy and non-energy commodity prices is likely the dominant influence on development in commodity markets, especially food markets. Learn more here.;

The terms of a noncompete clause, which are often referred to as "covenants not to compete," can vary. They typically lay out a specific geographic area where the seller cannot create a competing business, although with the advent of businesses based primarily online, the geographic territories are becoming broader. A covenant not to compete will also list the length of time that the seller must refrain from starting a similar business. Read more in this useful business article. Learn more here.;

Every organization should have a written policy setting out its expectations of employees who use social media, says Wall Street Journal career columnist Alexandra Levit. The key is to be clear and not to take anything for granted, she says: Define your terms, spell out precisely what you consider acceptable and explicitly tell employees the kinds of information that should never be shared on social networks. Learn more here.;

Despite being relatively new in Syria, the widespread use of plastics industries products in local markets led to a rapid development in this industry during the past years, with plastic factories numbering in the hundreds, with investments valued at billions of Syrian pounds providing thousands of job opportunities. This industry, linked to the discovery of petrol in Syria and investing it locally, began with manufacturing some daily use items in simple factories. Learn more here.;

The global demand center for all types of resin has indeed shifted to Asia. Meanwhile, energy efficiency, low carbon footprint, and the need for expanded performance envelopes are driving developments in resin technology. The global economic recovery has Asia to thank for much of its progress to date. China and India in particular continue to exhibit strong gains and consequently, plastics demand remains strong. And whether it's hybrid vehicles, LED lighting, or bio-derived polymers, a fair amount of the research and development work under way at resin suppliers nowadays is being driven by the need for enhanced energy and resource efficiency. Learn more here.;

The Isle de Jean Charles community in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, has only one road connecting it to mainland: Island Road. Nearly every inch of the two-mile road is underwater, and anxious residents await funding from FEMA that is currently stuck in Congressional debate over Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf Oil Spill. If approved, the US Army Corps of Engineers intends to elevate the road 12 inches over 2.63 miles. It would widen the shoulders to 8 feet, using aggregate and geotextile separation and soil stabilization fabric. Learn more here.;

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's biggest economy, reported a 21 percent rise in non-oil exports in March as demand for petrochemicals and plastics gained momentum from global economic growth. Non-oil exports increased to 11.4 billion riyals ($3 billion) from 9.4 billion riyals in the year-earlier period, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing data from the Central Department of Statistics and Information. Saudi March imports advanced 1 percent to 29.9 billion riyals. Learn more here.;

World demand for carbon black is forecast to rise 4.3 percent annually through 2013. Growth in the non-tire rubber product market will outpace growth in the dominant motor vehicle tire sector, while the smaller special blacks market will rise the fastest. The Asia/Pacific region will post the strongest gains. Specialty carbon blacks have the best potential. Learn more here.;

Abu Dhabi Polymers Co., the state- controlled plastics maker known as Borouge, is starting a second petrochemicals complex in the United Arab Emirates as Persian Gulf oil exporters venture further into the industry. Borouge is ramping up operations at a 1.5 million metric ton-a-year ethane cracker, the world’s largest. Learn more here.;

When "plastics" and "the sea" are used in the same sentence, it is often to highlight the problem of pollution. In fact, a boat made of plastic bottles - the Plastiki - is currently travelling across the sea to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where plastic waste is alleged to accumulate. But an increasing number of researchers are looking to get plastics from the sea - not by fishing out discarded bottles, but by using marine life forms as a raw material to make polymers. Learn more here.;

Sustainability and the image of plastics topped the agenda on day two of the inaugural GPCA Plastics Summit, which attracted some 300 key decision makers, market players and stakeholders from 120 global and regional companies. "To address sustainability and to take it as an opportunity, the industry needs to take action," Wilfried Haensel, Executive Director of PlasticsEurope told delegates at the day two keynote address. "In order to take action, we need information and we need to effectively communicate the benefits of plastics and their contribution to climate protection and energy efficiency," Haensel pointed out. Learn more here.;

ASTM Subcommittee D18.04, Hydraulic Barriers and Hydrologic Properties of Soils, in collaboration with the Geo-Institute of ASCE Unsaturated Soils Committee, is organizing a special double issue of the ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal focused on innovations in measurement of the mechanical and hydrological properties of unsaturated soils. Deadline for abstracts: 15 August 2010. Read more about it.

China got the ball rolling, emerging in a matter of decades as the world's leading plastics manufacturing hub. And now another region aspires to emulate its example - the Middle East. For the major polymer producing countries in the Middle East, moving up the value chain is not a choice - it is part of the economic and social agenda pursued by their governments with unmitigated fervor to resolve the unemployment issue and revitalize the economy. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today sent a letter to Congress in support of reinstating the lapsed Superfund "polluter pays" taxes. Superfund is the federal government's program that investigates and cleans up the nation's most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. If reinstated, the Superfund provision would provide a stable, dedicated source of revenue for the program and increase the pace of Superfund cleanup. It would also ensure that parties who benefit from the manufacture or sale of substances that commonly cause environmental problems at hazardous waste sites, and not taxpayers, help bear the cost of cleanup when responsible parties cannot be identified.