The Toronto City Council continues to advance in its "Making Green Roofs Happen" initiative, proposing funding and construction targets for green roofs on new and retrofit buildings. Geosynthetic lining and drainage systems have been vital to the success of many green roof installations. Some cost/benefit numbers can be found in Section 1 of the city's green roof discussion paper. Learn more here.;

EC06, 20 - 24 February, Long Beach, Calif., will feature a Field Day event at which erosion control products and site management techniques will be demonstrated. Among the day's participants will be gsa underwriters Colbond (booth 639) and North American Green (booth 300).

Tim Lancaster, North American Green Inc., and Mark Myrowich, ErosionControlBlanket.com, have prepared a paper about the Erosion Control Technology Council's (ECTC) 14 years of contributions to the field. The paper will be presented on Wednesday, 22 February 2006, at EC06, Long Beach, Calif. Learn more here.;

Nonwovens Industry: Reports are emerging that Polymer Group Inc. is set to purchase its rival BBA Fiberweb. According to the Times of London, PGI has fended off competition from private equity groups including Condover and Doughty Hanson to purchase its rival in nonwovens… Learn more here.;

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) reports that the current US budget proposes steep cuts to the nation's Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) library network, an impressive asset used heavily by not only the public but the agency's scientists. The cuts come alongside government mandates for new research into nanotechnology, potable water safety, and air pollution. Can the new research and the solutions that might come of them be realized without the EPA's library resources? Learn more here.;

Though erosion control products often look simple, their characteristics and performance are complex. Proper selection, installation and monitoring is more difficult than one might think, as evidenced by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), which has now fined itself for violating its own landfill runoff control policies… Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association’s (IECA) annual photo contest entries are on display at the IECA Web site. The entries cover four categories (Before and After, EC Bloopers, Technology, Impacts of Erosion) and feature blankets, turf reinforcement mats (TRMs), silt fence, and other measures. As a Cooperating Organization, geosynthetica.net will exhibit at EC06, the IECA's premier event, 20-24 February 2006. Learn more here.;

The number of permits issued for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) lags the number of approved operations, sometimes by a considerable margin. For example, in Wisconsin, a single CAFO permit covers 55 sites controlled by a corporation that specializes in turkey production. Prior to 2002, the state had issued permits for each site. This change in permitting means that the reported number of permitted operations fails to give an accurate picture of how fast the CAFO market, with its more severe waste management and runoff control needs, has expanded. CAFOs are large operations for beef, poultry, dairy, and pork production, generally raising more than 1000 animals on a single site. In California, some dairies have more than 3000 cows, and the amount of exposed waste has led to the dairy-rich San Joaquin Valley posting air-quality ratings as poor as Los Angeles' and Houston's. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state regulatory agencies are particularly concerned with waste management and runoff control on barn-confined and open lot operations. (Pasture-grazing operations do not present the same immediate threats.) Still, CAFOs are the trend, even for former small farms as they struggle to compete. Needs in the industry: Better waste lagoon design, waste liners, lagoon containment covers (tied to methane harvesting systems) and runoff control methods affiliated with NPDES. Many CAFOs must file for National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES) permits.

The executive summary of the Geosynthetics Risk Management and Loss Control Program (GRMLCP) White Paper written by geosynthetica is now available.

The Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) has produced an educational DVD on the proper installation of rolled erosion control products (RECPs). The DVD includes 8-minute sections on installation of RECPs in channels, slopes and shorelines. The information concerns site preparation, staking, anchor trenches and more. To purchase a copy of the DVD contact Laurie Honnigford at +1 651 554 1895. Learn more here.;