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The Moscow Times has published an article on how difficult it can be for foreign companies to work in the Russian market. The paper notes how companies that have the most success have people on the ground, rather than try to participate from afar. A key example is Tensar, the paper writes. Tensar's UK office worked with a UK-Russia trade organization to establish a presence, and it has lead to projects in oil, gas and mining as well as work on development for the 2014 winter Olympics. Learn more here.;

Levee projects costing more than $250 million are expected to start this year to upgrade the flood protection system in Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish. The projects, including floodgates and levees, are designed to create a double form of protection against storm surges, according to a local official. Learn more here.;

In an article published in the Pacific Northwest Inlander, Spokane Street Director Mark Serbousek discusses ways the city has learned to improve road performance. The city adjusts technologies to the particular sub-soil conditions. For example, he notes, geotextile structural fabric bases are installed in the sub-base of clay-soil zones. Learn more here.;

ASTM International Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems has revised standard F2648/F2648M, "Standard Specification for 2 to 60 inch [50 to 1500 mm] Annular Corrugated Profile Wall Polyethylene (PE) Pipe and Fittings for Land Drainage Applications" as F2648/F2648M-10. These pipes and fittings are suitable for underground use in subsurface and land drainage systems, which do not operate under surcharge pressure heads. Learn more here.;

Research being conducted at Queen's Royal Military College in Canada has produced a new earthquake mitigation geosynthetic that appears to be a combination of geofoam and geogrids. It has been developed by Dr. Richard Bathurst and graduate student Saman Zarnani and is intended to stabilze structures against earthquakes. Shake table tests have been very positive. Learn more here.;

The Lovell Chronicle, a newspaper based in Wyoming, which is the source of much of the world's most notable bentonite supplies, reports that local production has increased. The trend has continued from 2010 into 2011. CETCO plant manager Steve Wilkerson said the plant produced twice as much bentonite in 2010 as it did in 2009. Current projections are even better for 2011. Among its many products, CETCO produces geosynthetic clay liners, which utilize a bentonite core. Learn more here.;

Tennessee-based Propex Operating Company today announced the completion of a ready-mix industry survey on the benefits of using synthetic fibers in concrete construction. The anonymous and completely confidential survey targeted more than 5,000 concrete producers in the U.S. and was conducted over a six-week period on the Propex Concrete Solutions website at Fibermesh.com. The survey was completed by 1,300 respondents, which is a very high percentage rate of response.

R. Baker and Son All Industrial Services, Inc., a specialized contractor providing total plant dismantlement, demolition and decommissioning services, recently completed an eight phase, highly technical, demolition and environmental remediation project at Kings County Hospital located in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to underground tank removal, the project involved slab and foundation removal followed by geotextile installation and clean fill.

Debris landfills offer a cheap way to bury the millions of tons of splintered lumber, crushed drywall and cracked masonry created each year at Ohio construction and demolition sites. Draft rules proposed yesterday by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency could take "cheap" out of the equation, making new debris landfills install plastic liners and monitor wells to help protect groundwater from pollution. Learn more here.;

Fiberweb, Inc.'s Defencell™ Force Protection Systems, which are also known as TYPAR® Geocell, utilize high-strength geotextiles to create a dual-purpose protection system. Not only is it a lightweight ballistic and blast barrier solution that offers weight and space savings over existing protective barriers, it has also proven to be an exceptional flood barrier. Defencell™ was created exclusively for US military personnel, but it is finding significant application as well in the civilian market. To help explain the system's functionality and advantages, a white paper was drafted for the National Guard.

The Donzi Lane Landfill in Atlanta, Georgia was near capacity but the need for landfill space was urgently increasing due to population growth and development. There was no additional land to expand the landfill outward. A new landfill would be too costly and take too long to develop. The Donzi Landfill needed an innovative way to expand, quickly. The answer was to build up. Read about how they did it.

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.