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A plan to develop waterfront property in the village along the Connecticut River will move ahead after the Bellows Falls Historical Society recently was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The money, which was part of the almost $3 million Vermont received in the latest round of EPA Brownfields grants, will allow the historical society to create a trail system and public park along the river. The first phase of the project will include capping the contaminated soil, installing a geotextile layer, and developing a paved riverfront trail. Learn more here.;

Boston Cedar, Holbrook, Mass., was recently honored as the 2009 Distributor of the Year by Fiberweb, Inc., makers of the TYPAR® Weather Protection System. The award is based on outstanding sales and customer growth, marketing and promotion efforts as well as customer service. Fiberweb is one of the world's largest specialty nonwoven fabrics producers. In the construction industry, Fiberweb manufactures the well-known TYPAR brand for housewrap, geotextiles and roofing applications.

Newly published energy statistics for 2009 show that bioenergy today makes up a larger share of Sweden's energy use than oil: 31.7 percent bioenergy compared to 30.8 oil. These numbers confirm that Sweden is a world leader in the field of bioenergy. Biomass is used for heat and electricity, for biofuels for transport, and as energy source in industry. Almost all Swedish cities and towns have district heating using biomass as fuel.

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved additional financing to Iller Bankasi in the amount of €178.2 million (US$240 million equivalent) for the ongoing Municipal Services Project. The Municipal Services Project, in an amount of €212.9 million (US$275 million equivalent), was approved on 23 June 2005 and became effective on 18 May 2006. The project supports sustainable environmental services in selected municipalities.

The housing bust that has pockmarked the nation's landscape with half-built construction projects has done more than crash home values. Federal officials and environmentalists says abandoned developments are polluting nearby waterways with sediment, endangering fish and plant life and flooding areas where the silt has built up. Learn more here.;

Effective 1 June 2010 Colbond will raise prices 5-9% in North America for their entire product range due to the continued and unabated escalation of raw material, energy, and transportation costs. The company is in the process of informing customers. The increase has been necessitated by significant increases in the cost of the supply chain raw materials.

Approximately 700 shareholders participated in the Trelleborg Group's Annual General Meeting in Trelleborg on April 23. The theme of CEO Peter Nilsson's presentation was "A stronger Trelleborg." "The year 2009 was a dramatic one, with a sharp decline in demand, to which we swiftly and effectively adapted ourselves," said Peter Nilsson. "Dramatic times create opportunities and Trelleborg forcefully seized on these opportunities and emerged a stronger Group than before the crisis. We are well prepared for the future with contingencies for both a rise and decline in the market."

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is strengthening its position in Asia, increasing its global production capacity and focusing and enhancing the efficiency of its production in industrial niches by building a new, modern unit in Bangalore, India. The investment means that the business area is establishing a center of excellence for certain production processes and industrial niche segments in Bangalore, India.

The six major energy-using countries of East Asia could stabilize their greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 without compromising growth, a new World Bank report has found. The report, "Winds of Change: East Asia's Sustainable Energy Future," says major investments in energy efficiency and a concerted switch to renewable sources of power in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam could simultaneously stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy security while improving local environments.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to work with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to address key international environmental challenges. "The U.S. recognizes the importance of Asia in meeting today's global environmental challenges," said Michelle DePass, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of International and Tribal Affairs. "It is our hope that expanding our partnership with ADB will help focus the technical and financial resources necessary to address those challenges."

The good news for Chileans is that less than 1% of the 10,000 buildings three stories or taller, constructed since Chile’s 1985 earthquake, will have to be demolished as a consequence of the magnitude-8.8 Maule earthquake that struck on Feb. 27. The bad news is that the type of structural damage observed in many of the bearing-wall concrete frames of 12- to 26-story buildings is calling into question the effectiveness of Chile’s building code, which does not require confinement reinforcing steel for concrete members. A code change in the future is likely, say engineers who inspected the damaged areas. Learn more here.;

EPA will host a series of four free workshops during April and May in the four states of Region 7 for representatives of eligible participant groups in the 2011 Brownfields grant competition. Each half-day workshop will cover the basics of submitting a proposal to the EPA Brownfields Program and offer guidance for improving the quality of a proposal. The workshop will explain the different types of EPA Brownfields grants, who may apply for them, how the grant application process works, and tips for writing good grant applications.

The waterfront of Harrison, New Jersey was once referred to by President Taft as a "hive of industry." Over time, the waterfront has disintegrated into a crumbling assortment of abandoned factories and warehouses. With the help of the NJ DEP, the structures were demolished and the soils were remediated, making way for one of the largest mixed-use redevelopment projects in New Jersey. As part of the redevelopment process that included the mitigation of potential vapor intrusion concerns, the Louis Berger Group specified CETCO's Liquid Boot® gas vapor barrier system as well as the Liquid Boot® GeoVent sub slab depressurization system as a part of their overall remedial design.

Tennessee-based Propex Operating Company, LLC today announced that Opus® Roof Blanket has signed its first stocking dealer, Marvic Supply of Doylestown, Pa. With seven locations, Marvic serves professional residential and commercial contractors from Eastern Pennsylvania to Central New Jersey and Northern Delaware.

Tennessee-based Propex Operating Company, LLC has announced that Opus™ Roof Blanket will be distributed by WOLF of York, Pennsylvania. According to Opus Roof Blanket Executive Vice President Ralph Bruno, the selection of WOLF as the key channel partner for Opus Roof Blanket means Opus will be easy to buy in markets from New England to the Southeast. Read more.

Thiru Dayanidhi Maran, the Union Textiles Minister, has hailed the Budget Proposals-2010-11 presented in Parliament today. The Minister said that these initiative for the textiles sector as a growth spurring initiatives, which dovetail with economic revival, infrastructure development, agriculture development, inclusive growth and restoring export growth. It is said to include significant investment in and use of jute geotextiles.

Tensar International's newly developed RE500 series of uniaxial geogrids have been awarded British Board of Agrément Certification for roads, bridge abutments, retaining walls, slopes and embankments in UK highway construction. RE500 uniaxial geogrids show significant long term strength improvements to create potentially lower cost structures for clients. Read more.

Green building seems to be here to stay, but what lies on the road ahead? With all the changes afoot today in both the real estate economy and local and federal government, many may be wondering how to position themselves for emerging sustainable development issues. I see the following key trends informing the road ahead for green building, impacting both the public and private sectors. From certification to water conservation and infrastructure, Lucia Athens writes on seven trends in sustainable engineering. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today released its Top 10 List of legislation advancing green building and the economic activity and jobs that come with it. The USGBC Top 10 list honors The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and spotlights nine other pending bills in the House and ten in the Senate that represent the best proposals to advance green building. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed into law last February, dedicates more than $22 billion for energy efficiency projects, including $346 million for energy-efficient building technologies specifically.

India's Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee has presented her first railways budget plan. She has proposed a twin strategy that would promote both strong technology and well-trained manpower. It's all part of a "Vision 2020" plan of safety and security in India's rail system. In an attempt to appease and increase industry, she's also pushing for the use of jute geotextiles wherever appropriate in construction. Learn more here.;

DEFENCELL™ Engineered Protection System will be used to assist in the reconstruction of critical infrastructure as part of the relief efforts in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This system's compact transportation footprint, versatile applications and easy installation made it an ideal choice for establishing replacement structures in a devastated area where deployment time was critical. Read about this geocellular system and its role in Haiti's recovery.

First introduced in 2009, Profile Product’s Green Design Engineering creates cost-effective and environmentally superior solutions through the design, manufacture and application of sustainable erosion control and vegetation establishment technologies. Read about the benefits at Golf Course Industry magazine's website. Learn more here.;

The Northern Ireland town of Coleraine has cleared the way for a 42-acre residential development that reportedly will include one of the largest retaining walls in Europe. The geogrid-reinforced structure will be used with the former quarry zone to provide a stable platform for construction. The site will also feature a 20-meter-deep lake. Learn more here.;

Cured in Place Pipe (CIPP) has been used to rehabilitate twin 1,350 mm diameter culverts crossing the Ballyogan Stream that were at risk of structural failure at the Ballyogan Landfill Site, just outside of Dublin, Ireland. The twin culverts, which extend through the body of the 62 hectare landfill site, convey the Ballyogan Stream through the landfill. Learn more here.;

The Industrial Fabrics Association International's high-level European event, IFAI Advanced Textiles 10, will feature Loek de Vries, President and CEO of the Netherlands-based Royal Ten Cate. Tencate Geosynthetics North America, which is part of Royal Ten Cate, is one of the world's leading geosynthetics manufacturers. The conference will take place in Paris, France, 16-17 June 2010. Learn more here.;