The Cost of Nitrogen Pollution on the European Economy

A first ever report (ENA - European Nitrogen Assessment) was just released outlining the cost of nitrogen pollution on the European Union's Economy.  


The study carried out by 200 experts from 21 countries and 89 organizations estimates that nitrogen pollution costs Europe between USD 101 Billion - 461.7 Billion per year or USD 212.00 and USD 1,062.00 per person per annum.   These costs are more than double the income gained from using nitrogen fertilizers in European agriculture.


The report also details a number of key assessments of nitrogen pollution including: 
Nitrates cause toxic algal blooms and dead zones especially in the North, Adriatic and Baltic Seas and along the West Coast of France in Brittany.
AND
at least ten million people in Europe are potentially exposed to drinking water with nitrate levels above recommended levels.


The study also states that at least half the world's population is dependent on food that is grown with nitrogen based fertilizers but that the environmental costs of nitrogen pollution to Europe are very high and that the benefits of nitrogen abatement achieved by applying and using fertilizers more efficiently and reducing meat consumption outweigh the costs of other options.


Click here for the full report

Crowdsourcing the Department of Public Works

This was published on Slashdot.  Here is the link

blackbearnh writes  

"Usually, Gov 2.0 deals mainly with outward transparency of government to the citizens. But SeeClickFix is trying to drive data in the other direction, letting citizens report and track neighborhood problems as mundane as potholes, and as serious as drug dealers. In a recent interview, co-founder Jeff Blasius talked about how cities such as New Haven and Tucson are using SeeClickFix to involve their citizens in identifying and fixing problems with city infrastructure. 'We have thousands of potholes fixed across the country, thousands of pieces of graffiti repaired, streetlights turned on, catch basins cleared, all of that basic, broken-windows kind of stuff. We've seen neighborhood groups form based around issues reported on the site. We've seen people get new streetlights for their neighborhood, pedestrian improvements in many different cities, and all-terrain vehicles taken off of city streets. There was also one case of an arrest. The New Haven Police Department attributed initial reports on SeeClickFix to a sting operation that led to an arrest of two drug dealers selling heroin in front of a grammar school.'"

How to price underground stormwater storage - plastic pipe vs. concrete TerreArch

Concrete underground stormwater storage system,TerreArch, offers advantages to the job and site and is often less expensive than installation of plastic pipe.

Below is a general guide and things to consider when costing out your underground stormwater storage project. 

*The costs for any project should be evaluated independently.

1. What are the material costs?

Get pricing
TerreArch - we'll look at your drawings and provide you with a price for TerreArch
Plastic Pipe - get a price for all required materials: plastic pipe, fittings and manholes

2. What are the costs to prepare the site for installation?
TerreArch: Get a price to dig the pit and to lay the sub-base 
(*Note: we often see that the footprint for TerreArch is LESS than needed for plastic pipe.  You may realize a cost savings by digging a smaller pit and eliminating unnecessary structures)
Pipe: Get a price to dig the pit and lay the sub-base (because of the non-structural nature of plastic pipe, you may need extra sub-base)
What are the costs for TerreArch and what are the costs for plastic pipe?

3. Delivery:
TerreArch - Arrives just in time and installs immediately (no unloading or storage space needed)
Plastic Pipe - Delivered on site - must be unloaded and stored
How much additional time will unloading and storage of plastic pipe cost your job?

4. Installation:
TerreArch - A company representative is on site for every installation.  Each TerreArch piece typically installs (pick to set) in about 7 minutes.  This means a crew of 2 or 3 can install, backfill and cover up to 50,000 cubic feet of storage in just one day!
Plastic Pipe - Multiple crew members are needed to get pipe from storage, re-stage and set up on site.  It is important that the pipe be laid in strict accordance with manufacturer's instructions.   Your team needs to assemble pipe layout and attach with cumbersome fittings then secured by hand with stone from the 6 to 9 o'clock positions.  
Plastic fittings can be lost or broken.  Remember, your plastic pipe stormwater storage is only as good as your weakest connection.
How much additional time will assembling and securing plastic pipe by hand, in strict accordance with manufacturer's instructions, cost your job?

5. Completing Installation:
TerreArch - Get a price for bulldozing stone over the top - upon completion, site is easily accessible to all cars and heavy equipment.
Plastic Pipe - Crew members must now complete securing the pipe in-place by hand in strict accordance with manufacturer's instructions before site can be accessed by cars and heavy equipment.
How many days will it take X # of crew members to complete securing plastic pipe in place by hand and laying stone around pipe and above to the proper height?   How much does that add to the cost of your job?

6. Post-construction and Structural Integrity:
TerreArch - arrives on site as a structural piece with an HS-25 rating.  Installation of TerreArch eliminates the opportunity for creep and post-construction subsidence issues.
Plastic Pipe- is not structural.  Even when manufacturer's instructions are strictly followed, plastic pipe can and has failed and it can also easily creep.

7. Post construction inspection:
TerreArch - offers easy access ports for inspection - anytime.
Plastic pipe- no access ports - post construction inspection is difficult at best

8. One last consideration:
It is important to install TerreArch or plastic pipe on a clean bed of stone.  If you can't complete the installation of your underground stormwater storage system in one day, it rains and the stone gets dirty, the base stone needs to be cleaned and re-laid. 
Can you afford not to consider TerreArch?

Do the math!  Pull your costs together.  Let us look at your project and submit our quote.  This quick exercise has saved many projects and contractors thousands of dollars and the structural integrity of concrete provided long term peace of mind.

Yale Environmental Film Festival in New Haven - April 6-11, 2010

Cool!  It looks like there is something for everyone!  Maybe we will see you there.

Here is the link so you can see dates/times and see what is playing.

Enter to win the 2010 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize - win cash for your ideas

A while ago we attended a meeting on energy conservation that was hosted by Conoco Phillips.  We have been on their mailing list ever since.  They have announced an opportunity to enter the 2010 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize.  If your ideas are good enough, win a cash prize!  Below are the details:


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Because of your involvement in creating a dialogue about ways we can work together to solve our energy challenges, we thought you’d be interested to know more about the 2010 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize sponsored by ConocoPhillips and Penn State. The program, now in its third year, will award up to $300,000 for the best concepts that promote advances in energy diversity, improve energy efficiency, or combat climate change.

The ConocoPhillips Energy Prize will accept entries through May 21 and is open to all U.S. residents who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. Entrants must submit a comprehensive proposal via the Internet at www.conocophillips.com/energyprize or by mail.

We hope you will let your friends and colleagues know about the ConocoPhillips Energy Prize by encouraging them to visit www.conocophillips.com/energyprize. It is our hope that by fostering innovation no matter where inspiration may strike, we can create a path to a more secure and environmentally conscious energy supply.  


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Good Luck!

More recycling just makes Cent$

We volunteered last week at the Stamford WPCA to help the local middle school students tour the Waste Water Treatment Facility in Stamford. The staff are well organized and do a great job at the WPCA. They definitely accomplish a lot on the small plot of land where the facility is located at the South end of town.

So, it was a busy three hours with a lot to learn. Waste Water Recycling, Solid Waste Recycling, and the importance of storm water. One of the lessons:

Solid waste: Fail to recycle = Lost $$$ opportunity:

It costs the City of Stamford about $76.00 per ton to cart away solid waste. If we can maximize our recycling efforts, less money is needed to cart away solid waste and these savings could be used for other budget items.

That being said, in an effort to increase recycling, the City has placed recycling bins in all school classrooms and lunchrooms and implemented a system to track recycling collected from the schools. Nevertheless, the volume collected from the schools is disappointingly small. Why? Is it lack of awareness? Is it inconvenient? We need to get the important message of recycling to the kids.

Recycling is an easy exercise that just makes sense. The system is already set-up and increasing recycling discipline is an effortless way to maximize funds in these tight budget times.