Dirt to Topsoil
In Uganda, Michael Adiyo has a vision for his native village. He wants to take 2 acres of hard-scrabble, completely depleted dirt and turn it into a flourishing, thriving community garden.
He is in the process of purchasing an OMH ProScreen PVG-C120 soil screener. With a skidsteer and a flatbed truck he has everything he needs to dig up the top 3 feet of soil and feed it through the screener to separate out the usable soil from rocks and other material.
Then he plans to feed the soil back through the screener while adding to the hopper the nutrients and minerals that are lacking. By doing this he is replenishing the soil. Once the enriched topsoil is returned to the ground he will have taken a completely useless plot of dirt and made it into a healthy garden viable for plant life.
Soil Recycling, Screening and Roof Gardens
When excavation for the construction of a building begins, deep gouges of ground aggregate are scooped out and, typically, loaded onto trucks and hauled to a dump somewhere. The Green Builder understands that onsite screening of soil aggregate – topsoil, dirt, rock, gravel and sand - serves not only an environmental use but saves money.
In recent years, the popularity, benefits and importance of roof gardens has caught the publics’ attention. Properly designed to support the load, a building has added value for having a roof garden - tangible and intangible.
Everyone can relate to the peace and calm that one experiences in a garden. Peace and quiet – maybe the sound of water moving in the background from a water feature. It’s the place employees eat ther lunch, take their breaks and their work is better for it.
A roof garden can also support food-growing as its purpose which benefits not only the employees and building occupants, but conceivably the neighborhood and, thinking big, possibly the community.
A properly designed and constructed roof garden takes time and effort but one task is easily solved - OMH ProScreen has created soil aggregate screener products that separates soil, topsoil, rock, gravel, dirt and sand. Innovatively designed, the screeners can be attached to bobcats, skid steers, backhoes and front loaders. They are specifically designed for compact use where space is an issue. OMH ProScreen has several models for the job at hand from the PVG-12V to the PVG-C120.
Green Builders understand the value of recycling and land reclamation. With rising fuel costs and dumping fees affecting the bottom line, screeners for soil aggregate recycling are quickly becoming an important piece of equipment for the construction, excavation and landscaping businesses.
OMH ProScreen Sponsors World Bioenergy News site.
Status of the Land (from report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Land degradation is intensifying in many parts of the world, according to a study using data taken over a 20-year period, FAO announced this week. Defined as a long-term decline in ecosystem function and productivity, land degradation is increasing in severity and extent in many parts of the world, with more than 20 percent of all cultivated areas, 30 percent of forests and 10 percent of grasslands undergoing degradation.
An estimated 1.5 billion people, or a quarter of the world’s population, depend directly on land that is being degraded.
The consequences of land degradation include reduced productivity, migration, food insecurity, damage to basic resources and ecosystems, and loss of biodiversity through changes to habitats at both species and genetic levels.
“Land degradation also has important implications for climate change mitigation and adaptation, as the loss of biomass and soil organic matter releases carbon into the atmosphere and affects the quality of soil and its ability to hold water and nutrients,” notes Parviz Koohafkan, Director of FAO’s Land and Water Division.
The data indicate that despite the stated determination of 193 countries that ratified the United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification in 1994, land degradation is worsening rather than improving.
Some 22 percent of degrading land is in very arid to dry-subhumid areas, while 78 percent of it is in humid regions. The study found that degradation is being driven mainly by poor land management.
Comparing with previous assessments, the present study shows that land degradation since 1991 has affected new areas; meanwhile some historically degraded areas were so severely affected that they are now stable having been abandoned or managed at low levels of productivity.
The data on global land degradation are part of a study released by FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Soil Information (ISRIC) on global land degradation entitled Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands. Funding for the study was provided by the Global Environment Facility.
Bright spots
But the news is not all bad. Bright spots were also identified in the study in cases where land is being used sustainably (19% of cropland) or is showing improved quality and productivity (10% of forests and 19% of grassland).
Many gains in cropland are associated with irrigation, but there are also swaths of improvement in rain-fed cropland and pastures in the prairies and plains of North America and western India. Some gains are a result of increasing tree cover, either through forest plantations, especially in Europe and North America, and some significant land reclamation projects, for instance in northern China. However, some of the positive trends represent woodland and bush encroachment into rangeland and farmland - which is not generally regarded as land improvement.
The study shows that land degradation remains a priority issue requiring renewed attention by individuals, communities and governments. Source: Environmental Expert
Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) To Be Damned Up
NEW ORLEANS (AP) The Army Corps of Engineers is closer to shutting down a navigation channel blamed for much of the flooding during Hurricane Katrina.
On June 5, the corps’ report on de-authorizing the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) was forwarded to Congress, allowing the corps to start construction on an earthen dam to plug the channel, said Rene Poche, a spokesman of the corps.
“This action officially de-authorized the MRGO from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico,” a statement released by the corps said.
Alvin Lee, the commander of the corps’ New Orleans District, said the de-authorization marks a “significant milestone in the corps’ history.”
“We are ending almost 50 years of shipping on the channel,” Lee said.
The report recommends the construction of a rock structure just south of Bayou La Loutre near Hopedale that will consist of more than 391,500 tons (355,200 t) of stone and completely block the MRGO. “That’s equivalent to 65,000 Volkswagen Beetles,” Poche said.
Read more at ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com
About Gravel Screeners
A gravel screener is used in the landscaping industry for the purpose of separating sand and aggregates from gravel and also to water gravel during the separating cycle. Gravel screeners also help to crush gravel and prepare it for applications on driveways and roads. Read more at Planet Landscape.
‘Rockin’ for the Troops’ Concert
Case Construction Equipment will be co-sponsoring the “Rockin’ for the Troops” concert to be held at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., on July 19. The concert is organized to benefit U.S. troops that are deployed overseas. The event is being held by Operation Support Our Troops — Illinois Inc. (OSOTIL), which was formed five years ago by military family members to support members of the Armed Forces deployed in harm’s way. The group has since grown to be one of the largest military support efforts in the country. “Case has a long history of supporting the U.S. military,” said James Hasler, vice president, Case Construction Equipment. “During the last four years, we earned contracts to provide more than 5,000 pieces of construction equipment. We currently have a facility in Balad, Iraq to repair equipment. Plus, as recent as last Christmas, we donated care packages to U.S. troops in Iraq. Sponsoring an event like this is yet another way we stand behind our armed forces.” For the past two years, OSOTIL has partnered with “CSI: New York” star Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band to produce a sell-out crowd of 10,000 attendees. This year, Sinise and his band will be supporting the troops once again, with special guest appearances from American English and Dick Biondi. Read more.
Construction Begins in Sochi , Russia , for ‘Most Challenging Olympics Ever’ in 2014
SOCHI, Russia (AP) Getting Sochi ready for the 2014 Winter Games is a huge challenge because the Russian resort must build virtually all facilities from scratch, the head of the IOC’s coordination panel said April 22.
But Jean-Claude Killy, the French former Olympic ski champion, said he and other commission members were impressed by the initial preparations they have seen in their first visit since the Black Sea resort city was awarded the games last year.
Unlike previous host cities that have refurbished existing venues, Sochi — better known as a summer vacation playground than a winter sports area — must build all the venues needed for the Olympics as well as a great deal of infrastructure.
“It’s probably the most challenging Olympics yet as far as what has to be built,” Killy said at a meeting with the Russian organizers and Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov. “We have a lot of work to do together.”
Read the entire article at Construction Equipment Guide: