Environmental Management

Overview

The foreclosure crisis is hitting Homeowner Associations in the pocket book. Many have to cut back on expenses and repairs due to falling revenues as the result of foreclosures and subsequent lack of payments from assessments.

Too often the first things that go are expensive maintenance items like managing ponds and lakes in residential communities. Unsightly ponds and lakes cause values to decrease and homes/condos to stay on the market longer causing even more revenue short fall. M.A.R.S. Aeration stands as a solution to lower costs and Go Green at the same time.

The Problem Source

Ponds often become challenged by pond algae, duckweed and other aquatic plant overgrowth – this creates an unsightly environment that smells and is a fertile ground for mosquito breeding. The sources of this problem are the nutrients, such as grass fertilizers and waterfowl excrement, that runoff into the pond during rain events. These nutrients fuel aquatic plant growth, creating an unsightly and malodorous environment.

Traditional Approaches

The traditional approaches to managing excessive aquatic plant growth and pond algae are to treat ponds with a combination of algaecides (commonly copper sulfate) or utilize a fountain or a bubbler. The following is an overview of the conventional approaches and their shortcomings.

1. Copper sulfate is expensive and BAD for the environment

Copper Sulfate is a toxic chemical. It kills all plant growth in a pond and fatally damages the pond’s ecosystem, including having a detrimental impact on all aquatic organisms. The use of copper sulfate can never be ceased because it fails to treat the cause of aquatic plant overgrowth: the nutrients that are flowing into a pond. These chemical applications can cost thousands of dollars for even modest sized ponds.

2. Fountains are inefficient aerators

Water fountains are often used in an effort to aerate and create turbulence on the waters surface. By adding oxygen to a pond they seek to help manage for algal growth. However, as fountains sit on top of the water, they are only capable of aerating the top of the water column – and they consume large amounts of energy through launching water into the air while not providing sufficient aeration. As a result, costly chemical treatments are required to keep the pond algae free.

3. Bubblers are ineffective

Microbubble aeration systems are submerged at the bottom of the pond, and by bubbling air from the bottom upwards they are able to add oxygen to the entire water column. However, bubblers are not able to create sufficient mixing of bottom sediments and consequently are unable to prevent pond algae growth by themselves – additional chemical treatments are required.

The ‘Green’ Approach

M.A.R.S. Aeration is a chemical free pond management solution. The M.A.R.S. uses patented Double Bubble technology, which is able to both mix and aerate, to create a sustainable pond ecosystem. By using processes found in nature, the M.A.R.S. is able to effectively and efficiently oxygenate the nutrients that runoff into a pond and therefore prevent them from fueling aquatic plant growth.

M.A.R.S. Aeration creates beautiful pond ecosystems that:

A. Raise the value of your property. B. Save money in comparison to alternatives. C. Are environmentally friendly – creating sustainable pond ecosystems. D. Provide safe environments for fishing, boating and swimming.

Patrick D. Hill is a pond expert at Triplepoint Water Technologies, based outside of Chicago, IL. Both he and his colleagues are committed to providing efficient, sustainable, and environmental solutions to both the water and wastewater industries.

For more information on Green Aeration, see: Eco-Friendly Algae Control. Alternatively, you can watch informative videos on M.A.R.S. Aeration on YouTube.




By: Braden Galbreath-OLeary

Every business needs to have a strategy and this strategy must be related to changing environmental conditions. In order to survive and maintain growth and expansion business owners must protect the business from potentially harmful influences, and be ready to take maximum advantage of the challenges and opportunities presented.

While business owners must always accept the need for innovation there is still the decision as to which opportunities it wishes to develop in relation to its resources, and those it chooses not to pursue. An effective business strategy depends upon the successful management of opportunities and risks.

Strategy should be based on the priority of maximising opportunities, and that risks should be viewed not as grounds of action but as limitations on action.

While it is not possible to ensure that the right opportunities are chosen, it is certain that the right opportunities will not be selected unless:

• The focus is on maximising opportunities rather than on minimising risks;

• Major opportunities are scrutinised collectively and in respect of their characteristics rather than singly and in isolation;

• Opportunities and risks are understood in terms of the appropriateness of their fit to a particular business; and

• A balance is struck between immediate and easy opportunities for improvement, and more difficult, long-range opportunities for innovation and changing the character of the business.

If the business is to be successful then its organisation structure must be related to its objectives and to its strategy. The structure must be designed so as to be appropriate to environmental influences, the continued development of the business, and the management of opportunities and risks.




By: IvoireConsultancy

Waste refers to the refuse from places of human or animal habitation, and is solid, liquid, or gaseous by-product derived from various day-to-day activities. This litter poses significant risks to human health and environment. Waste Management deals with all aspects of collection, storage, disposal, and reduction of waste.

Waste Management Services employ low-cost and labor-intensive systems to render social, economic, and environmental benefits. Some of these procedures include but not restricted to:

Landfill Systems – Disposal involves placement of wastes in a dump or landfill. Abandoned piles of household garbage, discarded appliances, demolition debris etc. can threaten human health, wildlife and environment. A landfill daily cover helps prevent disease, fire, odor, blowing litter and scavenging in landfills. It also controls dust, improve general site aesthetics and act as a moisture barrier to limit excess precipitation from entering waste. Sediment Control – Erosion results in off-site sediment movement that can deposit and clog drainage ways, increase potential for flooding, decrease reservoir capacity, and carry nutrients and pesticides that degrade water quality. Sediment Control helps retain eroded soil on site, preventing damage to watercourses and infrastructure. Sludge Treatment – This involves stabilization for a controlled degradation of organic ingredients, odour removal and deadening of pathogens, ameliorating sewage sludge characteristics for further utilization or disposal. Slope Stabilization – Steep slopes, low soil fertility, and other adverse conditions are typical of many forest landslides. Reclamation and bio-technical slope stabilization can be employed to provide a self-sustaining vegetation cover on many forest landslides and unstable slopes. Bioremediation – This involves cleaning unwanted substances from air, soil, water and raw materials using Bioremediation Bacteria and enzymes, which can curb certain problems of global warming, clean up environment, eat concrete and mop up oil spills. Odor Control Products & Systems – Eliminating offensive odors from active landfills, wastewater transportation system and many different odorous compounds produced by sewage, using environment-friendly odour control technologies like Bio-augmentation, chemical neutralizers etc.

Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations. Environmentally acceptable, waste-management practices are essential if damaging consequences are to be avoided such as those due to toxic or hazardous waste, greenhouse-gas emissions, water pollution, air pollution etc. Waste Management Services help conserve both natural and man-made resources and avert ecological risks with their economically viable solutions!




By: Carlisle Knight

As soon as the project manager has received his brief or project instructions, he must produce a document which distils what is generally a vast amount of information into a concise, informative and well-organized form that can be distributed to all members of the project team and indeed all the stakeholders in the project. This document is called a project management plan (PMP), but is also sometimes just called a project plan, or in some organizations a coordination procedure.

The PMP is one of the key documents required by the project manager and his/her team. It lists the phases and encapsulates all the main parameters, standards and requirements of the project in terms of time, cost and quality/performance by setting out the ‘Why’, ‘What’, ‘When’, ‘Who’, ‘Where’ and ‘How’ of the project. In some organizations the PMP also includes the ‘How much’, that is the cost of the project. There may, however, be good commercial reasons for restricting this information to key members of the project team.

The contents of a PMP vary depending on the type of project. While it can run to several volumes for a large petrochemical project, it need not be more than a slim binder for a small, unsophisticated project.

There are, however, a number of areas and aspects which should always feature in such a document. With the permission of the British Standards Institution, the main headings of what is termed the Model Project Plan are given below, but augmented and rearranged in the sections given above.

General

Foreword Contents, distribution and amendment record Introduction Project diary Project history

The Why

Project aims and objectives Business case

The What

General description Scope Project requirement Project security and privacy Project management philosophy Management reporting system

The When

Programme management Programme method Program software Project life cycle Key dates Milestones and milestone slip chart Bar chart and network if available

The Who

Project organization Project resource management Project team organization Project staff directory Organizational chart Terms of reference (TOR) for staff for the project manager for the committees and working group

The Where

Delivery requirements Site requirements and conditions Shipping requirements Major restrictions

The How

Project approvals required and authorization limits Project harmonization Project implementation strategy Implementation plans System integration Completed project work Acceptance procedure Procurement strategy Cultural and environmental restraints Political restraints Contract management Communications management Configuration management Configuration control requirements Configuration management system Financial management Risk management Major perceived risks Technical management Tests and evaluations Warranties and guarantees Reliability management (see also BS 5760: Part 1) Availability, reliability and maintainability (ARM) Quality management Health and safety management Environmental issues Integrated logistic support (ILS) management Close-out procedure

The numbering of the main headings should be standardized for all projects in the organization. In this way the reader will quickly learn to associate a clause number with a subject. This will not only enable him/her to find the required information quickly, but will also help the project manager when he/she has to write the PMP. The numbering system will in effect serve as a convenient checklist. If a particular item or heading is not required, it is best simply to enter ‘not applicable’ (or NA), leaving the standardized numbering system intact.

Apart from giving all the essential information about the project between two covers, for quick reference, the PMP serves another very useful function. In many organizations the scope, technical and contractual terms of the project are agreed in the initial stages by the proposals or sales department. It is only when the project becomes a reality that the project manager is appointed. By having to assimilate all these data and write such a PMP (usually within two weeks of the hand-over meeting), the project manager will inevitably obtain a thorough understanding of the project requirements as he/she digests the often voluminous documentation agreed with the client or sponsor.

Clearly not every project requires the exact breakdown given in this list and each organization can augment or expand this list to suit the project. If there are any subsequent changes, it is essential that the PMP is amended as soon as changes become apparent so that every member of the project team is immediately aware of the latest revision. These changes must be numbered on the amendment record at the front of the PMP and annotated on the relevant page and clause with the same amendment number or letter.

The contents of the project management plan are neatly summarized in the first verse of the little poem from the Elephant’s Child by Rudyard Kipling:

I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When, And How and Where and Who.


By: Hassan Eliwah

If you have fibroids, you may already be aware that your conventional treatment options are somewhat limited. Due to the very nature of fibroids, there is no cure which can be effected by either surgery or hormonal treatment, but both of these options can play a part in managing the symptoms. However, you may wish to consider natural management of uterine fibroids as an alternative.

Fibroids form as a result of a combination of various factors. There is no doubt that estrogen can play a large part in this jigsaw puzzle, but not all women with high estrogen levels will have fibroids. Other factors, such as an unhealthy lifestyle, your diet, environmental factors and your heredity will come into play and unless the factors which have caused your fibroids are eliminated, no amount of surgery or drug treatment will provide a cure, as in time, fibroids will regrow as the factors which have caused the fibroids in the first place will still be present. Unless, of course, you take proactive steps to do something about it!

Natural management of uterine fibroids works by systematically eliminating the very causes of your fibroids. By doing this, the fibroids will naturally shrink and, in some cases, disappear altogether. Techniques include a combination of dietary measures, increasing exercise and taking herbal supplements to help to reduce fibroid symptoms.

As estrogen plays such a large part in fibroids formation, natural management will look at ways of reducing this in the body. One simple way is to take a look at your BMI and if you are above the healthy weight range for your height, then losing weight will almost certainly lower your estrogen levels as fat cells are a secondary producer of this hormone. In addition, estrogen for many women originates from environmental toxins and pollutants which can become “locked” in the liver and mimic the action of estrogen. The only way to release this is to carry out a liver detox, and the herb Milk Thistle can be used as part of this process.

The benefit of a good healthy diet can sometimes be overlooked by women looking at the natural management of uterine fibroids. Sticking to the principles which we all know are right, such as eating a minimum of 5 portions of fruits and vegetables daily, drinking at least 2 liters of water and eating unprocessed foods which are organic where possible, will also help.

Although fibroids can cause debilitating symptoms, this is a condition which is very rarely life-threatening and this at least gives women the chance to carefully consider their treatment options before deciding on any form of invasive surgery, which can have a long recovery time and, with the exception of a hysterectomy, is never considered permanent.

Natural management of uterine fibroids is an option worth considering as if followed correctly, not only will it ensure that you get relief from your fibroids, but it will improve your overall health, and many women have reported feeling better than they can ever remember doing.

The lack of real, useful help for women with fibroids led an alternative practitioner to put together a 7 step plan to help women to treat their fibroids naturally at home. She was always inundated with requests for appointments at her busy clinic and decided that this was a way to reach out to help thousands of women worldwide, most of whom she had never met.

The high level of post-treatment satisfaction from women who have used the strategies which she clearly defines is, quite simply, a testament to how good her system is. If you would like further information about natural management of uterine fibroids and the 7 Step Plan, please visit Shrinking Fibroids Naturally

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By: Bernadette Hopkins