#environmental remediation companies

[deltaremediation]

Established in 2015, Delta Remediation was founded by a diverse team with decades of experience stemming from the fields of Industrial recycling, earthworks Remediation Biology, and hydrogeology.

What makes Delta different is its diversity in experience. By matching a boots-on-the-ground mentality with leading science and technology Delta created a naturally amplified solution to pollution.

Demonstrating success on hundreds of sites from the Arctic to Africa, Delta has created substantial savings for 100% of its clients… Doing the right thing does not cost more For more information visit us on the web at www.deltaremediation.com

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Grist:

Within weeks, the nation will deploy 9,000 people to begin restoring landscapes, erecting solar panels, and taking other steps to help guide the country toward a cleaner, greener future.

The first of those workers were inducted into the American Climate Corps on Tuesday during a virtual event from the White House. Their swearing-in marks another step forward for the Biden administration’s ambitious climate agenda. The program, which President Joe Biden announced within days of taking office in 2021, is a modern version of the Climate Conservation Corps, the New Deal-era project that put 3 million men to work planting trees and building national parks.

During the ceremony, the inaugural members of the corps promised to work “on behalf of our nation and planet, its people, and all its species, for the better future we hold within our sight.” 

The American Climate Corps was among the first things Biden announced as president, but it took a while to secure funding and get started. More than 20,000 young people are expected to join during the program’s first year, according to the White House, with new openings appearing on the American Climate Corps job site in the months ahead. The pay varies depending on the location and experience required, with open positions ranging from around $11 to $28 an hour.

The administration is promoting the corps as a way for young people to jump-start green careers. In April, the White House announced a partnership with TradesFutures, a nonprofit construction company, a sign that the program might help fill the country’s shortage of skilled workers who can help electrify everything. The White House will also place members in so-called “energy communities” like former coal-mining towns to help with environmental remediation and other projects.

“Whether it’s managing forests in the Pacific Northwest, deploying clean energy across the Southwest, or promoting sustainable farming practices throughout the heartland, the president’s American Climate Corps is providing thousands of young Americans with the skills and experience to advance a more sustainable, just tomorrow,” White House climate advisor Ali Zaidi said in a press release on Tuesday.

[delta-remediation]

Effective Bioremediation Techniques: A Sustainable Solution for Environmental Cleanup

Bioremediation is a sustainable and cost-effective solution to environmental pollution, using living organisms such as bacteria and fungi to degrade pollutants into harmless compounds. There are various bioremediation techniques, including in situ (at the site of pollution) and ex situ (removing contaminants to treat elsewhere). Other methods include bioventing, biosparging, and use of bioreactors to promote the natural degradation of pollutants.

These techniques can handle a wide array of pollution types including petroleum, heavy metal, pesticide contamination, industrial waste, and landfill leachate. Benefits of bioremediation include its sustainability, cost-effectiveness, versatility, and non-invasiveness.

One company leading the way in bioremediation is Delta Remediation, based in Alberta, Canada. They specialize in applying these techniques to sites polluted with hydrocarbons, pesticides, and industrial waste, and have expanded their operations to Nigeria and Kenya.

Bioremediation thus offers a promising method for environmental cleanup, being both eco-friendly and adaptable to diverse environments. Companies like Delta Remediation are pioneering in this sector, making significant contributions to environmental health.

[ms-demeanor]

wait, are the health claims from bone broth bogus? (genuine/good faith question). i’ve always heard that it’s high in collagen, which supposedly is good for you and better if you get it ‘naturally’ like from bone broth. is that another thing that’s not actually true, or wildly exaggerated?

Bone broth has been eaten for centuries in various cultures because it is easy to digest and believed to have healing properties. Chicken broth is highly valued by some as a remedy for the flu. In more recent years it has been promoted to help symptoms from psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity. [7] Claims that it detoxifies the liver, improves digestion, reverses wrinkles, builds bones, and relieves join pain have led some marketing analysts to predict that the bone broth market will approach $3 billion by 2024. [8] In reality, bone broth contains only small amounts of minerals naturally found in bone including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, and copper. The amount of protein, obtained from the gelatin, varies from 5-10 grams per cup. There is some concern that bone broth contains toxic metals like lead. One small study found that bone broth made from chicken bones contained three times the lead as chicken broth made with the meat only. [7] However the amount of lead in the bone broth per serving was still less than half the amount permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency in drinking water. A different study found that bone broth, both homemade and commercially produced, contained low levels (<5% RDA) of calcium and magnesium as well as heavy metals like lead and cadmium. [9] The study noted that various factors can affect the amount of protein and minerals extracted in bone broth: the amount of acidity, cooking time, cooking temperature, and type of animal bone used. Therefore it is likely that the nutritional value of bone broths will vary widely.

(Source: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/collagen/)

Your body makes collagen; eating collagen will put the things that make collagen into your body to make collagen with, but so will eating things that go into making collagen (amino acids, basically).

There's not good evidence that eating a ton of collagen or supplementing collagen improves your body's collagen production, and studies on collagen supplementation tend to be done by companies that make collagen supplements or produce expensive bone broth.

Basically if you're eating the 9 essential amino acids by consuming complete proteins (which can be done on any kind of diet, vegan or vegetarian or including meat - this is NOT one of those things your body relies on animal products to produce) your body is going to make collagen and it's going to have the amino acids handy to make collagen; consuming more collagen may mean that your body has more of those collagen-forming amino acids on hand, but it doesn't mean that your body is going to be any more efficient at producing collagen (and your body is going to become less efficient at producing collagen as you age).

But yeah bone broth health claims are primarily bogus. If you want more collagen in your diet for whatever reason, it's probably about as effective to eat jello as it is to eat bone broth but also more collagen in your diet likely isn't doing anything special.

[environmentalengineering]

Path Forward provides solution-oriented consulting services in the areas of brownfield and contaminated site characterization, remediation, health risk assessment, environmental due diligence, vapor intrusion mitigation, construction oversight, compliance, litigation support, and more.

[zvaigzdelasas]

The Onondaga claim that the United States violated a 1794 treaty, signed by George Washington, that guaranteed 2.5 million acres in central New York to them. The case, filed in 2014, is the second brought by an American Indian nation against the United States in an international human rights body; a finding is expected as soon as this year.

Even if the Onondaga are successful, the result will mostly be symbolic. The entity, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, has no power to enforce a finding or settlement, and the United States has said that it does not consider the commission’s recommendations to be binding.

“We could win against them, but that doesn’t mean that they have to abide by whatever,” Mr. Hill said in an interview.

The 2.5 million acres have long since been transformed by highways and utility lines, shopping malls, universities, airports and roller rinks.

The territory encompasses the cities of Binghamton and Syracuse, as well as more than 30 state forests, dozens of lakes and countless streams and tributaries. It is also home to 24 Superfund sites, the environmental detritus of the powerhouse economy that helped central New York thrive during the beginning and middle half of the 20th century.

Most notorious of these is Lake Onondaga, which once held the dubious title of America’s most polluted lake.

Industrial waste has left its mark on Onondaga territory, leaving the nation unable to fish from its streams and rivers. The history of environmental degradation is part of what motivates the Onondaga, who consider it their sacred responsibility to protect their land.

One of their chief objectives in filing the petition is a seat at the table on environmental decisions across the original territory. The other is an acknowledgment that New York, even if only in principle, owes them 2.5 million acres.[...]

Some Native nations have been willing to drop land claims in exchange for licenses to operate casinos. But the Onondaga say they are not interested in cash. Nor are they interested in licenses to sell cannabis or operate a casino — which they consider socially irresponsible and a threat to their tribal sovereignty.

There’s really just one thing that Mr. Hill says would be an acceptable form of payment: land.

The Onondaga insist they are not looking to displace anyone. Instead they hope the state might turn over a tract of unspoiled land for the nation to hunt, fish, preserve or develop as it sees fit. One such repatriation effort is underway: the return of 1,000 acres as a part of a federal settlement with Honeywell International for the contamination of Onondaga Lake. The United States has not contested the Onondaga's account of how the nation lost its land. Indeed, the lawyers representing the United States in the Onondaga case have centered their argument on legal precedence, noting that courts at every level — including the U.S. Supreme Court — rejected the Onondaga’s claims as too old and most remedies too disruptive to the region’s current inhabitants.

To the Onondaga, the logic required to square these contentions seems unfair. Why should the United States be allowed to steal their land and face no obligation to give some back?[...]

In New York, [...] Native people were not considered to have standing to sue on their own behalf until 1987.[...]

In 2005, the Onondaga filed a version of their current claim in Federal District Court in the Northern District of New York, naming as defendants the State of New York, its governor, Onondaga County, the City of Syracuse and a handful of the companies responsible for the environmental degradation over the past centuries. A similar case filed by the Oneida Nation was, at the time, pending before the Supreme Court.

But just 18 days after the Onondaga filed their petition, the Supreme Court rejected the Oneidas’ case. The decision referenced an colonial-era legal theory known as the Doctrine of Discovery, which holds in part that Indigenous property claims were nullified by the “discovery” of that land by Christians.

The “long lapse of time” and “the attendant dramatic changes in the character” precluded the Oneida nation from the “disruptive remedy” it sought, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in the majority decision.[...]

[L]awyers for the Onondaga used the rejection as the premise for a new argument. They contended that the U.S. court system’s refusal to find in their favor proved that they could not find justice in the United States.

The petition filed before the international commission amounts to the most direct challenge of the United States’ treatment of Indigenous people to date in terms of human rights — and the first to apply the lens of colonialism.

“What the Onondaga litigation is doing right now is to force a political dialogue with the colonial occupier,” said Andrew Reid, a lawyer representing the Onondaga, adding that a favorable finding could prompt a political conversation about the United States’s treatment of native people on the world stage.

Representatives for the State Department declined to be interviewed and did not respond to requests for comment. But in legal documents, the United States contended that the Onondaga’s central claims have been rejected in prior cases; that they have had “abundant opportunity” for their case to be heard; and that they are merely unhappy with the outcome. It also contended that the commission has no jurisdiction, given that the bulk of the nation’s losses took place two centuries before it was established.

“The judicial process functioned as it should have in this matter,” the United States wrote in legal papers.

15 Mar 24

[autumnmobile12]

So we know that when Quirks first appeared, villains started making grabs for power, vigilantes appeared to stop them and restore the normal order, and some people went about forming their own dynasties with people who had similar powers.

Personally, I really want to hear more about the environmentalist vigilantes who ignored the immediate chaos and just took off to undo the harm humanity caused to nature.

People with ice Quirks who formed a coalition and rebuilt the arctic and antarctic circles.

A random person with a Quirk that allowed them to breathe in carbon gases and exhale oxygen, so they just took a couple hours out of their day peacefully reading books near a factory complex while advocating for cleaner emissions in the meantime.

The ones with plant-based Quirks stimulating plant growth in deforested areas.

Someone with an accumulation-type Quirk who could consume plastic and convert it to energy.

Other Quirk-users specifically targeting poachers

Electricity Quirk-users forming power companies of their own and stamping out the more harmful competition.

People who can talk to animals teaching animals hunted for sport (or harvested for medicinal remedies that don't work) how to avoid hunters and traps.

In the eyes of large corporations, some of these people were probably relegated to the status of villains and may have been targeted by the proto-Heroes as such, only to be met with the controversy of environmental advocates against environmentally destructive companies.

Fictional nations like Otheon and Klayd have sprung up in the My Hero world, so it stands to reason there are other new nations as well. Like if these early advocates carved out territories of their own and now areas like the Amazon or pockets of the savannah and taiga and other threatened ecosystems are currently independent oases thriving in the world.

All things considered, I feel like for all their societal problems, the My Hero world is a world that at least has its environmental stuff sorted out.

[chicuahtliteotl]

Notes as an indigenous farmer for other farmers, gardeners, looking to seek to perform land remediation, restorative agroforestry, etc.

First, look up historical weather and current weather zoning, climate change is real, the area may no longer be suitable for specific plants anymore.

Consider invasive plants, animals, worms(yes like bees there are invasive worms) , etc

Assess potential soil and water pollution sources then create a remediation plan depending on time and feasibility.

Work with the land, not against it, this is pretty simple, if you plan to create rain collecting channels for your small garden, then it's to slope where the land slopes for you.

Composting is great but you also need to understand microbial/fungal symbiosis and creating microbiomes that allow for effective compost break down.

You can buy cheap microbial solutions that are epa or environmental sound, back reference any microbial cultures with academic papers, if unsure how to do the research then it is fine with a variety as this simulates closely to nature.

Look into outdoor mushroom farming, this is pretty common in my community in our Chināmitl /mīlpan system, it's not as hard as most resources online will tell you, especially if you're sticking with native to your area mushrooms.

Avoid commercial strains for cultures especially if they're non native as this can lead to potential invasives.

Yes fungus /mushrooms can be invasive, please never put golden oyster outside.

You can also buy microremediating solutions for soil/water contamination.

Many universities offer resources to help find soil or water testing companies for accessible to no costs even, this is useful if you want to assess variety of conditions.

Additionally microbe /fungal based solutions are most used in our community as it helps reduced overall pests and diseases to our plants.

If you have tons of untreated wood ash (burn untreated wood, get wood ash) this is useful for variety of things, as this ties into controlled burning, true slash and burn, etc. Essentially nutrients are allowed to disperse back in the ground, be aware of heavy metal and other contamination considerations as always.

Indigenous seed banks do exist for non indigenous people, also look into seed conservation projects and seed banks that look to preserve seed lineages. While heirloom is nifty, it does only go so far back around an early colonial era.

[dailyanarchistposts]

B.6 But won’t decisions made by individuals with their own money be the best?

This question refers to an argument commonly used by capitalists to justify the fact that investment decisions are removed from public control under capitalism, with private investors making all the decisions. Clearly the assumption behind this argument is that individuals suddenly lose their intelligence when they get together and discuss their common interests. But surely, through debate, we can enrich our ideas by social interaction. In the marketplace we do not discuss but instead act as atomised individuals.

This issue involves the “Isolation Paradox,” according to which the very logic of individual decision-making is different from that of collective decision-making. An example is the “tyranny of small decisions.” Let us assume that in the soft drink industry some companies start to produce (cheaper) non-returnable bottles. The end result of this is that most, if not all, the companies making returnable bottles lose business and switch to non-returnables. Result? Increased waste and environmental destruction.

This is because market price fails to take into account social costs and benefits, indeed it mis-estimates them for both buyer/seller and to others not involved in the transaction. This is because, as Schumacher points out, the “strength of the idea of private enterprise lies in its terrifying simplicity. It suggests that the totality of life can be reduced to one aspect — profits...” [Small is Beautiful, p. 215] But life cannot be reduced to one aspect without impoverishing it and so capitalism “knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.”

Therefore the market promotes “the tyranny of small decisions” and this can have negative outcomes for those involved. The capitalist “solution” to this problem is no solution, namely to act after the event. Only after the decisions have been made and their effects felt can action be taken. But by then the damage has been done. Can suing a company really replace a fragile eco-system? In addition, the economic context has been significantly altered, because investment decisions are often difficult to unmake.

In other words, the operations of the market provide an unending source of examples for the argument that the aggregate results of the pursuit of private interest may well be collectively damaging. And as collectives are made up of individuals, that means damaging to the individuals involved. The remarkable ideological success of “free market” capitalism is to identify the anti-social choice with self-interest, so that any choice in the favour of the interests which we share collectively is treated as a piece of self-sacrifice. However, by atomising decision making, the market often actively works against the self-interest of the individuals that make it up.

Game theory is aware that the sum of rational choices do not automatically yield a rational group outcome. Indeed, it terms such situations as “collective action” problems. By not agreeing common standards, a “race to the bottom” can ensue in which a given society reaps choices that we as individuals really don’t want. The rational pursuit of individual self-interest leaves the group, and so most individuals, worse off. The problem is not bad individual judgement (far from it, the individual is the only person able to know what is best for them in a given situation). It is the absence of social discussion and remedies that compels people to make unbearable choices because the available menu presents no good options.

By not discussing the impact of their decisions with everyone who will be affected, the individuals in question have not made a better decision. Of course, under our present highly centralised statist and capitalist system, such a discussion would be impossible to implement, and its closest approximation — the election process — is too vast, bureaucratic and dominated by wealth to do much beyond passing a few toothless laws which are generally ignored when they hinder profits.

However, let’s consider what the situation would be like under libertarian socialism, where the local community assemblies discuss the question of returnable bottles along with the workforce. Here the function of specific interest groups (such as consumer co-operatives, ecology groups, workplace Research and Development action committees and so on) would play a critical role in producing information. Knowledge, as Bakunin, Kropotkin, etc. knew, is widely dispersed throughout society and the role of interested parties is essential in making it available to others. Based upon this information and the debate it provokes, the collective decision reached would most probably favour returnables over waste. This would be a better decision from a social and ecological point of view, and one that would benefit the individuals who discussed and agreed upon its effects on themselves and their society.

In other words, anarchists think we have to take an active part in creating the menu as well as picking options from it which reflect our individual tastes and interests.

It needs to be emphasised that such a system does not involve discussing and voting on everything under the sun, which would paralyse all activity. To the contrary, most decisions would be left to those interested (e.g. workers decide on administration and day-to-day decisions within the factory), the community decides upon policy (e.g. returnables over waste). Neither is it a case of electing people to decide for us, as the decentralised nature of the confederation of communities ensures that power lies in the hands of local people.

This process in no way implies that “society” decides what an individual is to consume. That, like all decisions affecting the individual only, is left entirely up to the person involved. Communal decision-making is for decisions that impact both the individual and society, allowing those affected by it to discuss it among themselves as equals, thus creating a rich social context within which individuals can act. This is an obvious improvement over the current system, where decisions that often profoundly alter people’s lives are left to the discretion of an elite class of managers and owners, who are supposed to “know best.”

There is, of course, the danger of “tyranny of the majority” in any democratic system, but in a direct libertarian democracy, this danger would be greatly reduced, for reasons discussed in section I.5.6 ( Won’t there be a danger of a “tyranny of the majority” under libertarian socialism?).

[beardedmrbean]

Finland's President Alexander Stubb has given his first address to the UN General Assembly, appearing before world leaders late on Wednesday, Finnish time.

Helsingin Sanomat summarised the three points that President Stubb focused on:

1. What unites rather than divides us.

2. How to end the current wars, especially those in Ukraine, Palestine and Sudan.

3. And how to reform the UN to reflect the world we live in today.

HS wrote that Stubb offered the same basic remedy for all three - multilateral cooperation, with less self-interest and more majority interest.

This was the perspective he emphasised, for example, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where he said that we have to ask ourselves in whose interest it is to foment war. It is in the interest of the majority of the world to build peace, he pointed out.

"Ending wars would benefit most — if not all of us — but currently we do not have the mechanisms to drive the interest of the global majority. Many countries do not feel they have a say in global institutions. As a result, the institutions are losing their legitimacy," Stubb said, according to a transcript of his speech published by the president's office.

Stubb recalled that Finland's success has been built on UN principles, a rules-based world order and respect for international law.

However, Stubb acknowledged that the UN as it stands is no longer working. The most practical part of his address came when he reiterated to the Assembly his ideas for reforming the Security Council. Stubb has suggested abolishing vetoes by Security Council members and adding five new permanent members. He would also like to see the introduction of the possibility of expulsion from the council any country waging an illegal war of aggression.

Helsingin Sanomat did note, though, that Stubb acknowledged that many people consider these proposals to be overly optimistic.

Post-protest clean-up

Environmental activists from Finland and Sweden on Wednesday defaced the pillars and walls of Finland's Parliament House with red paint, doing so they said, to draw attention to peat harvesting in Sweden by the Finnish state-owned company Neova.

The clean-up started almost immediately, and although protesters said that the paint used was water soluble, Pertti Rauhio, Parliament's Director of Administration told Iltalehti that the building's facade is made of a porous granite that might make the job more challenging than first thought.

"But I can already tell you that there will be not a mark left on it. The building will be cleaned, no matter what technical solution is needed," Rauhio told the paper.

Johanna Björkman, head of the restoration guidance unit of the Finnish Heritage Agency's Cultural Environment Services, said there are several possible cleaning methods that could be used. Laser scrubbing has already been mentioned, and although the technique has not been used in Finland before, Björkman pointed out that it has been used successfully in places such as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Rauhio was unable to give Iltalehti a firm estimate of the final cost. He guessed that it would run into five figures.

Tensions smoothed over

Ilta-Sanomat told readers that a storm had been brewing inside the coalition government since Finland voted last week in favour of a UN General Assembly motion declaring Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal.

The vote drew criticism first from the Christian Democrats and then from the Finns Party.

According to IS, the dispute escalated to the point that Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) was facing a formal request to explain Finland's vote and why the parliamentary groups of the governing parties were not informed before the decision was made public. This, the paper pointed out, would have been an exceptional move by coalition partners.

But now, IS wrote, it looks like the matter will be settled by a joint discussion on the government's rules regarding the internal flow of information, bringing together party leaders, Petteri Orpo (NCP), Riikka Purra (Finns), Anders Adlercreutz (SPP) and Sari Essayah (CD).

According to the paper, it has been difficult for the Christian Democrats and the Finns Party to understand why Finland appeared on the same side as Russia and Iran in the vote on Israeli settlements. The issue is perceived as an embarrassment by these two groupings.

Valtonen herself has already publicly stated that the decision on Finland's vote was taken in the normal manner and is in line with Finnish policy on both the settlements and decisions by the International Court of Justice.

Ho,ho,ho, already?

Helsingin Sanomat expresses no small degree of shock that, "As the hot days of summer are just beginning to fade Santa Claus is already staring at us from the shelves of the supermarket. At the furniture store, a Christmas display is being hastily built and artificial Christmas trees are peeking out of boxes."

According to HS, at least three retail chains, Prisma, Tokmanni and Lidl have already started displaying and selling Christmas items, Advent calendars, holiday chocolates and decorations.

The paper wonders if supermarket purchasing agents have skipped three months of the year, so it asked Tuula Loikkanen, CEO of the Finnish Grocery Trade Association just what is going on.

"I remember when I moved to England in the late 1980s. It was 30 degrees and I went to the shops for the first time. I noticed Christmas decorations and calendars. I think this is a global trend that has gradually spread to Finland. I myself went to the Netherlands last week, and they already had Christmas goods on display," Loikkanen told HS.

Is there already a demand for Christmas goods before Father's Day and Halloween?

"The consumer segment is heterogeneous. We used to follow the same fashions and follow the same trends. Today, there are many more differences among consumers. People like different things. There is also a group of people who are already excited on social media that it's only three months to Christmas. We really have a lot of Christmas people. We want to remember and serve this segment as well at this stage. In the meantime, Father's Day, Halloween and Black Friday are still more prominent."

So are they a kind of mega-Christmas people?

"Yes. I think that's the kind of consumer group we're talking about. And, of course, at the same time, it's a reminder to others that Christmas is on the way."

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

New York, Ohio and Indiana have collectively retired 47 coal plants in the past two decades. Of these, only 11 have been successfully redeveloped—converted mostly into gas-fired power plants, but also into data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations. 

And the Great Lakes region is far from an outlier. Across the United States, retired coal plants sit vacant and rusting, with little to no chance of revival. They are, in many cases, the picture of neglect: abandoned lots with murky ash ponds and dirt berms, visible to locals only through barbed wire fences. In some cases, the deserted structures have been known to catch fire or unexpectedly collapse. 

Yet they also occupy some of the country’s most valuable plots of land—large, contiguous parcels abutting major waterways, often within walking distance of a population center. These qualities make them attractive locations for parks, industrial centers, or, as in the case of Nanticoke, clean energy hubs. Why, then, are they so rarely redeveloped?

The answer to that question involves shadowy companies, secret agreements, and false promises—but it begins 40 feet below the Tanners Creek ash ponds. Before any redevelopment can occur, the site must be purged of the harmful toxins such as arsenic, boron and radium that decades of burning and dumping coal allowed to leach into the soil. All told, decommissioning and remediating a retired coal plant can cost anywhere from $3.5 million to $200 million. What’s more, thanks to a 1980 federal environmental law, a botched remediation job can trigger lawsuits against the original polluter, even if they no longer own the property. 

Former coal plant sites, then, are not so much attractive assets as they are a monkey on the back of power plant operators desperate to offload them. 

Dave Altman is the president of Cincinnati-based environmental law firm AltmanNewman. In his five decades of litigating remediation cases, he has witnessed the creative tactics companies employ to jettison contaminated sites. Initially, he says, “the dream of any polluting company was to turn over their contaminated property as a gift to the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, or a church.” That way, when the full scope of contamination was discovered, elected officials would opt to clean it up with state funds rather than sue the “mom-and-pop nonprofit” that had unwittingly agreed to assume ownership of the site. Altman says people eventually caught on to this tactic; he himself warned Xavier University against accepting an exploded chemical plant as a gift in 2000.

With few willing recipients and no desire to maintain the properties, power plant operators now pay millions to offload the sites and, in doing so, unburden themselves of the environmental liability. That has spawned what Altman calls “an entire industry for taking the liability off the books.” Around the country, companies purporting to specialize in brownfield redevelopment have sprung into existence. These companies, Altman said, sign “secret deals” with power plant operators to take over their contaminated properties and associated liabilities.

A closer look at these companies raises more questions than answers. Take the example of Tanners Creek. The property’s official owner, Tanners Creek Development LLC, was incorporated only seven months before assuming control of the site and seems to have no other assets. Altman said this structure is by design. “They set up a separate, small limited liability organization to take hundreds of millions in liability,” he said. Under this structure, the parent company can reap the profits of the land transfer while the small pockets of its subsidiary limit the amount it might have to pay out in the event of a lawsuit, effectively shielding the parent company from responsibility. As an added benefit, he said, “it makes it appear that they’re different companies to regulators who are asleep at the switch.”

Land transfers are often followed by vague statements about redevelopment. But the redevelopment companies’ economic incentives point in a different direction. “They get paid millions of dollars to do the minimum they can do to get out,” Altman said. “If you resolve your uncertainty with a phony cleanup, nobody is going to touch the property. Everybody knows it, but the utility has got it off its books.” In other words, having cashed in on the liability transfer, the new owners would prefer to perform “cosmetic cleanup” than to take on the substantial remediation costs involved in developing. 

[delta-remediation]

Breaking Down Contamination: The Top Bioremediation Companies in Canada

Canada is a nation that boasts a diverse landscape, plentiful natural resources, and thriving wildlife. Unfortunately, due to urbanization, industrialization, and human activities, the environment has become contaminated with hazardous chemicals and pollutants. One of the most effective and sustainable methods for environmental cleanup is bioremediation, which leverages microorganisms and other biological agents to break down and remove contaminants from the environment.

Numerous bioremediation companies in Canada offer innovative solutions for environmental remediation. These companies utilize cutting-edge technology and pioneering techniques to remediate contaminated sites, restore natural habitats, and safeguard public health. Let's delve deeper into some of Canada's premier bioremediation companies.

Delta Remediation is a bioremediation solutions provider headquartered in Alberta, which delivers inventive and sustainable environmental cleanup solutions. The company's bioremediation services employ a diverse range of microbial cultures and bioaugmentation techniques to remediate contaminated sites, serving clients not only in Canada but also in Nigeria and Kenya.

Terrapure Environmental is a leading environmental solutions provider with operations throughout Canada, including Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. The company offers a comprehensive range of services, including bioremediation, soil treatment, hazardous waste management, and industrial cleaning. Terrapure Environmental's bioremediation services rely on microbial cultures to break down organic contaminants and remove them from soil and groundwater.

Vertex Environmental is an Ontario-based consulting and remediation company that caters to clients in various sectors such as mining, oil and gas, and real estate. The company's bioremediation services utilize an array of biological agents, including bacteria and fungi, to degrade and remove contaminants from soil and water. Vertex Environmental has several offices across Canada.

Maxxam Analytics is a scientific services company with multiple locations across Canada, including Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. The company offers analytical testing, environmental consulting, and bioremediation services, leveraging a variety of technologies, such as biostimulation, bioaugmentation, and phytoremediation, to clean up contaminated sites.

Golder Associates, an engineering and environmental consulting company, provides services to clients in various sectors, including mining, oil and gas, and transportation. The company's bioremediation services utilize several techniques, such as aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation, to remove contaminants from soil and groundwater. Golder Associates is based in British Columbia and has numerous offices across Canada.

In summary, bioremediation is a sustainable and effective method of environmental cleanup that is gaining traction throughout Canada. Canada's bioremediation companies provide groundbreaking and advanced solutions for cleaning up contaminated sites, preserving public health, and restoring natural habitats. If you are seeking a trustworthy bioremediation company in Canada, consider contacting one of these top providers.

[rubinaitoart]

So I want to write some things down cause this blog sorta serves as a little journal for me at times, and this is a pretty major turning point for me. A lot of this rambling might seem a little weird, or overdoing it, or whatever. But it’s important to me. I’ll be putting it under the cut because it’s going to be long and focusing on, of all things, environmental issues and plastic. Stuff I’ve never talked about on here before.

Over the past month or so, I’ve found myself in a state of severe anxiety. (I’m trying to remedy it, but there’s still some residual things that aren’t quite going away just yet.)

During this period of time, my anxiety settled on the state of the world in an ecological context. Namely, the depletion of resources and the impact of microplastics. It’s something I didn’t really consider or focus on for a while but now that I have it hasn’t really left my head.

One of my many coping mechanisms when my anxiety gets this severe is to try and think through solutions. Unfortunately this is on such a large scale that I can’t exactly do anything about it at this moment in time; but for the first time in a very long time, my anxiety did something useful and gave me a direction to take my life. It’s something that I’ve sorely needed for a while now.

This is where I want to take my education, and what I want my career to be focused on.

There’s a lot of thoughts that have been circling around in my head about everything. Lessening our use of plastic is great, but what kind of impact will it actually have on the environment on a large scale? With how the carbon cycle is out of balance and carbon emissions so high, can we afford to turn to paper as an alternative to plastic?

How do we find a solution that is feasible for the average person to commit to?

Plastic is a wonder material. It’s versatile and convenient; it can be whatever we need it to be. Thin and bendable, or solid and sturdy, or a thin wrapping to properly seal things. Bags, boxes, buckets, containers. It lines our aluminum cans to keep the aluminum from leeching into the drink, it makes it easier to distribute food on a larger scale, it means we don’t have to turn in milk bottles like in ye olden days, and it’s cheap to produce.

It’s in our clothes, it contains our food, it holds our water, it dispenses our personal care products.

It turns into microplastics that leeches into our blood and could be even worse than that, it’s a pollutant and cannot be composted nor is it biodegradable, it injures animals and floats in our oceans.

But it’s a wonder material, and for all the bad it’s doing, it’s difficult to stop using it. Because it’s convenient and easy to make, we’ve integrated it into our way of life to make things easier. It’s no wonder that trying to outright ban plastics doesn’t go very far. We might be able to get away with taxing plastic bags or banning plastic straws, but there’s so much more that’s still being used and discarded.

Plastic is not a disposable resource.

All of this to say, I want to find reasonable solutions to ecological problems, starting with plastic. There are many plastic alternatives that, in the long run, will cause far more environmental damage. Rapidly depleting resources for a massive population isn’t how we fix the problem; so we need to find a sustainable and renewable resources. Plant based solutions are a great start.

Like straws. There’s a company that produces straws made of sugarcane; specifically a byproduct of the sugar production process, the fibers that are stripped away.

Things like this make me optimistic that we can find more solutions to a plastic problem. And even if we only reduce plastic consumption by 50%, I’d be happy. I recognize that there are many situations where plastic is a good thing to use, such as evidence collection in forensics or necessary medical equipment like IV bags. We just need to find a way to reduce our usage of these plastic items to a less wasteful level.

So that’s what I’m going to get my degree for. I might not make much of a difference but I’d like to at least try and do something; and I’m a little excited that I finally have an idea of where I want to go in life.

[ledenews]

Remediation of former Wheeling Inn Scheduled to Begin Wednesday

The long-anticipated remediation of the Wheeling Gateway Center is set to commence on Wednesday, July 10, which will be the first step into realizing the complete demolition of the former Wheeling Inn.  The city has issued a notice to proceed to Raze International, LLC, the demolition company overseeing the project, and the perimeter of the site has been secured with construction fencing. Prior to mobilization, Raze filed a 10-day notification with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), and has submitted a hazardous materials removal plan, which is being overseen by the project’s environmental engineers, Boggs and Montrose. Notification letters were also sent to the neighboring properties. “Our team is fully committed to executing this project with the highest standards of safety and efficiency,” said Debbie Brown, President of Raze International. “We appreciate the city and state’s support and collaboration as we embark on this important endeavor, especially with the on-going Streetscape road project.”    On Wednesday at 12 p.m., the awning of the Wheeling Inn will be demolished for the purposes of providing adjacent truck access next to the former motel rooms, which will make it easier for crews to clean out the building. The media is invited to the site at this time, where they can set up to cover this first official remediation effort. “We are expecting an 8 week cleanup process and we will have our environmental engineers monitoring the work, said Frank O’Brien executive director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention Visitors Bureau.  “We’re putting the project through the State’s Voluntary Remediation Program so that we can receive official documentation that certifies the clean-up was handled safely and properly.” O’Brien continued, “We ask for the community’s continued support and patience during these construction activities, and to be careful when driving near the site as vehicles are entering and leaving the project site.”    Following the remediation and approvals to proceed by the State’s DEP, the building is expected to begin physical demolition in early September, and a groundbreaking celebration will be announced later this summer. Tipping Point is in the process of launching a live stream of the remediation and demolition process, so the community can take witness and celebrate progress of this historic moment for Wheeling’s gateway into downtown. The start time of the live stream will be announced on Tipping Point’s social media accounts. The Wheeling Gateway Center is a key redevelopment project aimed at creating a new heritage and visitor’s experience near the historic suspension bridge, which is at the primary entrance to downtown Wheeling, WV. The State of West Virginia’s Department of Tourism is working closely with the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention Visitors Bureau to establish final design concepts, which are anticipated to be released to the public in late summer or early fall. For more details and ongoing updates on the Wheeling Gateway Center project, please visit the Wheeling Gateway Center Community Hub.  Read the full article

[positivexcellence]

towwn:  estheticians, farmers + scientists have more in common than meets the eye (cream). 👁️🧑‍🌾🔬 whether ingredients are grown in a farm, garden, wild harvested, or developed in a clean lab from bio-based materials (ex: seaweed), the processes and standards around skincare are ever-improving for both people + planet. find your next fave cleanser, serum, moisturizer + more from these unisex enviro-friendly skincare companies. 💚🌱 @versed this vegan, cruelty-free brand is committed to sustainable, high-quality skincare products at an affordable price. the co. is fully transparent about its ingredients (think: squalane, red algae, good ‘ol h20) so customers can make informed decisions. most items are under $20. @themarabeauty cult-favorite mara (“sea” in gaelic) uses a proprietary blend of algae extract that is “wild collected” (to ensure colonies are not over harvested) + superfood plant oils to supply the skin with phytonutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins. @korres natural greek skincare formulated using ancient homeopathic remedies and innovative technologies. the brand even has a recycle lab in nyc where you can bring any old beauty containers to be recycled and repurposed. @acurebeauty this popular green brand is known for its use of bakuchiol (from the babchi plant), a natural and inexpensive alternative to retinol that gently boosts collagen and improves elasticity. @circumferencenyc in addition to clean formulas + recyclable packaging, the brand salvages unused olive leaves through a partnership with @brightland, upcycling it into olive leaf extract, a key bioactive ingredient in their daily regenerative cleansers. @oseamalibu these high-quality, ethically-made formulas are created using sustainably harvested seaweed + more natural ingredients. the co. is committed to environmental protection, including eco-packaging in glass + paper. @leprunier utilizing upcycled ingredients sourced from a century-old, family-owned cali plum farm, the brand creates sustainable, innovative plum-based oil that’s 100% usda + ccof-certified organic. effective + backed by science, these eco-friendly products are high-quality + affordable. share your faves below!

[hoperays-song]

Required Information Sheet For The Human AU: Johnny

General Information:

Last Name: Taylor

First Name: Johnathan

Middle Name: Demarcus

Nickname(s): Johnny, Jahnu, Johns, John-song, Jay

Alternative Name(s): Jahnu Jiyaan Aarav Sutar and Kallik

Pronouns: He/They/His/Theirs

Gender Identity: Demiboy

Sexuality: Gay

Birthdate: January 29, 2004

Ethnicity: British Indian

Dietary Style: Vegetarian

Religious Affiliation: Hindu

Known Languages: English, Hindi, and ASL

Appearance Information 

Hair Color Hex Code: #262626

Curl Texture: 3b

Eye Color Hex Code: #875B04

Skin Tone Hex Code: #574012

Beauty Mark(s): Small Scar on Right Cheek, Lip Piercing on Right Side, Eyebrow Piercing on Left Side, Body Tattoos

Glasses/Contacts: No

Height: 5’8.5”

Weight: 135 lbs

Build Type: Inverse Triangle

Clothing Aesthetic: Skater Boy and Light Grunge

Education Information:

Past Education: South Loop High School

Current Education: Gap Year

Career Information:

Past Employment: Skate Shop Employee

Current Job: Contracted Professional Actor and Singer

Dream Job: Professional Singer and Actor

Company: The New Moon Theatre Troupe

Current Employer: The Majestic Performing Arts Theatre

Extracurriculars: Volunteer at South Loop Animal Shelter and Mechanic Assistant at Taylor Family Garage

Parentage Information:

Biological Parent 1: Jia Saanvi Taylor ‘nee Sutar (Deceased)

Relation: Biological Mother

Relationship: Close 

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Career: Primary School Music Teacher and Pianist

Birthdate: February 13, 1975

Biological Parent 2: Marcus Christian Taylor

Relation: Biological Father

Relationship: Close

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Career: Automotive Mechanic and Garage Owner

Birthdate: November 12, 1973

Foster Parent: Rosita Jazmín Peréz-Harrison

Relation: Foster Mother of 8 Months

Relationship: Close

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Career: Consulting Environmental Engineer

Birthdate: May 16, 1985

Sibling Information:

Sibling 1: Nooshy Victor Peart-Taylor

Relation: Adoptive Sister

Relationship: Close

Pronouns: She/They/Hers/Theirs

Education: Remedial Online High School 

Birthdate: November 3, 2001

Assorted Information:

Best Friend(s): Meena Amari (since Sing 1) and Ryan Willis (roommate)

Favorite Color(s): Dark Teal and Navy Blue

Favorite Animal(s): Mountain Gorillas and Pitbulls

Favorite Food(s): Poori Masala, Sambar, and Kootu 

Favorite Sweet(s): Banana Bonda, Pulse Mango Candy, and Chocolate Banana Bread

Favorite Drink(s): Masala Chai, Mango Milk Tea, and Coconut Pineapple Sparking Water

Favorite TV Show(s): Rise, Heartstopper, Sherlock, The Great British Bake Off, Dead End: Paranormal Park, and Worst Cooks in America

Favorite Movie(s): Wall-E, How To Train Your Dragon (1 and 2), Kubo and The Two Strings, The Prom, and Badhaai Do, and Merida.

Favorite Song(s): Ode to Britannia by Seb Lowe, Hate Thy Neighbor by Hyphen, I’m Still Standing by Elton John, Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay, and Figure You Out by Violá