Europe's leading non-tractor farm equipment companies are growing as they gain market share and tackle new export markets. Peter Hill profiles some of the biggest firms in the sector
Where are the Brits?
1 Alamo Group Europe This subsidiary of Texas-based Alamo Group was created with the acquisition of vegetation control specialist McConnel in 1991, then Bomford Turner two years later. Twose and Spearhead and several French manufacturers followed in succession, including Rousseau and loader maker Faucheux. UK sales account for a quarter of revenues. The group accounted for one-third of the parent company's [pounds sterling]381m sales in 2011. Turnover in 2011 was [pounds sterling]106m, compared with [pounds sterling]54m in 2004.
2 Dairy specialist Fullwood & Bland is Britain's second biggest farm equipment business with revenues of [pounds sterling]71m last year, down from a peak of [pounds sterling]76m in 2008. The Fullwood Packo group comprises milking systems manufacturer Fullwood and Netherlands' Packo companies producing dairy electronics and industrial products. In 2011, milking equipment accounted for 55% of turnover while milk cooling tanks contributed 24%.
3 Next up is IAE, the Staffordshire maker of fixed equipment, feeders and weighing systems for livestock farms, with 2011 sales that recovered close to the [pounds sterling]43m peak recorded in 2008.
4 Simba International's sales figures dropped to the equivalent of [pounds sterling]16.2m last year after losing Horsch distribution following Simba's acquisition the year before by the USA's Great Plains Manufacturing. New products and improved export sales, which increased to 38% of revenues last year, should see turnover climbing back to the 2008 high-point of [pounds sterling]28.8m.
5 In the grassland/livestock sector, Teagle Machinery's near-[pounds sterling]12m equivalent turnover leads the way.
Krone, Germany
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]139m2011, [pounds sterling]332m
6 Krone's farm machinery division represents about a third of the [pounds sterling]1bn sales generated by Krone Group, which manufactures road trailers for articulated lorries and has three farm machinery dealerships.
The farm machinery division has focused on grassland products since ditching its ploughs and power cultivators several years ago. It is energetically pursuing the contractor and North American market by developing high-performance, self-propelled mowers and forage harvesters.
Krone has a single manufacturing location in Germany, where recent investments include a [pounds sterling]2.1m shipping complex and [pounds sterling]3.3m training centre. The group is privately owned by the Krone family.
GEA Farm Technologies, Germany
Turnover: 2004, n/a | 2011, [pounds sterling]412m
3 GEA Farm Technologies supplies milking equipment, cooling technology, automatic feeding systems, animal hygiene, milking parlour cleaning, barn equipment and slurry technology.
It was created when industrial group GEA acquired milking machine companies Westfalia Separator of Germany and WestfaliaSurge of the USA in 2004, then Canadian manure handling equipment maker Houle in 2007.
It also acquired robot milking technology to complement its conventional systems and in November 2011 added Milfos International, a New Zealand manufacturer of milking, cooling, stall and automation products.
DeLaval, Sweden
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]527m | 2011, [pounds sterling]686m
1 Sweden's DeLaval is the world's biggest supplier of milking systems and other equipment and services used on dairy farms. Almost 50% of revenues ([pounds sterling]329m) are generated by conventional and robot milking systems, with parts and cooling technology taking the proportion accounted for by nuts-and-bolts products to 70%.
The business is a division of Tetra Laval, the packaging and bottling group owned by the Swedish Rausing family, which had revenues of [pounds sterling]9.8bn in 2011.
Kverneland, Norway
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]407m2011, [pounds sterling]363m
5 Kverneland developed from plough maker to major international concern through acquisitions in the 1990s giving it strong grassland, tillage and spreading/spraying lines using the Kverneland, Vicon, Taarup and Rau brands. It also supplies grassland products to New Holland in North America and to Deutz-Fahr.
In 2009, Kverneland agreed to sell its Dutch baler factory and product lines to Kuhn for [pounds sterling]93m. Revenues dropped from [pounds sterling]499m in 2008 to [pounds sterling]320m two years later.
By way of recovery, Kverneland acquired a forage wagon range from Veenhuis in 2010 and then negotiated a [pounds sterling]3.4m near-40% shareholding and global marketing agreement with baler maker Gallignani of Italy, which it has since taken over.
Kverneland was bought by Japan's Kubota Corporation in 2012.
Exel Industries, France
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]115m e_SFlb2011, [pounds sterling]246m
8 Created from the Tecnoma sprayer firm in France, Exel Industries embraced numerous spray equipment manufacturers, including Caruelle, Berthoud and Matrot, before the [pounds sterling]32m acquisition of Hardi International, with its Evrard subsidiary, in 2007.
This year, Agrifac was added to the portfolio for [pounds sterling]2.4m, raising revenues by about [pounds sterling]31m.
It also adds another sugar beet harvester line to Exel's Matrot and Moreau products, alongside Herriau precision seeders. Farm equipment made up 70% of Exel's [pounds sterling]425m sales in 2011-12; the rest comes from industrial spraying systems. The Ballu family owns 75% of shares; 25% are listed on the Paris stock exchange.
Kuhn, France
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]375m | 2011, [pounds sterling]674m
2The world's biggest manufacturer of farm implements by revenues, the Kuhn Group has developed a vast range of tillage, spreading, spraying, grassland and feeding equipment, all under one brand.
Acquisitions in Europe, Brazil and North America expanded the range and multiplied revenues. Most recent were the Kverneland baler business and factory in the Netherlands for [pounds sterling]93m, and Krause Corp, a US maker of cultivations equipment and seeders for about [pounds sterling]20m.
Kuhn parent Bucher Industries, a Swiss engineering firm, spent [pounds sterling]5.1m on a 24% stake in fertiliser spreader and seed drill maker Rauch last year.
Lely, Netherlands
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]128m e_SFlb2011, [pounds sterling]405m
4 A group based in the Netherlands, Lely is firmly focused on the grassland machinery and dairy technology markets. It is also the world leader in robotic milking, with more than 15,000 Astronaut systems supplied over the past 20 years, and is now developing a range of automated cattle feeding and cleaning systems.
Lely acquired a German farm-scale wind turbine generator business in 2012 as part of its aim to achieve energy-neutral dairy farming.
It bought Mengele and its trailer and forage wagon products in 2010 and owns 75% of baler maker Welger, which generates sales of about [pounds sterling]54m. Its North American strategic partner, Vermeer, holds the other 25%. The group is privately owned by the Lely family.
Amazone, Germany
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]162m e_SFlb2011, [pounds sterling]320m
7 Amazonen-Werke is the biggest European manufacturer specialising in arable equipment - tillage implements, seed drills, fertiliser spreaders and sprayers; it also has a groundscare machinery arm.
Western Europe remains the principal market but sales are growing in Russia and the nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The company's 98% turnover growth since 2004 has been achieved almost entirely organically - the most recent acquisition was the 1998 purchase of cultivations equipment manufacturer BBG. The next turnover target is [pounds sterling]405m.
Amazone has factories in France (groundscare), Russia (assembly) and Germany.
Lemken, Germany
Turnover: 2004, [pounds sterling]75m2011, [pounds sterling]229m
9 Germany's Lemken is Europe's second largest arable equipment specialist, with sales developed largely by expanding the range to complement the plough line-up, adding seed drills and, in 2005, by developing a crop sprayer line after acquiring German manufacturers Jacoby and LTS.
Russia is now a significant market and the firm recently completed a [pounds sterling]5.6m factory in India. Building has begun on a new plant in China, as well as a further four production halls in its large headquarters complex in Germany. The business is privately owned by the Lemken family.
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition)
"MACHINERY BIG BOYS." Farmers Weekly 4 Jan. 2013. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA314206702&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A314206702
Showing posts with label Dinosaur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dinosaur. Show all posts
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday, June 18, 2012
Zero waste: some people don't think it is possible to have a zero-wasteoperation.
Throughout history, man has created waste. As the industrial revolution kicked into high gear and the population grew, the waste piles increased. Around the middle of the 20th century, people grew interested in finding ways to reuse some of the generated wastes. Members of the hippy movement of the '60s came together in the '70s to form commune groups, making recycling a real group effort.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Today, companies often make purchasing decisions based on the ability to recycle or how biodegradable they might be. Many companies are finding that such actions save considerable dollars as the costs for disposal are greatly reduced, or even eliminated.
The concept of zero waste seems simple. The idea is that as materials come into a plant, none of it is sent to a landfill or a disposal company after the product is completed. Scraps are reused, new markets are found for byproducts and the rest of the materials are sent to a recycling company
Can it be done?
There are plenty of skeptics that do not believe most plants can become zero-waste operations. They argue it cannot be done in a fiscally responsible way. While nearly anything might be possible, is it really worth any cost? If a product that normally sells for one Dollar ends up selling for $20 in order to achieve zero waste, will there be a market to sell the product?
California recently passed a rule requiring companies to acknowledge all of the chemical constituents of their products. If the state decides one of the chemicals could be considered hazardous, they will tell the company to find another chemical to use. Only time will tell how such a rule will impact product quality.
The federal EPA followed suit and passed a similar rule. Additionally, they are going to begin denying companies the ability to declare confidentiality. In the past, a company could declare that certain chemical information should remain confidential to avoid allowing competitors the ability to know their processes. If the EPA has its way, there will be fewer corporate secrets and they will have more control over what chemicals are used in production processes.
While the goals of these projects seem noble enough, the consumer may not be pleased. For example, most people can enjoy a good chocolate chip cookie. But, if the butter is not used in the recipe and carob chips are substituted for the chocolate, consumers will not be pleased with the results, even if it is edible. A case in point comes to mind when vegetarians tried to introduce the tofu turkey as a substitute for turkey. After all this time, faux turkey is just not catching on.
Don't give up
The goal of zero waste may seem lofty but that does not mean that it is unachievable. Consider that McDonald's Corp. traditionally wins the best french fries category each year. A few years ago, some activists groups put pressure on the company saying that the oils they used were causing their customers to consume unhealthy fats.
The company put their crack research team on a project to come up with healthier oil while maintaining the taste customers had come to expect. After years of searching, they now use a healthier oil in their process and the taste is preserved.
Some automotive manufactures have proclaimed that some of their facilities have achieved zero waste. The single largest impact on their waste control was to require suppliers use reusable shipping containers. Now, when a shipment of parts arrives, they reload the empty containers to be returned to the supplier. Toyota Motor Sales said that they saved 17.6 million pounds of wood and cardboard in 2008 with the implementation of such a program.
Ideas abound on ways to reduce waste. Search the Internet for "zero waste." Add the name of a company to the search to find what steps are being taken by others. Then take a look around or create a waste panel with the floor staff to brainstorm ideas. Just don't give up.
Bigham, Roy
Source Citation
Bigham, Roy. "Zero waste: some people don't think it is possible to have a zero-waste operation. With today's available technology, we can get really close." Pollution Engineering June 2012: 40. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 18 June 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA292088547&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A292088547
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Today, companies often make purchasing decisions based on the ability to recycle or how biodegradable they might be. Many companies are finding that such actions save considerable dollars as the costs for disposal are greatly reduced, or even eliminated.
The concept of zero waste seems simple. The idea is that as materials come into a plant, none of it is sent to a landfill or a disposal company after the product is completed. Scraps are reused, new markets are found for byproducts and the rest of the materials are sent to a recycling company
Can it be done?
There are plenty of skeptics that do not believe most plants can become zero-waste operations. They argue it cannot be done in a fiscally responsible way. While nearly anything might be possible, is it really worth any cost? If a product that normally sells for one Dollar ends up selling for $20 in order to achieve zero waste, will there be a market to sell the product?
California recently passed a rule requiring companies to acknowledge all of the chemical constituents of their products. If the state decides one of the chemicals could be considered hazardous, they will tell the company to find another chemical to use. Only time will tell how such a rule will impact product quality.
The federal EPA followed suit and passed a similar rule. Additionally, they are going to begin denying companies the ability to declare confidentiality. In the past, a company could declare that certain chemical information should remain confidential to avoid allowing competitors the ability to know their processes. If the EPA has its way, there will be fewer corporate secrets and they will have more control over what chemicals are used in production processes.
While the goals of these projects seem noble enough, the consumer may not be pleased. For example, most people can enjoy a good chocolate chip cookie. But, if the butter is not used in the recipe and carob chips are substituted for the chocolate, consumers will not be pleased with the results, even if it is edible. A case in point comes to mind when vegetarians tried to introduce the tofu turkey as a substitute for turkey. After all this time, faux turkey is just not catching on.
Don't give up
The goal of zero waste may seem lofty but that does not mean that it is unachievable. Consider that McDonald's Corp. traditionally wins the best french fries category each year. A few years ago, some activists groups put pressure on the company saying that the oils they used were causing their customers to consume unhealthy fats.
The company put their crack research team on a project to come up with healthier oil while maintaining the taste customers had come to expect. After years of searching, they now use a healthier oil in their process and the taste is preserved.
Some automotive manufactures have proclaimed that some of their facilities have achieved zero waste. The single largest impact on their waste control was to require suppliers use reusable shipping containers. Now, when a shipment of parts arrives, they reload the empty containers to be returned to the supplier. Toyota Motor Sales said that they saved 17.6 million pounds of wood and cardboard in 2008 with the implementation of such a program.
Ideas abound on ways to reduce waste. Search the Internet for "zero waste." Add the name of a company to the search to find what steps are being taken by others. Then take a look around or create a waste panel with the floor staff to brainstorm ideas. Just don't give up.
Bigham, Roy
Source Citation
Bigham, Roy. "Zero waste: some people don't think it is possible to have a zero-waste operation. With today's available technology, we can get really close." Pollution Engineering June 2012: 40. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 18 June 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA292088547&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A292088547
Monday, June 11, 2012
"Serengeti watch: fighting the paving of paradise
The name "Serengeti" has become an icon of wild places. Derived from the Maasai language, it means "extended" or "endless," and this vast African grassland does in fact inspire a feeling of limitlessness. Serengeti National Park in Tanzania encompasses 5,700 square miles. The total Serengeti ecosystem includes Kenya's Masai Mara Reserve, the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area, and adjacent reserves such as Loliondo, Maswa, Ikorongo, and Grumeti. Add them all up and you have a protected area of almost 10,000 square miles--nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
The most famous feature of Serengeti is the Great Migration, the largest land mammal migration on Earth. Each year more than 2 million animals--wildebeest, zebras, antelopes, and other herbivores--make a long journey from the eastern plains through central Serengeti and northward to the Masai Mara in search of water and fresh grasses and then return in a yearly cycle that's been going on for thousands of years. It is an amazing spectacle--grazers, predators, and all the other animal life woven into the fabric of this intricate ecosystem. For visitors, it is like seeing the world when it was young. The Serengeti is one of the very few reserves left on Earth that protects and contains such a complete ecosystem.
But the region faces many threats.
Since 2010, Serengeti Watch has been running a grassroots effort to halt plans for a highway that would slice across the northern part of the national park. If the highway is built, hundreds and possibly thousands of big commercial trucks would speed each day from towns on the shore of Lake Victoria (lying to the west) through the Serengeti ecosystem to Arusha on the east. The impact on the Great Migration would be enormous, researchers estimate. Worse, the highway would open the region to settlements on the fringes of the park and could become an avenue for poaching.
The proposed highway has become the greatest threat to Serengeti National Park in its history a threat to both the animals their human neighbors. Tourism earns Tanzania about $1.8 billion a year and employs an estimated 1 million people directly and indirectly. Most of the tourists come to visit the Serengeti region.
Despite worldwide opposition to the plan, the Tanzanian government insists the highway will be built. As this edition of the Journal went to press, the president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, has once again reiterated his intent to build the Serengeti highway after months of silence on the issue. His government touts the need for improved infrastructure to serve communities in the region. Without doubt, there is a need for improved infrastructure. Tanzania is a poor country, and though its economy has improved in recent years, infrastructure for transportation of goods and services is poor in most places. But how could such a poor country pay for an estimated $400 million road project?
In December 2010, an investigation by Richard Engle, chief foreign correspondent of NBC News, offered a possible answer: China. Engel reported that China was interested in the road in order to gain easier access to rare earth metals like coltan, an important ingredient in cell phones. This appears to be part of a broader Chinese push into Africa as the industrial powerhouse seeks to trade access to natural resources for development projects--projects that, not coincidentally; often pave the way for easier resource extraction.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The recent discovery of oil deposits in Uganda, for example, could also threaten the Serengeti. Just before Christmas, the Uganda and Tanzanian governments signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese construction firm to study the feasibility of developing a transportation corridor from Lake Victoria to the Indian Ocean coast, presumably across the Serengeti. This corridor would include a railroad, as well as highway. The combination would certainly be the death knell of the migration and of the Serengeti ecosystem as well.
There is yet another geopolitical element to the controversy: South Sudan. This newly independent country's economy is reliant on an oil pipeline crossing Sudan to a Red Sea port. About 70 percent of this oil goes to China. But the government of Sudan is threatening to shut down the pipeline. Thus landlocked South Sudan may be forced to join with landlocked Uganda, its neighbor to the south, to get its oil to the Indian Ocean coast through Kenya or Tanzania, or both. Who would pay for such a complicated international pipeline? Oil-hungry China.
Serengeti Watch has proposed an alternate to the Serengeti highway route that would bypass the Serengeti ecosystem entirely. Moreover, this southern route would serve four times as many towns and villages. Though slightly longer than the proposed Serengeti highway, parts of this southern road already exist and are being upgraded for major transport right now. Both the World Bank and the German government have offered funding to aid this project. The Tanzanian government has been strangely silent about the offer.
Local and regional environmentalists are now joining the fight to protect and preserve this unique ecosystem. In December 2010, a Nairobi-based organization, African Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) filed a lawsuit in the East African Court of Justice to halt the Serengeti highway, citing detrimental trans-boundary impact on the Masai Mara Reserve (a major tourist destination in Kenya). The Tanzanian government attempted to have the case thrown out, but in March the East African Court of Justice--an intergovernmental court of the republics of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi--dismissed Tanzania's objections and ruled that it did indeed have jurisdiction to determine such environmental disputes in the region. The case is headed for trial. A win in court could mean long-term protection for the Serengeti ecosystem.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Serengeti Watch has raised funds to give a substantial grant to ANAW to help in the legal costs. In addition, the project has given another large grant to a local environmental group in Tanzania to begin organizing grassroots support for protecting Serengeti.
Long-term, the aim of Serengeti Watch is to promote a strong conservation ethic in the region by funding projects in media, journalism, and education that would help young Tanzanians become opinion makers and culture builders. Through photography, writing, video, music, and other artistic expression, the project plans to support and encourage local people's ability to communicate and understand the importance of conservation.
The only way to ensure the Serengeti remains protected forever is for the people who live there to become its most fervent stewards.
To learn about how you can get involved in the fight to stop the proposed Serengeti Highway, please visit: www.savetheserengeti.org.
Norton, Boyd
Source Citation
Norton, Boyd. "Serengeti watch: fighting the paving of paradise." Earth Island Journal Summer 2012: 16+. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 11 June 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA292087456&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A292087456
The most famous feature of Serengeti is the Great Migration, the largest land mammal migration on Earth. Each year more than 2 million animals--wildebeest, zebras, antelopes, and other herbivores--make a long journey from the eastern plains through central Serengeti and northward to the Masai Mara in search of water and fresh grasses and then return in a yearly cycle that's been going on for thousands of years. It is an amazing spectacle--grazers, predators, and all the other animal life woven into the fabric of this intricate ecosystem. For visitors, it is like seeing the world when it was young. The Serengeti is one of the very few reserves left on Earth that protects and contains such a complete ecosystem.
But the region faces many threats.
Since 2010, Serengeti Watch has been running a grassroots effort to halt plans for a highway that would slice across the northern part of the national park. If the highway is built, hundreds and possibly thousands of big commercial trucks would speed each day from towns on the shore of Lake Victoria (lying to the west) through the Serengeti ecosystem to Arusha on the east. The impact on the Great Migration would be enormous, researchers estimate. Worse, the highway would open the region to settlements on the fringes of the park and could become an avenue for poaching.
The proposed highway has become the greatest threat to Serengeti National Park in its history a threat to both the animals their human neighbors. Tourism earns Tanzania about $1.8 billion a year and employs an estimated 1 million people directly and indirectly. Most of the tourists come to visit the Serengeti region.
Despite worldwide opposition to the plan, the Tanzanian government insists the highway will be built. As this edition of the Journal went to press, the president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, has once again reiterated his intent to build the Serengeti highway after months of silence on the issue. His government touts the need for improved infrastructure to serve communities in the region. Without doubt, there is a need for improved infrastructure. Tanzania is a poor country, and though its economy has improved in recent years, infrastructure for transportation of goods and services is poor in most places. But how could such a poor country pay for an estimated $400 million road project?
In December 2010, an investigation by Richard Engle, chief foreign correspondent of NBC News, offered a possible answer: China. Engel reported that China was interested in the road in order to gain easier access to rare earth metals like coltan, an important ingredient in cell phones. This appears to be part of a broader Chinese push into Africa as the industrial powerhouse seeks to trade access to natural resources for development projects--projects that, not coincidentally; often pave the way for easier resource extraction.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The recent discovery of oil deposits in Uganda, for example, could also threaten the Serengeti. Just before Christmas, the Uganda and Tanzanian governments signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese construction firm to study the feasibility of developing a transportation corridor from Lake Victoria to the Indian Ocean coast, presumably across the Serengeti. This corridor would include a railroad, as well as highway. The combination would certainly be the death knell of the migration and of the Serengeti ecosystem as well.
There is yet another geopolitical element to the controversy: South Sudan. This newly independent country's economy is reliant on an oil pipeline crossing Sudan to a Red Sea port. About 70 percent of this oil goes to China. But the government of Sudan is threatening to shut down the pipeline. Thus landlocked South Sudan may be forced to join with landlocked Uganda, its neighbor to the south, to get its oil to the Indian Ocean coast through Kenya or Tanzania, or both. Who would pay for such a complicated international pipeline? Oil-hungry China.
Serengeti Watch has proposed an alternate to the Serengeti highway route that would bypass the Serengeti ecosystem entirely. Moreover, this southern route would serve four times as many towns and villages. Though slightly longer than the proposed Serengeti highway, parts of this southern road already exist and are being upgraded for major transport right now. Both the World Bank and the German government have offered funding to aid this project. The Tanzanian government has been strangely silent about the offer.
Local and regional environmentalists are now joining the fight to protect and preserve this unique ecosystem. In December 2010, a Nairobi-based organization, African Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) filed a lawsuit in the East African Court of Justice to halt the Serengeti highway, citing detrimental trans-boundary impact on the Masai Mara Reserve (a major tourist destination in Kenya). The Tanzanian government attempted to have the case thrown out, but in March the East African Court of Justice--an intergovernmental court of the republics of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi--dismissed Tanzania's objections and ruled that it did indeed have jurisdiction to determine such environmental disputes in the region. The case is headed for trial. A win in court could mean long-term protection for the Serengeti ecosystem.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Serengeti Watch has raised funds to give a substantial grant to ANAW to help in the legal costs. In addition, the project has given another large grant to a local environmental group in Tanzania to begin organizing grassroots support for protecting Serengeti.
Long-term, the aim of Serengeti Watch is to promote a strong conservation ethic in the region by funding projects in media, journalism, and education that would help young Tanzanians become opinion makers and culture builders. Through photography, writing, video, music, and other artistic expression, the project plans to support and encourage local people's ability to communicate and understand the importance of conservation.
The only way to ensure the Serengeti remains protected forever is for the people who live there to become its most fervent stewards.
To learn about how you can get involved in the fight to stop the proposed Serengeti Highway, please visit: www.savetheserengeti.org.
Norton, Boyd
Source Citation
Norton, Boyd. "Serengeti watch: fighting the paving of paradise." Earth Island Journal Summer 2012: 16+. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 11 June 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA292087456&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A292087456
Friday, April 20, 2012
Land drainage was firmly back in fashion after the horribly wet summersof 2007 and 2008
Land drainage was firmly back in fashion after the horribly wet summers of 2007 and 2008, with contractors across the UK assigned to the job of surveying, renewing and replacing long-neglected drainage schemes.
But after a couple of dry springs and a predicted drought, is there still a need for drainage?
Rob Burtonshaw of Warwickshire-based contractor Farm Services may have a vested interest, but he makes a strong case for the benefits of land drainage, especially as crop input costs continue to rise.
"Whatever your opinion on climate change, it seems we are still getting roughly the same amount of rainfall, just at different times," he points out. "With pressure on farms to be more efficient and use less labour, if you can get back on the land earlier in the spring after a successful drainage project, then so much the better."
Mr Burtonshaw acknowledges it is tempting to spend extra cash from better grain prices on a new combine and other shiny machinery.
"But it's pointless if the land lies too wet at harvest and other critical times of the year to use it, or if yields are limited by poor drainage," he says.
He reckons the fundamental benefit of installing a land drainage system - to shift excessive water from the surface and soil profile - is as important now as ever.
"Well-drained soils maximise crop growth rates and therefore yields, whereas wet soils produce anaerobic conditions, resulting in poor root development and smaller plants that are more susceptible to disease and competition," Mr Burtonshaw says. "Spring crops grown in poor-draining soils produce shallow roots, leaving them vulnerable to drought conditions in the summer."
It may sound odd at first, but effective land drainage can also help combat drought, he adds. "By improving soil structure to reduce surface run-off and enable the ground to 'hold' as much water as possible, fields susceptible to drought can be more productive."
Despite the decline in land drainage work that began with the ending of subsidies, there is still a contracting industry ready to provide expert advice and scheme design, as well as the specialist machinery involved. But companies operating in the sector have had to adapt.
In leaner times, Farm Services diversified by setting up a sportsfield division and taking on civil works like pipeline installation. The company is also working farther afield, going well beyond the original Warwickshire client base when Mr Burtonshaw's grandfather joined the company in 1957.
Bulging job files attest to the level of repeat business the company achieves: "We often go back to farms that have not been drained for many years and the improvements can be significant," he says. "We also take on new projects for existing customers who purchase more land."
The approach can be cautious - farmers will often experiment by having a small patch drained to evaluate the results. Usually, they then ask the drainage team to return the following year to do more fields. Demand is such that last year 80% of Farm Services' workload was on agricultural land.
As with most agricultural machinery, new technology is revolutionising the way that drainage schemes are designed and recorded, and the way the high-cost specialised machinery is operated. Mr Burtonshaw is studying the latest equipment and techniques used globally this year as a Nuffield scholar.
"Traditionally, every metre of drainage pipe installed has been measured with a wheel, with these measurements then used for invoicing and for generating completion plans that show where the drains are laid for future reference," he explains. "Now, hand-drawn plans have been replaced with AutoCAD drawings on a computer and measurements are made using a GPS system, which accurately records the 'as laid' position, as well as the quantities of materials used."
But this is only scratching the surface, it seems. In the USA, GPS is replacing the laser controls normally used to create the gradient planes that ensure trenchers lay drains with the correct fall, and this will be an important part of his study.
"GPS offers accuracy at least as good as lasers, if not better, and the equipment is faster and easier to set up," says Mr Burtonshaw.
Mastenbroek trenchers built in Lincolnshire are the mainstay of the business. They need to be highly productive to make the job as cost effective as possible, and to fit sufficient workload into a tight post-harvest window when most drainage installation is carried out. The largest trencher operated by Farm Services can lay at least 1,500m of pipe a day.
Materials are also being covered by Mr Burtonshaw's Nuffield study because Farm Services is already investigating the use of recycled material to use as backfill on top of the pipes. "It needs to be inert, hard wearing and dust free, and we have to assess whether farmers will accept it rather than a natural, quarried material," he points out.
Source Citation
"Land drainage was firmly back in fashion after the horribly wet summers of 2007 and 2008, with contractors across the UK assigned to the job of surveying, renewing and replacing long-neglected drainage schemes." Farmers Weekly 13 Apr. 2012. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA286210098&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A286210098
But after a couple of dry springs and a predicted drought, is there still a need for drainage?
Rob Burtonshaw of Warwickshire-based contractor Farm Services may have a vested interest, but he makes a strong case for the benefits of land drainage, especially as crop input costs continue to rise.
"Whatever your opinion on climate change, it seems we are still getting roughly the same amount of rainfall, just at different times," he points out. "With pressure on farms to be more efficient and use less labour, if you can get back on the land earlier in the spring after a successful drainage project, then so much the better."
Mr Burtonshaw acknowledges it is tempting to spend extra cash from better grain prices on a new combine and other shiny machinery.
"But it's pointless if the land lies too wet at harvest and other critical times of the year to use it, or if yields are limited by poor drainage," he says.
He reckons the fundamental benefit of installing a land drainage system - to shift excessive water from the surface and soil profile - is as important now as ever.
"Well-drained soils maximise crop growth rates and therefore yields, whereas wet soils produce anaerobic conditions, resulting in poor root development and smaller plants that are more susceptible to disease and competition," Mr Burtonshaw says. "Spring crops grown in poor-draining soils produce shallow roots, leaving them vulnerable to drought conditions in the summer."
It may sound odd at first, but effective land drainage can also help combat drought, he adds. "By improving soil structure to reduce surface run-off and enable the ground to 'hold' as much water as possible, fields susceptible to drought can be more productive."
Despite the decline in land drainage work that began with the ending of subsidies, there is still a contracting industry ready to provide expert advice and scheme design, as well as the specialist machinery involved. But companies operating in the sector have had to adapt.
In leaner times, Farm Services diversified by setting up a sportsfield division and taking on civil works like pipeline installation. The company is also working farther afield, going well beyond the original Warwickshire client base when Mr Burtonshaw's grandfather joined the company in 1957.
Bulging job files attest to the level of repeat business the company achieves: "We often go back to farms that have not been drained for many years and the improvements can be significant," he says. "We also take on new projects for existing customers who purchase more land."
The approach can be cautious - farmers will often experiment by having a small patch drained to evaluate the results. Usually, they then ask the drainage team to return the following year to do more fields. Demand is such that last year 80% of Farm Services' workload was on agricultural land.
As with most agricultural machinery, new technology is revolutionising the way that drainage schemes are designed and recorded, and the way the high-cost specialised machinery is operated. Mr Burtonshaw is studying the latest equipment and techniques used globally this year as a Nuffield scholar.
"Traditionally, every metre of drainage pipe installed has been measured with a wheel, with these measurements then used for invoicing and for generating completion plans that show where the drains are laid for future reference," he explains. "Now, hand-drawn plans have been replaced with AutoCAD drawings on a computer and measurements are made using a GPS system, which accurately records the 'as laid' position, as well as the quantities of materials used."
But this is only scratching the surface, it seems. In the USA, GPS is replacing the laser controls normally used to create the gradient planes that ensure trenchers lay drains with the correct fall, and this will be an important part of his study.
"GPS offers accuracy at least as good as lasers, if not better, and the equipment is faster and easier to set up," says Mr Burtonshaw.
Mastenbroek trenchers built in Lincolnshire are the mainstay of the business. They need to be highly productive to make the job as cost effective as possible, and to fit sufficient workload into a tight post-harvest window when most drainage installation is carried out. The largest trencher operated by Farm Services can lay at least 1,500m of pipe a day.
Materials are also being covered by Mr Burtonshaw's Nuffield study because Farm Services is already investigating the use of recycled material to use as backfill on top of the pipes. "It needs to be inert, hard wearing and dust free, and we have to assess whether farmers will accept it rather than a natural, quarried material," he points out.
Source Citation
"Land drainage was firmly back in fashion after the horribly wet summers of 2007 and 2008, with contractors across the UK assigned to the job of surveying, renewing and replacing long-neglected drainage schemes." Farmers Weekly 13 Apr. 2012. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA286210098&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A286210098
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Armenian environmental network: waste not
4-7-11 Shady Sping Middle School Enviroment Club, a photo by West Virginia Library Commission on Flickr.
Armenia--a small nation between the Black and Caspian Seas that is about the size of the state of Maryland--has about 430 rural dumps and 50 urban dumps. None of them have been constructed in a sanitary or environmentally sound fashion. In many places, trash is just tossed in gorges, ravines, or stream beds. Many Armenians take their garbage, including plastics, and burn it--a practice that releases toxic fumes into the air. Trash piles line the roadways and clog the rivers, posing hazards for animals, birds, and fish. Animals and birds scavenge the piles and dumps and spread germs and disease.
One of Earth Island Institute's newest projects--the Armenian Environmental Network--is working to change this situation.
Fortunately, Armenia has a number of waste laws that, if followed, would greatly reduce the dangers posed to both humans and the environment by improper disposal. Unfortunately, Armenia lacks any coherent waste-management policy enforcement or procedures to create landfills. Nor are there any mechanisms for monitoring waste stream flows and disposal practices.
The Republic of Armenia is a signatory to several international conventions aimed at protecting the people and environment from hazardous wastes, chemicals, and other pollutants. These conventions, including the Basel Convention on Hazardous Wastes (1999) and the Stockholm Convention (2004), require the proper reporting and disposal of hazardous wastes in structurally sound facilities. Armenia is also a signatory to the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (2003). But the country has been in violation of all three of the above conventions, with a particular proclivity for repeated violations of the Aarhus Convention.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, the Armenian Environmental Network (AEN)--in partnership with the Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development, the American University of Armenia, and rural villages throughout the country--is set to implement Armenia's first comprehensive integrated waste management project. The project will focus on recycling and reuse of household waste, public education about waste segregation and management, a comprehensive con> posting program, and the construction of an appropriate technology sanitary landfill in the village of Akhurian.
The project is designed specifically for implementation in rural areas, where public funds are in especially short supply. The challenge for AEN and its partners is to create a system that is both affordable and sustainable. Using appropriate technology, regional National pressure is one way to convince the sanitary landfills can be constructed for a fraction of the cost of landfills in Europe and the United States. These landfills necessarily are low-tech and designed to be maintained without too much effort. At the very least, the landfills will have to prevent any leaching into natural water sources, allow for the safe dispersal of methane gas, and cover wastes daily. The pilot project will also demonstrate how landfills can be easily accessed by garbage trucks, and structure a recycling program.
AEN's project concept is designed to be replicable so it can serve as a model for other rural villages that hope to solve their waste problems. AEN envisions that villages close to one another could combine resources to create regional landfills. Approximately 50 medium-sized regional landfills would be sufficient to accommodate the country's needs.
Armenia's amazing natural beauty can shine through only when trash and litter are contained properly.
Take Action
To make a donation of money or technical expertise to AEN, please visit www armenia-envirenment.erg International pressure is one way to convince the Armenian government to take action on the waste issue. Visit gov.am/en/structure/5! and ask First Deputy Minister Simon Papyan to make waste disposal a priority.
Wallace, Kirk
Source Citation
Wallace, Kirk. "Armenian environmental network: waste not." Earth Island Journal Spring 2012: 17. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA282580701&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A282580701
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK
Environmental schemes must remain a fundamental part of DEFRA policy, the government's landscape and wildlife watchdog has warned.
With just four years until funding expires, the government must ensure that the benefits of schemes such as environmental stewardship are sustained once the current programme ends in 2013, said Natural England.
An estimated two-thirds of England's farmland is now managed under agri-enviroment schemes - including some of the country's most sensitive and best-loved landscapes, confirms a wide-ranging review by the agency.
Farmers are helping to protect and restore threatened habitats, boost bird numbers, reduce the impact of climate change, preserve water supplies and defend communities against flooding, it said in a report.
The most comprehensive analysis of environmental schemes yet undertaken draws on research from the entire 22-year history of initiatives and analyses the impact they have made on England's farmed environment.
Some [pounds sterling]400m was paid to England's farmers through environmental schemes last year. Natural England said spin-off benefits in the wider rural community helped sustain up to 15,000 jobs and generated additional spending of up to [pounds sterling]850m.
Poul Christensen, Natural England acting chairman, said the report provided conclusive proof that agri-environment schemes had repeatedly demonstrated their value as a fundamental part of the farmed landscape.
Schemes had successfully combined the twin goals of caring for the environment and maintaining food production. They had sustained wildlife and heritage, helped combat climate change, educated the wider public and delivered local investment and jobs.
"With the current funding programme for AES due to end in 2013, it is important that we understand the benefits that agri-environment schemes have delivered. We need to ensure that these achievements can be sustained and built on after 2013."
Some 41% of hedgerows (101,665 miles) are now managed through environmental schemes and around 13,000 miles of hedgerows have been restored in the last 10 years, the report states.
While overall farmland bird numbers have suffered declines in recent decades, targeted initiatives have delivered notable successes, with skylarks, cirl buntings and choughs experiencing significant population increases on target sites.
Junior DEFRA minister Jim Fitzpatrick said local habitats and wildlife were being protected and rural landscapes enhanced better than ever before. "Everyone can benefit from the work farmers do to look after the countryside."
Source Citation
"News." Farmers Weekly 6 Nov. 2009. Agriculture Collection. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA211624965&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPAG&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A211624965
With just four years until funding expires, the government must ensure that the benefits of schemes such as environmental stewardship are sustained once the current programme ends in 2013, said Natural England.
An estimated two-thirds of England's farmland is now managed under agri-enviroment schemes - including some of the country's most sensitive and best-loved landscapes, confirms a wide-ranging review by the agency.
Farmers are helping to protect and restore threatened habitats, boost bird numbers, reduce the impact of climate change, preserve water supplies and defend communities against flooding, it said in a report.
The most comprehensive analysis of environmental schemes yet undertaken draws on research from the entire 22-year history of initiatives and analyses the impact they have made on England's farmed environment.
Some [pounds sterling]400m was paid to England's farmers through environmental schemes last year. Natural England said spin-off benefits in the wider rural community helped sustain up to 15,000 jobs and generated additional spending of up to [pounds sterling]850m.
Poul Christensen, Natural England acting chairman, said the report provided conclusive proof that agri-environment schemes had repeatedly demonstrated their value as a fundamental part of the farmed landscape.
Schemes had successfully combined the twin goals of caring for the environment and maintaining food production. They had sustained wildlife and heritage, helped combat climate change, educated the wider public and delivered local investment and jobs.
"With the current funding programme for AES due to end in 2013, it is important that we understand the benefits that agri-environment schemes have delivered. We need to ensure that these achievements can be sustained and built on after 2013."
Some 41% of hedgerows (101,665 miles) are now managed through environmental schemes and around 13,000 miles of hedgerows have been restored in the last 10 years, the report states.
While overall farmland bird numbers have suffered declines in recent decades, targeted initiatives have delivered notable successes, with skylarks, cirl buntings and choughs experiencing significant population increases on target sites.
Junior DEFRA minister Jim Fitzpatrick said local habitats and wildlife were being protected and rural landscapes enhanced better than ever before. "Everyone can benefit from the work farmers do to look after the countryside."
Source Citation
"News." Farmers Weekly 6 Nov. 2009. Agriculture Collection. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA211624965&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPAG&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A211624965
Thursday, March 22, 2012
American forests celebrates the 40th anniversary of the clean water act
HEALTHY FORESTS AND CLEAN water are interdependent. About 60 percent of freshwater resources in this country come from forests, which cover about one-third of the nation's land area. Forests absorb rain, refill underground aquifers, cool and cleanse water, slow storm run off, reduce flooding, regulate the melting of the snowpack at high altitudes, sustain watershed stability and resilience, provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife and supply water-based recreation and other benefits that improve our quality of life. Public concern about adequate supplies of clean water was a major reason for the establishment of a national forest system. American Forests was instrumental in that effort and continues to advocate for sound water policy today.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act's creation. and to bring awareness to the continuing threats to our water resources, American Forests is proud to be a part of the Clean Water Network's Power of Water Campaign. The campaign aims to bring the nation's attention back to protecting our nation's waters so that our families and communities have clean and safe water to drink and the opportunity to swim, fish and safely enjoy our rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. As part of this effort, American Forests is highlighting the vital role forests play in ensuring we have clean water and the need for the protection and maintenance of forested watersheds.
The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) has been to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of our nation's waters. Since the act was passed in 1972, many of our water bodies and waterways are less polluted. Lake Erie, for example, which I was declared "dead" in the 1960s, now supports a multi-million-dollar fishery.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The CWA separates water pollution into two types: point sources and non-point sources. A point source is any "discernible, confined and discrete conveyance from which pollutants are or may be discharged" such as pipes, ditches and wells. Non-point-source pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground, picking up natural and human-made pollutants and depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters. In 1970, point-source pollution accounted for 85 percent of the pollutants in our waters and today accounts for only 15 percent. In addition to this success, the rate of wetland loss has declined by 90 percent since the 1970s. The Clean Water Act has accomplished a great deal over the past four decades, and we are indebted to the visionaries responsible for crafting' this landmark legislation.
But, we, as a nation, have not been as effective at addressing non-point-source pollution or the many new challenges that our rivers, streams and other bodies of water are now facing, such as invasive species. In the past 30 years, there has been a nearly threefold increase in nitrogen pollution from non-point sources entering the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Commercial fertilizer used throughout the basin is the largest source of nitrogen, though other sources that contribute include animal waste, sewage treatment plants and nitrogen in the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion. We need new tools to deal with non-point-source pollution and other emerging threats to water quality--pollutants in stormwater runoff, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, agricultural runoff and invasive species.
Forty years after the Clean Water Act, nearly half of all rivers, lakes and streams are still not swimmable and fishable, largely because of non-point source pollutants. While the 1972 CWA was innovative for its time, it needs an update to better meet the new and complex challenges of the 21st century. Healthy forests and forested watersheds, including riparian buffers, are an important part of any future strategies to address clean and plentiful water supplies. An updated Clean Water Act must recognize the role of forests in restoring and protecting watersheds and make them part of the solution to the water pollution challenges we face today.
Visit http://www.americanforests.org/forests-and-water/ to learn more about how important forests are to our water supply and what you can do to help keep them healthy.
60 percent of freshwater resources in this country come from forests, which cover about one-third of the nation's land area.
DID YOU KNOW?
The forested Catskill Mountains provide more than one billion gallons of freshwater to New York every day.
Source Citation
"American forests celebrates the 40th anniversary of the clean water act." American Forests Winter 2012: 14+. Agriculture Collection. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA281469537&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPAG&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A281469537
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act's creation. and to bring awareness to the continuing threats to our water resources, American Forests is proud to be a part of the Clean Water Network's Power of Water Campaign. The campaign aims to bring the nation's attention back to protecting our nation's waters so that our families and communities have clean and safe water to drink and the opportunity to swim, fish and safely enjoy our rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. As part of this effort, American Forests is highlighting the vital role forests play in ensuring we have clean water and the need for the protection and maintenance of forested watersheds.
The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) has been to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of our nation's waters. Since the act was passed in 1972, many of our water bodies and waterways are less polluted. Lake Erie, for example, which I was declared "dead" in the 1960s, now supports a multi-million-dollar fishery.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The CWA separates water pollution into two types: point sources and non-point sources. A point source is any "discernible, confined and discrete conveyance from which pollutants are or may be discharged" such as pipes, ditches and wells. Non-point-source pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground, picking up natural and human-made pollutants and depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters. In 1970, point-source pollution accounted for 85 percent of the pollutants in our waters and today accounts for only 15 percent. In addition to this success, the rate of wetland loss has declined by 90 percent since the 1970s. The Clean Water Act has accomplished a great deal over the past four decades, and we are indebted to the visionaries responsible for crafting' this landmark legislation.
But, we, as a nation, have not been as effective at addressing non-point-source pollution or the many new challenges that our rivers, streams and other bodies of water are now facing, such as invasive species. In the past 30 years, there has been a nearly threefold increase in nitrogen pollution from non-point sources entering the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Commercial fertilizer used throughout the basin is the largest source of nitrogen, though other sources that contribute include animal waste, sewage treatment plants and nitrogen in the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion. We need new tools to deal with non-point-source pollution and other emerging threats to water quality--pollutants in stormwater runoff, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, agricultural runoff and invasive species.
Forty years after the Clean Water Act, nearly half of all rivers, lakes and streams are still not swimmable and fishable, largely because of non-point source pollutants. While the 1972 CWA was innovative for its time, it needs an update to better meet the new and complex challenges of the 21st century. Healthy forests and forested watersheds, including riparian buffers, are an important part of any future strategies to address clean and plentiful water supplies. An updated Clean Water Act must recognize the role of forests in restoring and protecting watersheds and make them part of the solution to the water pollution challenges we face today.
Visit http://www.americanforests.org/forests-and-water/ to learn more about how important forests are to our water supply and what you can do to help keep them healthy.
60 percent of freshwater resources in this country come from forests, which cover about one-third of the nation's land area.
DID YOU KNOW?
The forested Catskill Mountains provide more than one billion gallons of freshwater to New York every day.
Source Citation
"American forests celebrates the 40th anniversary of the clean water act." American Forests Winter 2012: 14+. Agriculture Collection. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA281469537&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPAG&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A281469537
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Face the sun
India, March 15 -- Air - Conditioned homes and offices and AC vehicles with dark glasses that protect from UV rays are now integral parts of our lifestyle. But by avoiding sunlight by using sunscreens and umbrellas one denies the body an important nutrient-vitamin D. All forms of life exposed to sunlight can produce this vitamin, which plays a vital role in the growth and maintenance of bone health by enabling the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked to rickets (soft and deformed bones), osteoporosis, cancers, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. "Low level of the vitamin also raises the level of parathyroid hormone in the body. The hormone mobilises calcium from the bones, worsening bone health and causes one to lose phosphorus through urine," says Sorna Velayudham, former professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Tamil Nadu Medical Services in Chennai. Furthermore, "Activation of parathyroid hormone can lead to secondary hyperparathyroidism," adds Madhavi Garimella, endocrinologist with Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico in the US. She calls this vitamin "the vitamin of the decade". In her words, "we have become more aware of this vitamin and its deficiency in the past one decade". Doctors are reporting higher number of patients with vitamin D deficiency. But vitamin D cannot be measured directly in the blood. It rapidly changes into another form in the liver so its metabolite, 25-hydroxyvitamin D- 25(OH)D-is me a s ured. This is done either by using the immunoassay or chromatographic techniques which need a standard to compare results. But there is no standard. Recently, researchers at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam assessed six assays for the vitamin and found most immunoassays were inaccurate. Also countries use various methods to measure the vitamin levels. In India, levels of 25(OH)D are analysed in terms of its inverse relationship with parathyroid hormone levels and association with reduced bone mineral content. Renewed hope Now to take care of the inaccuracies, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology at Maryland in the US have developed a Standard Reference Material-SRM 972. It will help determine the level of the metabolite in blood. "In the absence of certified reference materials for 25(OH)D, establishing the accuracy of assays has remained elusive," write researchers in a recent issue of Analytical Chemistry. It is the first certified material for vitamin D metabolite. "Our goal was to provide a way to evaluate the accuracy of the methods, independent of which method is being used," says Karen Phinney, lead researcher. The way out The Endocrine Society Clinical Guidelines states that without vitamin D, only 10-15 per cent of dietary calcium and 60 per cent of phosphorus is absorbed. With optimal levels, these numbers can go up to 30-40 per cent and 80 per cent respectively. The guidelines also state that vitamin D levels above 30 nanogram (ng) per ml are optimal, anything below 20 ng/ml is deficiency and 21-29 ng/ml is considered insufficient. The reason for this deficiency, apart from lifestyle, says Garimella, is change in food and dietary preferences over the past few years. Velayudham agrees, "People change their dietary preferences but do not realise that they should make up for what is lacking. Milk is a great source of this vitamin. But people are switching to dairy-free diet," says Velayudham. People with low vitamin D level are advised to take supplements. For people who do not want to take supplements, exposure to sun and consumption of vitamin D-rich food are sufficient. "It is neither difficult nor expensive to obtain optimal vitamin D levels in our body. All one requires is some exercise and sunlight," says Garimella. A 'pinkish tinge on the skin' is an indication of optimum exposure to sunlight for activation of vitamin D in the body, say the Endocrine Society Guidelines.
Source Citation
"Face the sun." Down To Earth 15 Mar. 2012. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA283121940&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A283121940
India, March 15 -- Air - Conditioned homes and offices and AC vehicles with dark glasses that protect from UV rays are now integral parts of our lifestyle. But by avoiding sunlight by using sunscreens and umbrellas one denies the body an important nutrient-vitamin D. All forms of life exposed to sunlight can produce this vitamin, which plays a vital role in the growth and maintenance of bone health by enabling the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked to rickets (soft and deformed bones), osteoporosis, cancers, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. "Low level of the vitamin also raises the level of parathyroid hormone in the body. The hormone mobilises calcium from the bones, worsening bone health and causes one to lose phosphorus through urine," says Sorna Velayudham, former professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Tamil Nadu Medical Services in Chennai. Furthermore, "Activation of parathyroid hormone can lead to secondary hyperparathyroidism," adds Madhavi Garimella, endocrinologist with Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico in the US. She calls this vitamin "the vitamin of the decade". In her words, "we have become more aware of this vitamin and its deficiency in the past one decade". Doctors are reporting higher number of patients with vitamin D deficiency. But vitamin D cannot be measured directly in the blood. It rapidly changes into another form in the liver so its metabolite, 25-hydroxyvitamin D- 25(OH)D-is me a s ured. This is done either by using the immunoassay or chromatographic techniques which need a standard to compare results. But there is no standard. Recently, researchers at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam assessed six assays for the vitamin and found most immunoassays were inaccurate. Also countries use various methods to measure the vitamin levels. In India, levels of 25(OH)D are analysed in terms of its inverse relationship with parathyroid hormone levels and association with reduced bone mineral content. Renewed hope Now to take care of the inaccuracies, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology at Maryland in the US have developed a Standard Reference Material-SRM 972. It will help determine the level of the metabolite in blood. "In the absence of certified reference materials for 25(OH)D, establishing the accuracy of assays has remained elusive," write researchers in a recent issue of Analytical Chemistry. It is the first certified material for vitamin D metabolite. "Our goal was to provide a way to evaluate the accuracy of the methods, independent of which method is being used," says Karen Phinney, lead researcher. The way out The Endocrine Society Clinical Guidelines states that without vitamin D, only 10-15 per cent of dietary calcium and 60 per cent of phosphorus is absorbed. With optimal levels, these numbers can go up to 30-40 per cent and 80 per cent respectively. The guidelines also state that vitamin D levels above 30 nanogram (ng) per ml are optimal, anything below 20 ng/ml is deficiency and 21-29 ng/ml is considered insufficient. The reason for this deficiency, apart from lifestyle, says Garimella, is change in food and dietary preferences over the past few years. Velayudham agrees, "People change their dietary preferences but do not realise that they should make up for what is lacking. Milk is a great source of this vitamin. But people are switching to dairy-free diet," says Velayudham. People with low vitamin D level are advised to take supplements. For people who do not want to take supplements, exposure to sun and consumption of vitamin D-rich food are sufficient. "It is neither difficult nor expensive to obtain optimal vitamin D levels in our body. All one requires is some exercise and sunlight," says Garimella. A 'pinkish tinge on the skin' is an indication of optimum exposure to sunlight for activation of vitamin D in the body, say the Endocrine Society Guidelines.
Source Citation
"Face the sun." Down To Earth 15 Mar. 2012. Environmental Studies and Policy. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA283121940&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=PPES&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A283121940
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Trumpf aids Tsunami survivors
Almost six months after the tsunami struck southeast Asia, the survivors still depend on outside aid. Through its Indonesian Partner, PT Guna Electro and their joint ventures, the Trumpf Group, Ditzingen, Germany, has projects underway to provide clean drinking water to the Indonesian province of Aceh. This project is a follow-up to the aid provided by major relief organizations immediately after the tsunami, and offers long-term support for the people in the region hit hardest.
Of the 10 donated water treatment plants, eight are operating in three refugee camps in Neuheun, Lambreh, and Lhoong, all located in the Aceh region, and two are on the island of Nias, where a serious earthquake occurred in April 2005.
After the disaster, almost 12,000 people found temporary shelter in the Aceh camps. Supplying them with fresh drinking water was a major problem.
Until recently, trucks carrying drinking water daily into the camps barely met basic hygienic requirements. The donated treatment plants eliminated the shortage.
Trumpf's employees from Germany and Indonesia purchased the plants, acquired the components, assembled the systems, and adjusted them to tropical conditions.
The camps were selected by the firm in conjunction with the Indonesian relief organization Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD), which will service and maintain the plants. Trumpf's volunteers trained plant operators onsite while activating the systems. For the transport, installation and operation of the plants on Nias, the firm works with an organization called "Resources & Energy Development."
Seven Trumpf employees worked full-time on the relief action for Indonesia. The project was financed jointly by Trumpf and its employees. The firm contributed 75,000 euros, and employees in subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, and France donated an additional 25,000 euros.
The German-based company Schmalz + Schoen, with whom Trumpf works closely, assumed the logistics and organization costs for transporting the plants. Another German company, WBG Wasser Bau Gesellschaft Kulmbach mbH, provided technical support and know-how for building the plants.
"Obviously, we could have simply sent financial aid, but thanks to our companies in Indonesia and the expertise of our Indonesian employees, it was possible to provide help on a personal level," says Trumpf's executive vice president Dr. Mathias Kammuller.
Foreign sales director Jorg Kienast coordinated the relief efforts from the firm's Ditzingen headquarters. According to Kienast, contrary to some reports in the media, Trumpf's cooperative partnership with the Indonesian government is working well. "Even the separatist organization Aceh Free Movement did not interfere with our relief activities. To date, all local projects are going well."
Source Citation
"Trumpf aids Tsunami survivors." Welding Design & Fabrication July 2005: 4. General OneFile. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA134954089&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A134954089
Almost six months after the tsunami struck southeast Asia, the survivors still depend on outside aid. Through its Indonesian Partner, PT Guna Electro and their joint ventures, the Trumpf Group, Ditzingen, Germany, has projects underway to provide clean drinking water to the Indonesian province of Aceh. This project is a follow-up to the aid provided by major relief organizations immediately after the tsunami, and offers long-term support for the people in the region hit hardest.
Of the 10 donated water treatment plants, eight are operating in three refugee camps in Neuheun, Lambreh, and Lhoong, all located in the Aceh region, and two are on the island of Nias, where a serious earthquake occurred in April 2005.
After the disaster, almost 12,000 people found temporary shelter in the Aceh camps. Supplying them with fresh drinking water was a major problem.
Until recently, trucks carrying drinking water daily into the camps barely met basic hygienic requirements. The donated treatment plants eliminated the shortage.
Trumpf's employees from Germany and Indonesia purchased the plants, acquired the components, assembled the systems, and adjusted them to tropical conditions.
The camps were selected by the firm in conjunction with the Indonesian relief organization Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD), which will service and maintain the plants. Trumpf's volunteers trained plant operators onsite while activating the systems. For the transport, installation and operation of the plants on Nias, the firm works with an organization called "Resources & Energy Development."
Seven Trumpf employees worked full-time on the relief action for Indonesia. The project was financed jointly by Trumpf and its employees. The firm contributed 75,000 euros, and employees in subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, and France donated an additional 25,000 euros.
The German-based company Schmalz + Schoen, with whom Trumpf works closely, assumed the logistics and organization costs for transporting the plants. Another German company, WBG Wasser Bau Gesellschaft Kulmbach mbH, provided technical support and know-how for building the plants.
"Obviously, we could have simply sent financial aid, but thanks to our companies in Indonesia and the expertise of our Indonesian employees, it was possible to provide help on a personal level," says Trumpf's executive vice president Dr. Mathias Kammuller.
Foreign sales director Jorg Kienast coordinated the relief efforts from the firm's Ditzingen headquarters. According to Kienast, contrary to some reports in the media, Trumpf's cooperative partnership with the Indonesian government is working well. "Even the separatist organization Aceh Free Movement did not interfere with our relief activities. To date, all local projects are going well."
Source Citation
"Trumpf aids Tsunami survivors." Welding Design & Fabrication July 2005: 4. General OneFile. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA134954089&v=2.1&u=22054_acld&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w
Gale Document Number: GALE|A134954089
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