Minimizing Damage Before and After Wildfires

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Minimizing Damage Before and After Wildfires

There has long been a lot of conversation surrounding the existence of wildfires and the damage they cause landscapes and surrounding environments such as the air and possible water sources, etc. Here in the United States, wildfires were of massive concern and all over the news on the West Coast. In fact, just this month (December, 2017), fires surged through Sonoma County, California devastating 28,000 acres of land, causing over 20,000 evacuations, killing at least 17 people, and leaving widespread devastation in it’s wake. These fires are not uncommon.

Why does this matter?

Well, wildfires can be much more widespread in scope than just the immediately effected area. For instance, when vegetation that provides food, heat, water, clean air, lumber, and more uses gets is lost in these tragic infernos, it’s inevitable that surrounding communities, and far-reaching places will feel the effect of these losses. For one, it’s an obvious net loss, and, consequently, resources need to be pulled in from elsewhere to make up for the loss.

So, the question is, how do we minimize damage of these freak occurrences? Is it possible?

The short is, “absolutely.”

But it’s a study. And a serious one at that. It’s something the requires taking a close look at landscapes and the inherent makeup of land that is more often subject to wildfires than others. For instance, wildfires thrive off of dry and arid conditions. So, an obvious first line of thought is in the soil – which of course is something we’re very into here at Global Environmental Solutions. Not only does the soil play a direct role into the fertileness of vegetation and of “life” in general, it also can play an important role in spread of fires.

For instance, making an attempt at maintaining a level of moisture in soil can help retard the spread of wildfire. This can be achieved with an application of products such as our DirtGlue® soil stabilization solution which aides in “compacting” soil and keeping it bound together more succinctly to hold in moisture and cancel out pockets that can further dry out surrounding terrain. Our DirtGlue hydromulch blend solution can also help lock moisture in and aide in the development of more fertile environments for the spread of vegetation which can consequently add more tempered degrees of humidity and moisture to there air and soil – which, as we know, fire does not like.

Another study is in how a terrain slopes and slides. By building up terrain in areas you can legitimately change the course of potential wildfires, which will greatly decrease spread and saturation of flames – giving firefighters more of a fighting chance of remediating a threat.

As is evident, at the heart of all this talk about wildfires is the effect such a development can have on an ecosystem. A healthy ecosystem is vital to sustain life. Minimizing damage by generating preventative measure is a thought worth pondering. And, if you are hit with this type of devastation, getting an ecosystem back up and running at a healthy rate is a must. Our solutions can help you germinate and get vegetation back in production, which will help pump life back into an existing ecosystem.

If you’ve put thought into it, give us a call to learn how we can help facilitate stronger, healthier results. If you haven’t thought about it, now’s the time – we’re here to help consult you through the ins, outs, and potential throes of wildfires.

Controlling the Dust Around Your Equestrian Facilities

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equestrian dust

In the northern half of North America, winter is in full swing. Thus, for horse owners/trainers, and us equestrians more time is spent indoors – in our barns, and at the indoor riding facilities. Winter also means that the air is significantly drier as humidity has hunkered down for the season. With all this in mind, we thought we’d spend some time talking about the proactive measures one should be taking to provide and maintain a safe and healthy environment for both the horses and humans taking up residence in our facilities. This is not merely conversation for us here in the north by any means. We just needed to let you know that we’re cold up here… But we’re not complaining! Life moves on…

So, what are you doing to assure your facilities are optimized for safety and healthy conditions?

The reality of spending more time in indoor arenas means a greater chance for dust to impede a healthy environment. Generally speaking, the activity taking place and the dirt that’s in place counteract with one another. It’s imperative to take control and make sure that the track/trotting/living surface remains intact and on the ground rather than in the air and in your (or your horses) lungs. Right? Right.

This is where Global Environmental Solutions comes in. We’ve studied the terrain of equestrian facilities long and hard and have come up with a product that keeps soil intact and surfaces optimized for impact, performance, and health. Said product is ArenaKleen®, which is the only horse arena dust control product that eliminates the health hazards of dust without the need for water or the drawbacks of water based dust control products. With ArenaKleen® dust suppressant, horses, riders and trainers can work safely and comfortably in the arena, stables, or anywhere dust is a problem. ArenaKleen® has been know to keep on working for years with a single application.

Other horse arena dust control products just coat the dust particles; ArenaKleen® works differently. ArenaKleen® is formulated to absorb into each individual soil particle, meaning that soil particles remain in direct contact with each other, ensuring firm footing, and excellent traction with no stickiness, and thus no tracking.

The other product we’re passionate about is DustLess® dust suppressant. For all intents and purposes, the name says it all…

DustLess® soaks into the individual soil/dust particles, making them too heavy to move, thus eliminating dust. It does not form a crust and never evaporates, thereby being unaffected by traffic. DustLess® lasts a very long time, often giving you 9-12 months or more of dust control with one application. Furthermore, when it’s time to reapply, it’s done at a much lower usage rate ensuring cost-effective, long lasting dust control.

And let’s not place the focus entirely on the indoor facility. Parking lots, and fields surrounding your facility (as well as outdoor tracks of course) could all greatly benefit from the proactive approach of eliminating dust from the surrounding environment.

Introducing GES products to any working piece of your facility has myriad benefits including:

  • Bolstered longevity of facility
  • Longer, healthier life of horses (and humans)
  • Adds value to facility
  • Increased performance across the board
  • Environmentally friendly

Let’s make sure your facility is primed and ready for healthier conditions and bolstered performance. Give us a call today to learn about the advantages of utilizing GES products in and around the barn.

GES Polymer Products Create Extreme Surface Betterment in the Extreme Arena

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Dirtglue Extreme Sports Arena

Have you ever taken your kid to watch the Monster Trucks in an indoor arena (okay, some of us go sans kids… it’s okay…) How about a bull riding event? Or maybe you’ve witnessed dirt bikes and rally cars ripping around an arena? What about BMX bikes ripping turns and flying through the air off of jumps that stay intact?

Any takers?

It’s pretty mesmerizing stuff.

Here’s another question (as if there aren’t enough above):

Have you ever wondered how the dirt stays in place in those spaces?

Seriously. How does a massive vehicle like a monster truck – that’s bombing around and entering itself into an endless cycle of aggressive donuts – not create any dust? How are you not getting pelted with sand and stone in the comfort of your plastic seat?

Simple.

DirtGlue.

Or, for a higher-level answer, Global Environmental Solutions (that’s us!) and our suite of polymer, earth controlling products.

It’s possible you haven’t wondered about it, but we guarantee the next time you’re sitting there, you’ll be slack-jawed and wide-eyed in wonderment.

But yes, products like DirtGlue, ArenaKleen, DustLess, and others have enabled event organizers and facility management teams worldwide to produce these events while keeping the environment, venue, extreme athletes, vehicles, and you, the ticketed patron, safe.

One project DirtGlue Australasia was involved with recently was the development of a pump track, which was implemented at Ern Halliday Recreation Camp in Western Australia. They partnered with Three Chillies Trails Design to help facilitate the build out of the track, which will see extensive use out of mountain bikers and thrill seeking bikers as well. This was a very cool project that put to good use our polymer prowess to literally help keep the track in place, and free of dust in the air.

Three ChilliesSaid Three Chillies:

“With the grand opening of Three Chillies Trails designed and constructed pump track for the Department of Sport and Recreation at the Ern Halliday Camp School comes another exciting announcement for us:

We are proud to be able to offer a natural looking hard wearing alternative to hot mix tarmac surfacing.

We have achieved this by using Green Track Solutions DirtGlue polymer product and a high quality screened road base gravel to create the ride surface…

This product gives us the opportunity to create tracks and trails with the grip, longevity and fast rolling feel of hot mix tarmac, while maintaining our ethos of natural feeling and looking surfaces within the Parks and Green Spaces that we work in.”

There you have it. When it comes to extreme activities that are the cause for exceptional fun, you need an extreme product that’s both safe and strong enough to get the most out of the “playing surface.” That’s where we come in. And we win every time…

Environmental Solutions: For the Earth with the Earth in Mind.

Trails & Rails – DustLess, DirtGlue, DirtGlue Polymer Pavement System

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Masonry Waterproofing

As you likely know, Global Environmental Solutions is all about the study of terrain and facilitating the engagement of products that help our customers take better control of whatever terrain and unique project their faced with. In short, we’re our customer’s best friend. There are myriad options on the market, but there exists no line of products as tried and true as the GES line in the face of both functionality and environmental wellbeing. Further, to optimize the impact of our solutions on your project, we will customize solutions to meet your unique requirements. This isn’t a “one size fits all” kind of operation/organization!

A couple of areas our suite of products is greatly suited for are the cultivation and maintenance of the vast occurrences of rails and trails. There are countless of each throughout the world, and both require unique applications related to the users end-goal(s).

With the construction or revamp of a rail system, the terrain is the most important part of the equation assuming you’re hoping for a smooth train ride through-and-through. When you look at them, railways are “built up.” They’re typically not simply “flat,” but are developed on level ground atop controlled “banking” that helps prevent tie rot and other environmental variables.

When it comes to trails, state agencies have made it a part of their annual budget cycle to repair, revamp, and construct new walking trails through the woods, and/or around town and state parks. Some of these trails are literally just earth – dirt, roots, gravel – some of them are built up and paved for safe walking practices.

How can Global Environmental Solutions help create strong rail and trail systems?

Here are several products that you can benefit from utilizing:

  • DustLess® – Similar “topical” products merely coat terrain to enable dust control for a limited amount of time (until the product dries out), but DustLess® is an absolute workhorse when you’re looking to address the most accessible layer of a rail or trail way. While competitor dust suppression treatments coat the dust particles; DustLess®  soaks into the individual soil/dust particles and making them too heavy to move, thus eliminating dust.
  • DirtGlue® – DirtGlue® polymer emulsion is a powerful, high-tech bonding agent specifically engineered to bond soil particles together. This product comes in handy at the outset of a project like trail or rail creation/renovation because it allows you to establish a strong base from which to work without the worry of uncertainty and a variable base of terrain.
  • DirtGlue Polymer Pavement System – The DGE Polymer Pavement System consists of a few of our products rolled into one convenient “kit.” When you’re developing a net new trail system (of the paved variety), and/or a higher end railway system, you need something that is ahead of the curve and sure to address myriad moving pieces and parts. The DGE Polymer Pavement System establishes a solid foundation, a waterproofing agent (TerraDry® ) and a powerful, high-tech bonding agent (DirtGlue® Industrial). It is significantly less expensive to construct and maintain than asphalt or concrete while producing a permanent, hardened surface that equals or exceeds the strength and lifespan of asphalt at the sample application thickness. In short, it insures a durable smooth surface that resists erosion and traffic shear.

When it comes to the development and maintenance of unique trail and railways there are a LOT of options. If you’d like proven experience matched with kindhearted customer service, we’re here to take your call and talk you through your product. Contact us today and we’ll get you on the trial to environmentally sound (and safe!) success.

Global Environmental Solutions: Conquering your unique project goals with customized solutions – yesterday, today, and all your tomorrows.

Controlling dust in solar farms – DustLess & DirtGlue

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Fugitive Dust Control

One of the hottest trends in renewable energy today is the solar power industry. Consumers across the country are adopting solar panel arrays for use on residential and commercial properties to offset their overall energy consumption. In fact, over the span of the last decade, solar has experienced an average annual growth rate of 68% nationwide. This is largely due to the fact that the price to install solar panel arrays has dropped by more than 70% since 2010, which has enabled such significant growth.

Another aspect of the solar industry is the implementation and application of the solar farm. The Solar Energy Industries Association estimates that there are nearly 6,000 major solar projects currently in their database (identifying solar “farms” producing 1 MW and above), representing roughly 70 GW of capacity. A large portion of ground mounted solar farms exist in places with expansive ranges of land such as deserts which have minimal ideal use outside of the fact that they make a great home for solar panel arrays.

What does this mean?

Well, in the instance of a desert you’re going to have to worry about an obvious environmental condition known “a lot of dust.”

Why do I need to worry about dust?

For one, dust in the air isn’t the greatest thing to breathe in to the human lungs. But, outside of health concerns, and more on point with the dialogue here, dust can, in fact, deter solar panel arrays from “firing on all cylinders” – compromising their performance, enabling less than optimized solar production generated from the suns UV rays.

You see, the accumulation of dust on the solar cells of a panel array worsens day by day if it goes unattended to – especially in regions known for their high rate of dust, and low frequency and intensity of rain, such as deserts. The accumulated dust on solar cell panels acts as a shield of sorts, which leads to poor performance until the panels are cleaned manually, or hit with some falling rain. Tested outdoor measurements in these conditions found that regular dust accumulation reduces the solar cells efficiency by about 10%. That’s not an insignificant number.

That’s where Global Environmental Solutions comes in. Sure, it would prove useful if solar panel arrays were monitored closely and cleared of debris such as dust accumulation, but we’re here to tell you that there’s a more proactive approach, which will lend to the need for far fewer “quality checks.”

How’s that?

Control the dust situation at its root. With our line of products – specifically DirtGlue and our DustLess solutions – you’re tackling the terrain your solar panel farm is both installed in, and subject to. DirtGlue keeps the earth in place, and, for all intents and purposes, strengthens the soil around your ground-mounted units. DustLess, which is also a highly utilized solution keeps the dust at bay, or, grounded, if you will, which directly effects the efficiency and production of solar panel arrays.

Benefits of utilizing DirtGlue and/or DustLess in conjunction with your ground mounted solar panel implementation project:

  • Bolster energy production
  • Minimize manual labor
  • Create a healthier overall environment
  • Create stronger installation points/bonds

Global Environmental Solutions: For the earth, with the earth in mind.