EPA Climate Leaders Program Reaches 200 Partners

Launched in 2002, the program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a voluntary strategy that works with companies to measure greenhouse gas emissions and to set aggressive long-term emissions reduction goals. The partners represent a range of industries in all 50 states.

Last week, EPA welcomed 51 new partners as Climate Leaders to breaking the 200 partner mark. In addition, eight companies took the next step in the partnership by announcing new greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions goals. Together, EPA's Climate Leaders represent more than 10% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and have pledged to prevent estimated GHG emissions equivalent to nine million cars annually.

"EPA's Climate Leader partners are proving that businesses don't need to break the bank to do what's good for the environment," said EPA administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "These leading companies are reducing their climate footprints in cost-effective ways."

The eight companies that are announcing aggressive new greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals are: Baxter International Inc., Deerfield, IL; Burt's Bees Inc., Durham, NC; Campbell Soup Co., Camden, NJ; Cherokee Investment Partners, Raleigh, NC; Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, CA; Deere & Co., Moline, IL; Millipore Corp., Billerica, MA; and Petaluma Poultry, Petaluma, CA.

The 51 companies that are joining Climate Leaders as new partners are:
AGM USA, Tempe, AZ;
American Packaging Corp., Rochester, NY;
Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, KS;
Berry Plastics Corp., Evansville, IN;
Bluebonnet Electric Co-op., Bastrop, TX;
Boise Paper, Boise, ID;
Capital One Financial Corp., Richmond, VA;
Clements Environmental, Los Angeles, CA;
Coca-Cola Enterprises, Atlanta, GA;
Evelyn Hill Inc., New York, NY;
Freescale Semiconductor Inc., Austin, TX;
FXFOWLE Architects, PC, New York, NY;
Grand Canyon North Rim, LLC, Page, AZ;
Greenstar North America, Houston, TX;
GXS, Gaithersburg, MD;
Harbec Plastics, Ontario, NY;
Harrah's Entertainment, Las Vegas, NV;
HydroPoint Data Systems Inc., Petaluma, CA;
LSI Corp., Milpitas, CA;
Monadnock Paper Mills Inc., Bennington, NH;
MOSAIC, Cheverly, MD;
MWH Global Inc., Broomfield, CO;
Nicholas Earth Printing, LLC, Houston, TX;
One Boston Place LLC, Boston, MA;
PHH Arval, Sparks, MD;
Pizza Fusion, Fort Lauderdale, FL;
Potomac-Hudson Engineering Inc., Readfield, ME;
PrintFast, LLC, Roselle Park, NJ;
Progressive Environmental & Safety, Overland Park, KS;
Prudential Services Limited, Lansing, MI;
Publix Super Markets Inc., Lakeland, FL;
Pure & Gentle Soap, Seguin, TX;
Puronics Inc., Livermore, CA;
Ram Offset, White City, OR;
Rizco Design, Manasquan, NJ;
Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, WI;
Schering-Plough Corp., Kenilworth, NJ;
Scout Real Estate Capital, LLC, Nantucket, MA;
Sid Richardson Carbon and Energy Co., Fort Worth, TX;
SKF USA Inc., Norristown, PA;
Smithfield Foods Inc., Smithfield, VA;
Teradata Corp., Miamisburg, OH;
The Boeing Co., Chicago, IL;
The Clorox Co., Oakland, CA;
The Mosaic Co., Mulberry, FL;
The Tidewater Group, York, ME;
True Manufacturing Co. Inc., O'Fallon, MO;
Wafertech L.L.C., Camas, WA;
Wells Fargo, San Francisco, CA;
Western States Envelope Co., Butler, WI;
Wilton Armetale, Mount Joy, PA

Guide For Businesses Available From EPA

Developed in consultation with Businesses for Social Responsibility (BSR), the publication focuses on partnership programs from the EPA. "A Business Guide to U.S. EPA Climate Partnership Programs" features profiles on 35 EPA climate-change related partnership programs, as well as a table designed to assist companies find the programs most appropriate for their industry and business objectives.

Each program profile defines the environmental value delivered by the program and the business case for participating, such as cost savings, operational efficiency, reduced business risk, new or expanded markets, enhanced reputation and brand protection.

The EPA's Climate Partnership Programs include the following areas of focus:
Agriculture, Air Quality, Energy Efficiency and Global Climate Change, Pollution Prevention, Product Labeling, Regulatory Innovation, Sector Programs, Technology, Transportation, Waste Management, Water, and Regional Partnership Programs.

The new guide for businessses also describes some of the benefits an organization can gain by partnering with EPA, such as environmental performance benchmarking, public recognition, professional training and networking, and preparation for regulatory developments. There are currently more than 13,000 firms and other organizations participating in EPA climate related partnership programs. Through participation, members are investing in energy efficiency, clean energy supply, and other practices and technologies for mitigating climate risks.

EPA developed the guide in consultation with Businesses for Social Responsibility (BSR), a nonprofit business association. BSR, which provides practical resources for businesses seeking sustainable solutions, is promoting the guide to its 250 members and other Global 1000 enterprises.

The guide can be downloaded as a PDF file from www.epa.gov/partners.

EPA Recognizes Performance Track Leaders

On May 21, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced 2008 awards to a limited number of National Environmental Performance Track members for exceptional achievements in reducing their facility environmental footprints, reaching out to local communities, working with state agencies, and demonstrating environmental stewardship at the corporate level. Performance Track, what EPA calls its most comprehensive environmental leadership program, recognizes and drives environmental excellence by encouraging facilities with strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal requirements.

"Our Performance Track leaders are helping change the way businesses view their responsibility to protect our shared environment," said Johnson. "These companies are meeting this challenge by proving that doing what's good for our environment is also good for business."

Since the program's inception in June 2000, Performance Track membership has grown to more than 500 facilities in 49 states and Puerto Rico, and members have made more than 3,500 commitments to the environment. Through their combined environmental efforts, Performance Track member facilities have reported cumulative reductions in water use of 5.2 billion gallons, greenhouse gas reductions of 309,780 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, increases in use of recycled materials in production by 559,991 tons, and conservation of 16,809 acres of habitat. Many of the members' achievements address issues that are not covered by current regulations.

EPA is designating Xerox Corp. of Webster, NY the 2008 Performance Track Corporate Leader for its exceptional corporate wide commitment to environmental stewardship and continuous improvement, and for its substantial involvement in Performance Track. All five of Xerox's U.S. manufacturing facilities are members of Performance Track. Xerox joins the ranks of other Performance Track Corporate Leaders: Baxter Healthcare Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Rockwell Collins, and Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

Also receiving environmental performance awards were: TDK Components USA Inc., Peachtree, GA; Rohm and Haas, Kankakee, IL; Lafarge Aggregates SE, Douglassville, GA; and the Naval Air Engineering Station, Lakehurst, NJ. EPA made its selection based on members' progress toward achieving environmental performance goals and the breadth and challenge of these goals.

The winners for extraordinary efforts in outreach are the Management and Engineering Services, LLC, Longmont, CO; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Palmdale, CA; Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC., Wilson, NC; and Hewlett Packard, Corvallis, OR. Outreach award winners make a special effort to inform the public on what it means to be a Performance Track member through presentations, promotional materials, and employee awareness.

Two state agencies—the State of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Services, and the State of South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Waste Management Division—received special recognition for supporting Performance Track and its members.

The state of Louisiana expedited issuance of air and water permits for Marathon Oil based on the company's environmental performance and Performance Track membership. In South Dakota, the state agency collaborated with Ellsworth Air Force Base to provide regulatory benefits that enable the facility to pursue its environmental goals.

At the awards ceremony on May 21, Administrator Johnson also officially welcomed 97 new facilities that have joined Performance Track since May 2007.

The awards dinner was is held in conjunction with the fifth annual National Environmental Partnership Summit, an interdisciplinary gathering of environmental professionals and assistance providers from diverse sectors all over the world. It was created five years ago with the merger of the annual meetings of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, the Compliance Assistance Providers' Forum and the Performance Track Participants' Association.

Safer Detergents To Be Recognized by EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Design for the Environment (DfE) Program has announced the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI). Through SDSI, the DfE Program will recognize environmental leaders who voluntarily commit to the use of safer surfactants. These surfactants are defined by the program as those that break down quickly to non-polluting compounds and help protect aquatic life.

DfE will recognize businesses engaged in the production or use of surfactants, as well as those involved in the purchase or distribution of products containing surfactants. Others, including non-profit organizations, may qualify through actively encouraging the use of safer surfactants.

A fact sheet on the initiative and an application for recognition are available for download on DfE's web site at www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/formulat/sdsi.htm.

Applications must be submitted no later than May 30, 2008. Awards will be presented in late 2008 in Washington, DC.

Whatever your role, the awards can help to identify detergents that can be used to help to protect our natural environment.

Interested parties can contact David DiFiore at EPA by sending an e-mail to: difiore.david@epa.gov

California Group Receives $20,000 Grant To Combat Waste

StopWaste.Org in Alameda County, CA has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help expand its “Use Reusables” campaign beyond the County borders and into selected partner communities throughout the Bay Area in California. StopWaste.Org is the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board operating as one public agency.

The Use Reusables campaign is focused on educating and aiding businesses in obtaining the resources they need to adopt reusable transport packaging and reduce their impact on the waste stream. StopWaste.org was awarded the $20,000 in the competitive program that funds innovative projects that address solid waste reduction and management.

To read about what some suppliers are doing to minimize transport packaging, see, "Reducing Waste, Coming And Going," which appeared in the February 2008 issue of TFM.

“We’re very excited about being able to take our program to the next level,” says Justin Lehrer, program manager for the Use Reusables campaign. “Businesses generate thousands of tons of waste each year in Alameda County alone, so extending beyond county borders and educating entire supply chains on the financial and environmental benefits of reusables is an incredible opportunity.”

In the coming weeks StopWaste.Org will be working with EPA staff to develop a workplan and relationships with partner jurisdictions who are interested in joining the campaign.

StopWaste’s Business Assistance program launched the Use Reusables campaign as a culmination of several years of nationwide research and development on the most beneficial, enduring and replicable practices for commercial waste prevention. Over 60 waste prevention practices were identified, and reusable transport packaging surfaced as the most promising group of practices for preventing waste. Reusable transport packaging replaces one-time (and limited-use) pallets and boxes with reusable totes, bins, and pallets.

The campaign was developed in partnership with the Reusable Pallet and Container Coalition (RPCC), a non-profit trade association representing manufacturers, distributors, and others in the reusable transport packaging industry.

New Site Offers Higher Ed FMs Information On Environmental Compliance

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a new Web-based compliance assistance center for colleges and universities. The site aims to provide comprehensive environmental compliance assistance and pollution prevention information. The Campus Environmental Resource Center was developed by the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officials with support and funding from EPA.

The Web site was designed to make it easier for school officials to learn about applicable environmental regulations and ensure a safe and sustainable environment for their students, faculty, and staff. The online center provides information on topics including waste management, air and water resources, drinking water, and public safety.

Users can find out what types of campus activities are regulated by EPA, see how best to comply with environmental regulations, query federal enforcement and compliance data, learn how to apply for federal grants, and e-mail comments to EPA on regulations under development.

Facility professionals not in higher education may find EPA's 15 other Web-based compliance assistance centers useful. These centers address agriculture, auto repair, automotive recycling, chemicals, construction, federal facilities, health care, local government, metal finishing, paints and coatings, printed wiring board, printing, transportation, tribal, and U.S. borders.

All compliance assistance centers, including for colleges and universities, can be accessed at: www.epa.gov/compliance/assistance/centers/index.html