NPPR News
|
|
|
Message from the Chair
|
|
|
Pollution Prevention Week 2022 poster, designed by Rowan Lambert |
by Laura Henne
Over a hundred years ago, “the indiscriminate slaughter of pelicans for their feathers […] led [President Theodore] Roosevelt to create the first National Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island [in Louisiana] in 1903[.]” (Reminisce here) Fifty years ago, the eastern brown pelican was actually rendered extirpated in Louisiana due to the scourge of DDT. After that pesticide was banned, the pelican became one of conservation’s most celebrated success stories. Now, oil spills and climate change are threatening the pelican in Louisiana yet again. (Modern pelican issues)
The eastern brown pelican appears on the Louisiana state flag (in white) and has long been a symbol of that state. Now it plays a starring role on the beautiful P2 Week poster designed by student artist Rowan Lambert.
The design is available for purchase on a mug, t-shirt, and more.
We asked the artist to say a few words about herself: "My name is Rowan Lambert. I am a senior mural artist at the University of New Orleans. I specialize in portraiture and use bright, saturated colors in my artworks. However, I am shifting my focus to environmental artwork about animals, specifically birds, to highlight the devastating effects of climate change on our flying friends. I am a pioneer in the state of Louisiana for the Audubon Mural Project and am very passionate about environmental justice."
I hope everyone had a productive Pollution Prevention Week! |
2022 MVP2 Award Winners
|
|
|
B.C. Williams Bakery Service, Inc.: 2022 MVP2 Project/Program Award Winner |
NPPR announces the year's Most Valuable Pollution Prevention (MVP2) Award winners during P2 Week in September each year. The 2022 MVP2 winners are quite outstanding, and we are so happy to congratulate them!
Project/Program: B.C. Williams Bakery Service, Inc.
Project/Program: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
Multimedia: Romac Industries, Inc.
Champion: Rachel Massey
Ambassador: Joy Scrogum
Student: Jonathan Arentsen
Educator: Carl Cranor
Information on their award-winning accomplishments can be found on our website. If you would like to join any MVP2 Winner's local celebration, feel free to let us know at: admin@p2.org. |
|
|
NPPR Board of Directors Election Results
|
|
|
Congratulations to Chad Rogers, Deputy Director of the Environmental Stewardship Division at the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on being newly elected to the NPPR Board of Directors! He will be joining NPPR Chair Laura Henne (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection), NPPR Vice-Chair Ed Gonzalaz (Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center), and Meghann Quinn (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) who were all re-elected for NPPR Board terms starting Oct. 1. In addition, Chad will be joining the NPPR Food & Beverage Workgroup which will have its next meeting in December. |
Upcoming P2U Webinar
|
|
|
The next P2U webinar will be on Corporate Sustainability & Climate Change. Three speakers will be presenting their companies' instituted sustainability goals next month. Be on the lookout for an email registration announcement coming soon! |
Pollution Prevention Jobs Available Across the U.S.
|
|
|
There are numerous pollution prevention jobs available now including from KPPC, IDEM, NEWMOA and many others. Also, more pollution prevention jobs such as one coming up in New Hampshire intend to be advertised soon. Are you or is someone you know ready for the next step in a Pollution Prevention career? To find these currently available P2 jobs with information on where to apply, go to the P2 Job Opportunities page on our website: |
|
|
|
|
Workgroup Updates
|
About NPPR Workgroups
NPPR's workgroups
bring together P2 professionals from across the country to share ideas, information, and deliverables. The topical areas coincide with EPA national emphasis areas and other areas of interest to the P2 community.
NPPR currently hosts six active workgroups. They are:
|
Workgroup Meetings Coming in December
Both the Food & Beverage Workgroup and the Metal Finishing Workgroup will be holding virtual meetings in December 2022. Information on these workshop meetings will be posted on our Events website closer to the dates. |
|
|
|
|
From the States
|
Region 1
|
|
|
TURI Cleaning Lab Answers Emergency Cleaning Questions
The Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) Cleaning Lab regularly provides cleaning guidance. Unfortunately, this Massachusetts town failed until the Department of Labor Standards (DLS) was able to contact Jason Marshall at the TURI Cleaning Lab. |
|
|
Region 5
|
|
|
MnTAP P2 Week Webinars
Once again this year the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) celebrated P2 week by sharing daily pollution prevention YouTube presentations. Each one is 2-3 minutes long and shares interesting information from multiple companies on waste reduction, water conservation, wastewater energy efficiency, and reducing air emissions. If you enjoy these so much, the bottom of the page also has last year's P2 week ones. And we highly recommend watching out next year for MnTAP's P2 Week highlights, too! |
|
|
Regions 9 & 10
|
|
|
2022 P2 West Roundtable
The 2022 P2 West Roundtable is currently underway in Portland, OR. This year's event featured keynote speaker Jennie Romer, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention within the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, U.S. EPA. Also present were many NPPR members. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Region 10
|
|
|
Washington Ecology Partnership Helps Romac Industries Win NPPR 2022 MVP2 Multimedia Award
Romac Industries Inc. operates a steel fittings manufacturing facility in Bothell, Washington. As part of its production line, workers surface-finish stainless steel parts using a process called passivation, a chemical treatment for stainless steel and other alloys that helps treated surfaces resist corrosion. Unfortunately, this process generated about 32 tons of waste annually, so Romac Industries decided to find a better way.
Between spring and fall of 2021, Romac Industries collaborated with the Washington State Department of Ecology, Impact Washington, and Lean Environmental Inc. (LEI). Their goal was to use Ecology grant funding to decrease waste generation, maintain product consistency, and increase the safety of their workers on the passivation line. Thanks to everyone's efforts, Romac Industries has been having outstanding achievements and is being awarded the 2022 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention (MVP2) Multimedia Award by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable. |
|
|
|
|
U.S. EPA News
|
|
|
EPA Announces TRI "Pollution Prevention Works: A Storytelling Challenge for Students"
Have you had students or summer interns who would be interested in $5,000?
EPA launched a challenge promoting innovation in pollution prevention at industrial and federal facilities. The Challenge invites high school and college students and to use the TRI P2 Search Tool to identify a TRI facility that has reported implementing source reduction practices and tell a compelling story about how those practices or techniques benefit the business and positively impact communities and the environment. The challenge is open now and all entries must be submitted by February 17, 2023.
|
|
|
Energy Star Awards Due November 16
Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protect the environment through energy efficiency. Applications are for partners interested in applying for the 2023 ENERGY STAR Awards for recognition of their ENERGY STAR program achievements during calendar year 2022.
|
|
|
EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management Releases EJ Action Plan
The U.S. EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management has released an action plan outlining steps the agency is taking to incorporate environmental justice practices into land protection and cleanup efforts, including solid waste management projects.
The EJ Action Plan includes details on how environmental justice issues will be considered when distributing infrastructure spending and awarding grants for projects like anaerobic digesters. The plan also discusses how the agency intends to update public comment periods and listening sessions to include more voices from tribes, as well as from neighborhoods where residents are predominantly people of color, have low income or are otherwise disproportionately affected by pollution.
Also included are updates to the implementation of the National Recycling Strategy, the agency’s master plan for achieving a 50% recycling rate by 2030. Additional strategy documents on tackling food waste and plastics are expected to be published for public comment later this fall.
|
|
|
EPA Announces Innovative Effort to Bring New Chemicals Used in Electric Vehicle, Semiconductor, Clean Energy Sectors to Market
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a new effort under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to implement a streamlined and efficient process under the New Chemicals Program to assess risk and apply mitigation measures, as appropriate, for new chemicals with applications in batteries, electric vehicles, semiconductors and renewable energy generation.
The new process is for mixed metal oxides (MMOs), including new and modified cathode active materials (CAMs). MMOs are innovative chemistries and have numerous electrical applications in batteries as well as use as catalysts, adsorbents, and in ceramics. Notably, MMOs, including CAMs, are a key component in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, which are a growing and important industry. New MMOs can also be used for semi-conductors, and renewable energy generation and storage, such as solar cells and wind power turbines. They typically consist of lithium, nickel, cobalt and other metals, and they are the key material used in the production of the cathode in battery cells, which are subsequently assembled into a battery.
The announcement is supplemented with the release of a Compliance Advisory that reaffirms that new MMOs, which includes CAMs and modified CAMs, are new chemical substances subject to TSCA. Anyone who plans to manufacture (including import) a CAM or modified CAM that is not on the TSCA Inventory must comply with the TSCA section 5 new chemical requirements and implementing regulations.
|
|
|
|
|
New Publications
|
The Need to Enforce: Waste Ban Regulations in Massachusetts
This report from Zero Waste Massachusetts looks at banned waste being disposed of in the Commonwealth and provides snapshots of other states and cities with waste bans. The coalition makes a set of recommendations for local and state officials, including public education, better infrastructure, stronger enforcement, and simple tactics such as requiring clear bags for any waste. |
|
|
Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap
This roadmap from DOE frames the emerging and transformative technology pathways needed to achieve net-zero GHG emissions in the industrial sector by 2050. The roadmap identifies four key pillars of industrial decarbonization: energy efficiency; industrial electrification; low-carbon fuels, feedstocks, and energy sources (LCFFES); and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Each represents a high-level element of an industrial decarbonization action plan, and a cohesive strategy will require all four pillars to be pursued in parallel. The report also covers decarbonization in five industry subsectors: - iron and steel
- chemical manufacturing
- food and beverage
- petroleum refining
- cement manufacturing
|
|
|
Toxic Fog: Known Unknowns
Planet Tracker’s Toxic Footprints report revealed the investors behind petrochemical toxicity in the US Gulf States of Louisiana and Texas. When assessing the petrochemicals and plastics industry, toxic emissions are often either ignored or forgotten by the financial markets. This follow-up research paper reveals the known unknowns of toxic releases, those issues hidden from the public’s and investors’ view and which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not permitted to reveal. The paper also highlights how the data could be made more user-friendly. Financial institutions should demand transparency for toxic emissions so that they can conduct a thorough risk assessment of their investments. |
|
|
Zero Waste to Zero Emissions: How Reducing Waste Is a Climate Gamechanger
A new report by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) provides the clearest and most comprehensive evidence to date of how better waste management is critical to the climate fight, while building resilience, creating jobs, and promoting thriving local economies.
|
|
|
