Author: Joy Scrogum

Joy is a Sustainability Specialist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has worked on developing & maintaining online resources for the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable since 2001. As part of ISTC's Technical Assistance Program, she works on Zero Waste Illinois projects with clients throughout the state, and waste reduction outreach projects including the Illini Gadget Garage and the Green Lunchroom Challenge. Key past projects include coordinating the International Sustainable Electronics Competition, developing & teaching ENG 498 "Sustainable Technology: Environmental & Social Impacts of Innovations," & Greening Schools, which focused on making K-12 facilities & curricula more sustainable. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyscrogum/
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Applications Being Accepted for Illinois Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards

Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich has announced that applications are now available for the 2007 Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards. The Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC) – a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)- is now accepting applications for the annual awards program that honors companies and organizations for their efforts to prevention pollution.

“Organizations that lead the way in finding and using new methods to reduce waste and protect the environment contribute to a healthier Illinois,” said Gov. Blagojevich. “Anyone who makes an ongoing commitment to prevent pollution that, in the long run, will make their employees and our communities healthier is encouraged to apply.”

“It gives me great pleasure, year after year to see new companies and organizations recognized for their pollution prevention efforts. Our land benefits, our people benefit and these companies benefit for showing their leadership in environmental protection,” said Acting IDNR Director Sam Flood.

Since 1987, the WMRC has presented the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards to companies and organizations in Illinois that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through the practice of pollution prevention. Any Illinois public or private organization is eligible to apply for an award. Continuous Improvement Awards are awarded to companies that have shown an ongoing commitment to pollution prevention.

Information about the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards and an application are available online at: www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/gp2a/. Or contact Bob Iverson, Information Services Manager, to receive an application in the mail. Telephone: 217-333-8946. E-mail: biverson@wmrc.uiuc.edu.

The application due date is May 21, 2007. Technical experts from WMRC will review applications and site visits may be performed. The Governor’s office makes the final award decisions. Winners will be announced at the Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards banquet on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at the Abbington in Glen Ellyn.

Thanks to Bob Iverson for submitting this information.

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IL: Applicants Sought for New Award

The Illinois Waste Management & Research Center (WMRC) is seeking applicants for the new Illinois Sustainable Technology Award. The Sustainable Technology Award recognizes a novel technology that leads to significant waste reduction or elimination. Applicants must illustrate how innovative the new technology is, discuss the long-term beneficial impact of the technology on the environment in Illinois, and show how it has been implemented.

This award comes with a scholarship, provided by external sources, which goes to an Illinois resident attending a college or university. The Sustainable Technology Award is an expansion of the Innovate Illinois Award formerly presented by WMRC.

Information about the Illinois Sustainability Technology Award is available on the WMRC web site: http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/gp2a/. The application due date is May 21, 2007. Technical experts from WMRC will review applications and site visits may be performed. The winner will be announced in October.

WMRC is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Its headquarters is on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Center also has offices in Oak Brook, Peoria and Brighton.

Thanks to Bob Iverson for submitting this information.

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RSS Feeds Available for GLRPPR Sector Resources

GLRPPR is pleased to announce that RSS feeds are now available for all of the GLRPPR Sector Resources. This means that you can now subscribe to the sector and subject categories that interest you and receive updates in your news aggregator (e.g. Google Reader, Bloglines, etc.) when something new is added to those categories. Many of you already use the GLRPPR News RSS feed, but if you’re new to the concept and need more explanation, check out P2RIC’s RSS Frequently Asked Questions page. The Sector Resource RSS feeds will allow you to keep up with the latest information added to the GLRPPR web site related to your subjects of interest –without having to visit the GLRPPR site, search through the Sector Resources and try to figure out what has been added since you last checked. The “new additions” you’ll be monitoring will include resources, upcoming events, funding opportunities and archived Help Desk questions and answers related to a sector or subject.

To subscribe to Sector Resource RSS feeds, visit the Sector Resources section of the GLRPPR site. Browse through the list of categories, and click on those of interest to you. Within each Sector Resource, you’ll see a small orange box (like this: ) next to the title of the Sector Resource. If you want to subscribe to the RSS feed for that Sector Resource, just click on that orange icon. If you’re using Internet Explorer as your web browser, you’ll see a page showing the code for the RSS feed. Use the URL for that page to subscribe to the feed with your news aggregator of choice. If you’re using FireFox as your web browser, you’ll go to a page that allows you to select the news aggregator you want to subscribe with. Once that choice is made, click on the “subscribe now” button and then follow the regular procedure for adding a new feed to your aggregator. For an example, see the Mercury Sector Resource and look for the orange icon at the top of the page, next to the title. The updates you’ll get in your news aggregator will include the title of the new item and an indication of what the item is (e.g. “Resource,” “Training,” “Funding Opportunity,” etc.), as well as the description of that item as it appears on the GLRPPR web site. Click on the link to the item to go to that item.

This is a new service, so we anticipate that there may be bugs to work out in the beginning; if you want to report a technical problem related to the new feeds, email Tyler Rubach, GLRPPR Webmaster.

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NWF Documents on EPP, Mercury Thermostat Recycling, & Mercury Switches in Vehicles

Thanks to Michael Murray, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Staff Scientist for the Great Lakes Natural Resource Center, for providing three new NWF documents for access on the GLRPPR web site:

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing in the Great Lakes Region: A Survey of State, Municipal and Institutional Programs assesses EPP programs in the eight Great Lakes states, eight municipalities and three universities, with an emphasis on policies addressing PBT chemicals. Researched and written by Cameron S. Lory and Amy E. Scott-Runnels of INFORM, Inc., and Michael W. Murray, Ph.D. of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Recycling Mercury Thermostats in Ohio outlines the problem of mercury in the environment, and provides information on mercury in thermostats and alternatives and recycling mercury containing thermostats in Ohio. It also includes a comparison of collection of mercury containing thermostats via the Thermostat Recycling Corporation voluntary program for both the U.S. as a whole and Ohio.

Putting the Brakes on Quicksilver: Removing Mercury From Vehicles in Ohio addresses the removal of mercury switches from automobiles in Ohio. This report was written by Michael W. Murray, Ph.D. with research assistance by Knoll Larkin and Liz Szaluta of the University of Michigan.

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Apply for a Free Energy Savings Assessment by 3/16/07

There’s still a few days left to apply for a FREE Energy Savings Assessment (ESA) from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Applications are being accepted until March 16, 2007 at 5 p.m. Eastern time. According to the online application information: “DOE will make initial selections of applications for ESAs in late November. Additional selections will be announced periodically until the target of 250 assessments is reached for the calendar year 2007.”

Through the Save Energy Now program, DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program is sending energy experts to energy-intensive manufacturing facilities to conduct free Energy Savings Assessments (ESAs). “The purpose of the assessments is to identify immediate opportunities to save energy and money, primarily by focusing on energy intensive systems including process heating, steam, pumps, fans and compressed air.” Check out the Save Energy Now fact sheet for more information.

Visit the Save Energy Now web site to read FAQs about the program, view results summaries from past ESAs, read case studies, find contact information for ESA energy experts, and access tip sheets, technical fact sheets, software and other best practice information.

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Grants Available for P2 Projects at Michigan Public Parks

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced the availability of applications for the 2007 Community Pollution Prevention (P2) Grants Program. The goal of this program is to institute P2 practices and waste reductions at public parks, and offer visitors a unique opportunity to learn about P2 and environmentally sustainable practices while observing day-to-day operations at those parks. A total of $250,000 in grant funds are available and applications are due April 30, 2007. Examples of eligible activities include: development of a park-wide P2 program; recycling projects; implementation of education outreach programs to train park staff and visitors about P2; the disposal of solid and hazardous waste, pesticides, and fertilizers located on park property; replacement of hazardous cleaning products through the purchase of environmentally friendly products; the purchase and installation of water saving fixtures and landscaping; the purchase of energy efficient lighting, heating and cooling, and maintenance equipment; and green demolition and construction projects.

Be sure to check the GLRPPR Funding Opportunities page regularly for additional notices of grants available throughout the region. Relevant funding opportunities also appear in corresponding Sector/Subject Resources on the GLRPPR web site.

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P2 for Hospital Sterilizers, Area Source Categories, & Biotech Labs

The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) has developed three new Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) Topic Hubs: P2 for Hospital Sterilizers, P2 for Area Source Categories, and Biotechnology Labs. The Hospital Sterilizer Topic Hub provides information for health care facilities and pollution prevention professionals on the sterilizer ethylene oxide (EtO) and how to reduce its use while providing necessary sterilization capabilities at a health care facility. The P2 for Area Source Categories Topic Hub provides information and tools to facilitate assistance to sources that are themselves small emitters of toxic air pollutants, but collectively comprise 1/4 to 1/3 of all toxic air emissions. The Biotechnology Labs Topic Hub provides information for biotech research labs, manufacturers, and P2 professionals on how to reduce toxic material use, wastes and energy and water use in biotech labs.

For more information on the P2Rx Topic Hubs, and to see a complete list of available Topic Hubs, see the GLRPPR web site.

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Green Cleaning Schools Act Introduced to IL Legislature

The Healthy Schools Campaign has introduced House Bill 895 (Green Cleaning Schools Act) to the Illinois legislature. This bill would require the creation and regular ammendment of guidelines and specifications for environmentally friendly cleaning and maintenance products for school facilities, and would also require the establishment of green cleaning policies at both public and private schools in Illinois following implementation of the guidelines. See the Healthy Schools Campaign Blog entry related to this action, and continue to monitor their blog for updates.

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P2 for the Snowbound

It’s been an interesting week here in central Illinois. A full-fledged blizzard (how often to you see a “Blizzard Warning” in the corner of your TV screen?) dumped mounds of snow on the Champaign-Urbana area, resulting in a rare closing of the entire University of Illinois campus (for two straight days). Now, as those of us at WMRC headquarters dig ourselves out, it’s worth considering how our efforts to keep our streets and windshields clean affect the environment.

As snow melts, road salts runoff from streets, parking lots and other paved surfaces into storm sewers and eventually into waterways, where they may pose a risk to the aquatic environment. Road salts can also negatively impact vegetation and wildlife while still on the land, and can contribute to corrosion of automobiles and infrastructure. Check out Environment Canada’s web page on road salts, their environmental impacts, and what the Canadian government is doing to reduce environmental risks associated with road salts. This page includes case studies related to the management of road salt usage. For more information on road salt use north of the border, see RiverSides “Low-Salt Diet” page, which includes their publication, A Low-Salt Diet for Ontario’s Roads and Rivers. This document provides an overview of environmental and economic impacts of road salt use and discusses best management practices and alternative products.

The U.S. EPA Natural Emergencies–Snow and Ice page provides information on environmental concerns associated with snow and ice management for residences, highways and airports. Included are links to information on road salt application and storage, as well as application practices and research related to deicing chemicals. The Environmental Literacy Council provides a nice overview on the environmental impacts of deicing, considering road salt, alternatives to road salt (e.g. sand, calcium magnesium acetate, etc.) and liquid deicers. A list of recommended resources is provided for further information.

If you’re aware of other resources related to the environmental impacts of snow and ice management, or of information on environmentally friendly road salt alternatives/deicing products, email the information to Joy Scrogum for potential inclusion in the GLRPPR Sector Resources.

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Red Roses, Green Hearts

Valentine’s Day is only a week away. Taking time to let your loved ones know how much they mean to you is a fine idea, but doing so with waste reduction and pollution prevention in mind can make your heart and your environmental impact light. Here are some resources to help ensure your love is like a green, green rose.

Flowers are a traditional token of affection, but have you considered the impact of pesticides used to grow them, or the impact of transporting certain varieties over long distances? Organic Bouquet is a popular provider of organically grown flowers, including roses. They have several assortments available for Valentine’s Day, as well as organic and fair trade chocolates, and charitable bouquets (the proceeds from which benefit various non-profit organizations dedicated to social justice, environmental protection, wildlife conservation, and animal rights). To reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to obtain your bouquet, check your area for locally grown organic flowers at the Local Harvest web site. They also have a special section on their site devoted to Valentine’s Day gifts. The Green Guide offers a few articles related to Valentine’s bouquets, including The Good Valentine by Aysha Hussain and Rose, Art Thou Sick? by P.W. McRandle. Check out the VeriFlora certification program that addresses the socially, environmentally, and agriculturally responsible aspects of flower and ornamental growing operations.

Information on organic and fair trade options for flowers, chocolate, wine and coffee is provided by the Green Guide in Chocolate SSC: Better Blooms, Bon-Bons, Fine Wines and Java. For information on lead levels in chocolate, see Lighter Hearts by P.W. McRandle on The Green Guide site. Consumer Reports Greener Choices web site provides product overviews on chocolate and roses.

Co-op America has an online Valentine’s Day Green Gift Guide featuring special offers from businesses listed in the National Green Pages. Global Exchange Fair Trade Store has a Valentine’s Day section on its web site featuring a variety of items, including a Fair Trade Valentine’s Day Action Kit. One of the criteria for fair trade certification is the use of sustainable production methods. The Organic Consumers Association has an online Valentine’s Buying Guide, which includes information on flowers, chocolate, wine, cards and gifts. The Great Green Goods blog features a Valentine’s Day category with loads of information on environmentally friendly gift options.

If you’re considering giving your special someone a bottle of cologne or perfume, check out the Environmental Working Group‘s Skin Deep database, which provides safety ratings and comparisons of various personal care products.

If you want to take your sweetheart out to dinner, the Green Restaurant Association can help you find a certified green restaurant. Alas, not all of the states in our region have listings.

Although it was compiled for the winter holidays, GLRPPR’s P2 for the Holidays compendium includes links to information on simplifying holiday celebrations that are applicable to Valentine’s Day and other holidays as well. Consider forgoing the commercialism this year–remember that the best (and greenest) gift you can give your special someone is your heart.

All of the links provided above are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as endorsements by GLRPPR or WMRC.