Minnesota Puts Spotlight on Green Chemistry and Design

The GLRPPR Blog is pleased to welcome Phyllis Strong, Pollution Prevention Coordinator for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). She’s written a guest post about MPCA’s green chemistry and design projects. If you’d like to contribute a post to the GLRPPR Blog, please contact Laura Barnes at l-barnes at illinois.edu.

Over the past four years, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has worked on specific projects to promote green chemistry and design practices. These projects build on green design work we had done in the past. Green chemistry and design involves formulating or designing new products (or reformulating or redesigning existing ones) to reduce environmental, workplace, human health, and energy use impacts over the product’s entire life-cycle. Our goal is to promote its practice in the state and beyond.

We recently completed the following projects:

Demonstration Projects
Cortec, Ecolab, and Salo recently completed demonstration projects. Their case studies are posted here. Cortec developed two new metal primers. Ecolab developed five new hard surface cleaners and addressed their sustainable packaging. Salo investigated the use of styrene-free resin in its manufacture of bathing systems.

Curriculum Projects
University of Minnesota – Duluth, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, University of St. Catherine, and Winona State University completed curriculum development for undergraduate course work. They modified, created, and supplemented chemistry courses to include green chemistry and design principles. They developed and improved chemistry activities. They adapted engineering courses. Their case studies and a webcast are posted here.

Green chemistry curriculum development is currently underway at two universities. Northwestern Health Sciences University is developing a consistent program of chemistry laboratory lectures and experiments featuring an emphasis on green chemistry for undergraduate chemistry courses. University of Minnesota – Twin Cities is developing an experiment that illustrates the synthesis of a block copolymer which incorporates at least one renewable monomer, is biodegradable in the environment, and has tangible characteristics students can explore. Progress on these projects will also be posted on our Green Chemistry Curriculum Project web page.

Composites project
Project activities focused on operational requirements and performance of a styrene free resin system for the Minnesota fiber reinforced plastics sector. We faced challenges as we completed the project. We shared these challenges as well as reasonable next steps. The case study and a webcast are posted here.

The following projects are currently in progress:

BPA in Thermal Paper project
The goals for the project are to:

  • determine how much BPA is contained in the thermal papers used by participating partners in the hospitality sector,
  • estimate how much BPA is contained in Minnesota’s recycled papers,
  • promote switching to paperless point-of sale systems, or as a second-choice option, to switch to BPA-free thermal papers or a non-thermal paper system, and
  • promote use of paperless systems or BPA-free or non-thermal papers to other Minnesota businesses

Formaldehyde in Building Products project
We will be conducting outreach to determine the extent of remaining uses in Minnesota.

NP and NPE in Detergents project
We are conducting outreach to determine the extent of remaining uses of nonylphenol (NP) or nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) in detergents at commercial and institutional laundries.

Live Streaming Webinars on Green Chemistry from the Great Lakes Conference November 13 and November 14

The use of Green Chemistry and Engineering in the market strategies of businesses throughout the Great Lakes region is growing as companies look for ways to meet consumer demand for products and processes that are more sustainable. Learn more about the Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference at http://www.glrppr.org/conference/. The conference agenda is available at  http://www.glrppr.org/conference/agenda.cfm.

Participate in the conference by webinar November 13 and 14. Register for webinars by following Web Links for each session.

Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference – Webinar 1
Tue, Nov 13, 2012 8:00 AM – 9:45 AM CST

  • Welcome – Jeff Burke, NPPR
  • Welcome from EPA Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman
  • Morning Keynote – Paul Anastas, Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/115563337

Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference – Webinar 2
Tue, Nov 13, 2012 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM CST
Panel 1: The Business Case for Green Chemistry and Engineering
This panel will have speakers from companies who have successfully used the framework of green chemistry and who will talk about why they do this and what the benefits for their businesses have been.
Moderator: David Foulkes, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Panelists: Leah Boyd, Washing Systems, LLC; Dorie Yontz, Segetis; Andy Corr, Elevance, LLC

Panel 2: The Business Case for Green Chemistry and Engineering II – Public Private Partnerships
This panel will focus on presenters who are involved in successful public private partnerships, and how they are helping move green chemistry innovations from the lab to the market.
Moderator: Chris Affeldt, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Panelists: Rui Resendes, GreenCentre Canada; Randy Olinger, Lakeshore Advantage, Michigan State University; Libby Sommer, US EPA Design for the Environment
Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/433489032

There’s still time to register for Catching the Wave – Green Chemistry and Economic Development in the Great Lakes Region

Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference & GreenScreenTM for Safer Chemicals Training
November 13-15, 2012
Hyatt Regency, Chicago IL
Register at http://www.glrppr.org/conference/registration.cfm

November 13 – 14: Catching the Wave – Green Chemistry and Economic Development in the Great Lakes Region

  • Learn first-hand about the business case for Green Chemistry and Engineering and how companies can take advantage of technical assistance opportunities to help them move forward in their own effort to promote sustainability
  • Hear from businesses who have successfully used the framework of green chemistry who will talk about what the benefits for their businesses have been
  • Are public-private partnerships the wave of the future? Hear from the leaders who are building these partnerships today
  • Take advantage of working sessions to identify technical assistance needs and develop resources to promote Green Chemistry in the Great Lakes region. See the Agenda.

November 15: GreenScreenTM for Safer Chemicals Training (space is limited)

Register early for this in-depth experiential training on how to use the GreenScreenTM for Safer Chemicals, a comparative chemical screening method developed by Clean Production Action to help move our society toward the use of greener and safer chemicals. This workshop is intended to educate designers and decision-makers on how to implement the GreenScreenTM to compare and select safer chemicals for use in products and manufacturing processes. See the Agenda.

Webinar: Using the GreenScreen™ to Identify Preferred Materials in HP’s Global Supply Chain

Thu, Nov 1, 2012 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3362707123641864448

This webinar will provide an introduction to the GreenScreen™ for Safer Chemicals and one user’s experience. The GreenScreen is a method for comparative chemical hazard assessment that is currently used by a growing number of large manufacturers of products ranging from chemicals to electronics, apparel and footwear. That user is Hewlett Packard (HP) who has been a leader in using comparative chemical hazard assessment, specifically the GreenScreen, to identify safer alternatives to chemicals of concern in their global material supply chain.

Webinar: EPA’s DfE Program and Other Initiatives

Fri, Sep 21, 2012 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4401659851222307840

The New York Pollution Prevention Institute’s EcoHour series and the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable are co-hosting this webinar as part of Pollution Prevention Week 2012, “Safer Chemicals for a Safer World”. This webinar will focus on the EPA’s Design for the Environment Program. It will also look at other EPA initiatives such as the Green Sports Initiative.

Anahita Williamson, Director of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute will introduce this webinar.

Presenter:

Bridget Williams is the Outreach Lead for the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) Program. As part of the DfE team, Bridget collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders, including science and policy professionals, product manufacturers, and environmental advocacy groups, to improve the human and environmental health effects of chemical-intensive products. Prior to joining DfE, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the West African country Burkina Faso where she taught high school Physics and Chemistry. Bridget has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Washington and a B.S. in Chemistry from Colorado State University.

Save the Date: Catching the Wave: Green Chemistry and Economic Development in the Great Lakes Region

Date: November 13 – 15, 2012
Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago Chicago, IL
Who should attend: Business and industry; State and local government agencies interested in pollution prevention; Not-for-profits; Academia; and Labor organizations.

Registration information is forthcoming.

Join leaders from industry, academia, government, non-profits, U.S. EPA Region 5, and those involved in the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable’s Safer Chemistry Challenge Program for one or both of these exciting events:

November 13 – 14: Catching the Wave – Green Chemistry and Economic Development in the Great Lakes Region
Learn first-hand about the business case for Green Chemistry and Engineering and how companies can take advantage of technical assistance opportunities to help them move forward in their own effort to promote sustainability. The first day will feature panel presentations with speakers from Great Lakes companies who have found success in integrating the principles of Green Chemistry and Engineering into their business plans. Speakers will also discuss public – private partnerships and the roles that NGOs and government can play to support these efforts. The second day will feature working sessions to identify technical assistance needs and developing a framework for technical assistance resources in the Great Lakes region.

Keynote Speakers

  • Dr. Terry Collins, Institute for Green Science at Carnegie-Mellon University will speak on green chemistry.
  • Dr. Julie Zimmerman, Yale University Center for Green Chemistry and Engineering will speak on green engineering.

For more information please contact: glgreenchemistry@gmail.com

November 15: GreenScreen Training (space is limited)
Register early for this in-depth experiential training on how to use the GreenScreen™ for Safer Chemicals, a tool developed by Clean Production Action for identifying chemicals of concern and selecting safer alternatives.

For more information, please contact greenscreen@cleanproduction.org.

Register for GLRPPR/EPA Region 5 Webinar

Join the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) and U.S. EPA Region 5 for a webinar on May 12.  Space is limited. Reserve your webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/440261202.  After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The GLRPPR/EPA Webinar provides an opportunity to hear about P2 Programs in the region, ask questions and stay connected.

Agenda:

  1. Opening comments by Julie Guenther, Region 5 EPA
  2. Presentation by IL: a. GLRPPR – Bob Iverson; b. I-CORE – Mike Springman
  3. Presentation by MN – Phyllis Strong: a. P2 Grant work; b. Green Chemistry and Design program; c. P2 integration program
  4. Presentation by MI – Karen Edlin: a. Economy, Energy and Environment (E3); b. Michigan’s Sustainable Hospital Initiative; c. Advancing Green Chemistry
  5. Presentation by IN – Jennifer Schick

Title: GLRPPR/EPA Region 5 Forum
Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011
Time: 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM PDT  

System Requirements:

  • PC-based attendees–Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
  • Macintosh®-based attendees–Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Contact Bob Iverson, GLRPPR Executive Director, for further information or questions.

Our thanks to Donna Walden, Regional Coordinator at the Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN), one of our sister P2Rx Centers, for assisting with the set up and administration of this webinar.

Deadline Extended for International E-Waste Design Competition

International E-Waste Design Competition LogoThere’s still time to submit entries for the 2011 International E-Waste Design Competition. The deadline has been extended to 4:59 p.m. CT, May 9, 2011. College students and recent graduates from around the world submit ideas for reusing e-waste to create new and useful products, or for preventing its generation in the first place (e.g. by re-designing an existing electronic device to facilitate reuse or otherwise extend the product life cycle). Entries include, among other elements, a video uploaded to YouTube highlighting the proposed design idea. Six winning teams or individuals (three in each of two categories) will receive monetary prizes. The competition is part of the educational component of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI; www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu). For more information and online registration, see www.ewaste.illinois.edu, or contact Joy Scrogum at jscrogum@istc.illinois.edu or 217-333-8948.

Nominations Open for MI Green Chemistry Governor’s Awards

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is now accepting nominations for the third annual Michigan Green Chemistry Governor’s Award. The awards, modeled on the Presidential Green Chemistry Awards program, honor industrial, academic, student, and non-profit efforts to green Michigan’s economy.

Past awardees were recognized for work to advance principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture or use, or promotion activities that support or implement those technologies.

The awards are open to individuals, groups and organizations in Michigan, both nonprofit and for-profit, including academia, educators, nonprofit advocacy groups and industry.

To learn more about Michigan’s green chemistry program or obtain a nomination packet for the Governor’s award, go to www.michigan.gov/greenchemistry.

Entries must be sent by Aug. 5. Awards are presented during the 2011 Michigan Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. This year’s conference: “Advancing Innovation for a Sustainable Future,” is scheduled Oct. 27 at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Complex in Ann Arbor.

For more information, call the DEQ Environmental Assistance Center at 800‑662-9278.

Time to Update TSCA

[The P2Rx Directors have offered to post occasional entries in regional blogs.  Thanks to Paula Del Giudice from PPRC for the following.]

Just 16 years ago, Jay Hair, former Chief Executive Officer of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) asked me to stand up before the plenary session of the annual meeting of NWF because I was holding my baby daughter, Katie—then a tender two months old. He pointed out to the audience that the reason why we were there—the reason why we should be working so hard on behalf of the environment—was for the future of our children.

Continue reading “Time to Update TSCA”