Category: Networking

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Happy P2 Week! (Sept. 19-25, 2011)

P2 Week Poster 2011Happy Pollution Prevention (P2) Week! Celebrated during the third full week of September every year, P2 Week is a time to reflect on what you and/or your organization are currently doing to promote pollution prevention and sustainability, as well as a prime time to consider what more you could be doing. Check out the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) web site and the US EPA site for more information on activities taking place this week throughout the country; tips for increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste and sustainable practices; and news. (And of course, you can always browse through the online resources on the GLRPPR and P2Rx web sites for more information and best practices specific to your sector.)

In the Great Lakes region, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention (P4P2) will be hosting the 14th Annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show on Thursday, September 22.

GLRPPR’s sister Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) center, the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) is hosting a 20th anniversary banquet for its regional P2 roundtable during P2 Week.  Highlights will include a presentation by Dara O’Rourke, founder of the Good Guide, and former PPRC staff member.

And to kick off P2 Week, P2Rx has announced the launch of the National Sustainable Lodging Network, an online community of sustainable hospitality practitioners and an information clearinghouse to support the work of this community, found online at www.SustainableLodging.org. This site brings lodging operations together with federal, state, local, and tribal sustainable hospitality programs, including environmental agencies, tourism boards, and lodging associations. The goals for the site are to provide forums for sustainable hospitality practitioners to share information on practices and challenges; elevate sustainable hospitality programs and the facilities that participate in them; increase the adoption of sustainable hospitality practices nationwide; and foster innovation in sustainable lodging through the exchange of ideas.

If your organization or community is hosting a special event this week, tell us about it in the comments section of this post.

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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.

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Web 2.0 Social Media Webinar Presentations Available Online

Recently, GLRPPR‘s Laura Barnes participated in a webinar hosted by our sister Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) Center, the Western Sustainability & Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN). Laura co-presented with Rick Yoder from another of the P2Rx Centers, the Pollution Prevention Regional Information Center (P2RIC). Donna Walden of WSPPN moderated the session.

Rick and Laura described many social networking and bookmarking tools (such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.), why using these tools has become important for those in pollution prevention and sustainability organizations, how these tools can be great sources of information as well as marketing, and also provided some great tips for using these technologies. The audience asked lots of questions, and overall the webinar was very informative even for those of us who already regularly use Web 2.0 tools.

If you missed the session, or attended and would like copies of the presentations, these are now available for download on the WSPPN webinar page (look for “Web 2.0 Social Media Webinar, Recorded on July 28, 2010”).

Thanks to WSPPN, and particularly to Donna Walden, for making this webinar possible.

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GLRPPR has two Delicious winners.

[Post author: Bob Iverson]

Laura Barnes and Joy Scrogum of GLRPPR are winners in the P2tagteam world. P2Rx is sending delicious prizes to the top bookmarkers for the P2Tagteam on the Delicious site. Laura won a quart of custom made ice cream for being the top bookmarker. The ice cream was delivered frozen.

Joy received a bag of chocolate kisses for her bookmarking efforts.

You can see photos of the winners and their prizes on GLRPPR’s Facebook page.

In case you have not heard, Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows you to tag, save, manage and share Web pages all in one place.

Instead of having different bookmarks on every computer, Delicious makes it easy to have a single set of bookmarks kept in sync between all of your computers. Even if you’re not on a computer you own, you can still get to your bookmarks on the Delicious website.

If your friends use Delicious, you can send them interesting bookmarks that they can check out the next time they log in. Of course, they can do the same for you. As you explore the site and find interesting users, you can use our Subscriptions and Network features to keep track of the Delicious tags and users you find most interesting.

For more information on Delicious, see their Help section, which includes an excellent list of frequently asked questions.

P2Rx has started a collaborative tagging effort on Delicious to encourage P2 professionals to share the resources they find and bookmark. If you locate a resource that you think would be helpful to other P2 professionals, simply add P2TagTeam tag in the Tags field when you add the bookmark to Delicious. For more information on P2TagTeam, visit the P2Rx web site or contact Laura Barnes (lbarnes@istc.illinois.edu).

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Spotlight: Environmental Stewardship Program

Today we continue to highlight Indiana P2 programs as the GLRPPR/Region 7 conference begins in Indianapolis. Modeled upon the now closed U.S. EPA National Environmental Performance Track Program, IDEM’s Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP) is a voluntary program that rewards regulated entities for outstanding environmental performance with regulatory flexibility, public recognition and networking opportunities. Participants use environmental management systems (EMS) to achieve their environmental goals.

Any regulated entity in Indiana may participate in ESP regardless of type, size, or complexity. The program website elaborates upon the eligibility requirements. Participant benefits include, among other things, expedited and flexible permits, reduced reporting frequency, reduced recordkeeping and reporting, a press release, use of the program logo, and opportunities for networking. A complete list of incentives is available on the program web site.

According to the program website, applications for ESP are accepted twice a year, from April 1–May 31 and September 1–October 31. See the application process web page or contact the Indiana Department of Environmental Management at (800) 988-7901 for more information.

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Spotlight: Partners for Pollution Prevention

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 2009 GLRPPR/Region 7 Conference, which will be held in Indianapolis, IN June 3-5. In honor of the host state for our conference, we’ll be featuring pollution prevention programs this week that call the great state of Indiana home. Today’s spotlight is on the Partners for Pollution Prevention (P4P2).

Organized by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) in 1996, the purpose of P4P2 is to assist industry in sharing pollution prevention successes and to advise IDEM on pollution prevention policy and programs. The Partners represent industry, government, academia and environmental organizations interested in advancing pollution prevention in Indiana, as well as the financial and environmental benefits P2 projects can bring.

According to the program website, there are currently 55 Partners, many of which have received the Indiana Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. The benefits of being a Partner include, among other things, exchanging information on P2 technologies and successes with your peers, being recognized statewide for your P2 efforts and potentially having your P2 projects promoted in IDEM publications.

If you are interested in applying for membership to P4P2, or would like more information, contact IDEM’s Office of Pollution Prevention & Technical Assistance at 800-988-7901 or 317-233-6662. Becoming a member involves committing to the Partners Pledge. New Partners are inducted at quarterly meetings, and Partners are required to complete the annual recertification to share P2 success stories and data.

Check out the Partners Activity page for copies of reports and presentations given at quarterly meetings.  Another major activity for the  Partners is the organization of the Annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show.

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March 2009 Site of the Month: Green Drinks International

As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, you’ll probably see, hear about, or maybe even drink beer that’s been tinted green. But if you’re more interested in networking with other folks who share your concern for the environment than in gimmicks, skip the green grog and check out the Green Drinks International web site to see if regular Green Drinks events are held in your area. According to the web site, “Every month people who work in the environmental field meet up at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. We have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you’ll be made welcome. Just say, “are you green?” and we will look after you and introduce you to whoever is there. It’s a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organising network.” The events are locally organized and typically take place at bars, restaurants, coffee houses, cafes, etc.–anywhere where people can meet and share ideas. Some gatherings include a speaker or theme to help stimulate discussion, but remain largely informal. Events vary from city to city, but all follow the Green Drinks Code.

Green Drinks events are currently held in 448 cities around the world, including many in the Great Lakes region. Chicago, for example, has a very popular Green Drinks gathering that averages “at least 75 people at each event.” Just use the “Find City” function on the Green Drinks web site to determine if an existing gathering is taking place near you, and to get more details.  Browse the “News” and “Stories” sections of the site to get updates on Green Drinks gatherings around the world and to read newspaper and magazine articles describing local groups to help you get a feel for what these informal events are like and what participants get out of them. And if there’s not a gathering in your area, you can learn how to start one.

These gatherings are decentralized, allowing each participating city to “do its own thing,” ensuring that the events suit the needs and interests of the local community. Each city can even come up with its own logo if desired, like the ones featured in this post.

As budgets get tighter and travel to out-of-state events becomes more and more difficult to justify, programs like Green Drinks can help environmental professionals feel less isolated by providing face-to-face networking opportunities at home. Plus, you never know what new opportunities or information you might find in your own backyard.