The Resource

Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Program - Recognizing Organizations Committed to Environmental Excellence

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 18:23:46 GMT

Ohio EPA’s Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Program recognizes an organization’s exceptional achievements in environmental stewardship. Any business, industry, trade association, professional organization, or local government of Ohio can be recognized for their commitment to environmental excellence. All applications are now accepted on a continual basis throughout the year. Applications must be filled out online at https://ohioepa.custhelp.com/app/apply.

The program has a four-level approach to provide recognition to Ohio organizations completing environmentally beneficial activities. The goal of environmental stewardship is to reduce the impact of business or organizational activities on the environment beyond measures required by any permit or rule, producing a better environment, conserving natural resources and resulting in long-term economic benefits.

Applications are evaluated using environmental stewardship criteria developed by Ohio EPA. Applicants must be in compliance with environmental laws and regulations. To date, our E3 program has recognized 12 platinum level recipients, 49 gold level recipients, 38 silver level recipients, and 80 achievement level recipients. More details about the applications, criteria, and benefits can be found on our website.

The Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Achievement Award recognizes any applicants completing environmentally beneficial activities.
The Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Silver Level recognizes an organization’s outstanding achievements in environmental stewardship.
The Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Gold Level recognizes organizations that have comprehensive environmental stewardship programs.
The Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Platinum Level recognizes organizations that demonstrate how their environmental stewardship efforts improve the social well-being of the local community, region and/or a larger geographic area, and how these efforts result in long-term societal benefits.

Two of our newer recognition programs are:

The Encouraging Environmental Excellence in Education Program (E4), recognizes any K – 12 public or private school for their achievements in environmental stewardship and their efforts to educate their students on environmental topics.
The Encouraging Environmental Excellence for Communities (E3C), recognizes a community’s exceptional achievements in environmental stewardship. Any local government of Ohio can be recognized for its commitment to environmental excellence. Applications are evaluated using environmental stewardship and related activities developed by Ohio EPA.

The goal of environmental stewardship is to reduce the impact of business or organizational activities on the environment beyond measures required by any permit or rule, producing a better environment, conserving natural resources and resulting in long-term economic benefits. For more information, contact the Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance’s Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention at 1-800-329-7518 or Bill Narotski at (614) 728-1264, (william.narotski@epa.ohio.gov).

To learn more, listen to these recorded webinars on our YouTube Channel:

Nov. 12, 2020, Ohio EPA's Encouraging Environmental Excellence E3 Recognition Program - Gold and Platinum Level Application Process.
Dec. 9, 2020, Encouraging Environmental Excellence E3C for Communities.'

Ohio Hospitals Recognized by Practice Greenhealth

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 21:51:23 GMT

Practice Greenhealth recently announced the 2020 recipients of the Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards, the most prestigious environmental achievement for health care. They recognized health care organizations across 10 areas of sustainability through their annual environmental excellence awards. The awardees range in size from large, urban academic medical centers to rural critical access hospitals, all leading the country in addressing the links between the environment and human health.

Cleveland Clinic was a Top 25 winner. It sources 30 percent of its food locally and sustainably, helping to shape a local food system with long-term benefits to the communities they serve. Food is picked at peak ripeness with shorter transport, tasting better and packing more nutrition, all while keeping dollars in the local economy.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center received recognition as a member of the Circle of Excellence in the Climate category, for taking the lead on tracking and measuring CO2 emissions and overall climate program development. Hospitals in this category demonstrate understanding the health impacts of climate change and are working to mitigate those impacts and educating their staff and communities.

The University Hospitals system was recognized as a Partner for Change honoree, along with multiple hospitals. They were recognized for environmental sustainability, covering a range of different programs and activities.

Other Ohio hospital Partner Recognition Award recipients include:

Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital
Mercy Health-Springfield Regional Medical Center
Mercy Health-St. Elizabeth Hospital, Boardman
Mercy Health –St. Elizabeth Hospital Youngstown
Mercy Health-St. Joseph Hospital, Warren
Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima
St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, Cleveland
Mercy Health-Tiffin Hospital
Mercy Health-Willard Hospital
OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus

Congratulations to all the Ohio hospitals recognized. For more details go to the Practice Greenhealth website.

Cleveland Clinic Farmer's Market

“In a shifting health care landscape, a focus on sustainability can help build resilience while better protecting the health of patients and the community.”
- Gary Cohen,
Practice Greenhealth founder.

Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) 2020 Award Winners

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 21:41:49 GMT

Ohio EPA has been promoting P2 and sustainability through recognition and info sharing since 1986, originally as a Governor’s award for material waste management and then for pollution prevention. Our most recent approach is the encouraging environmental excellence (E3) program. Our E3 program to date has recognized 12 platinum Level recipients, 49 gold level recipients, 38 silver level recipients, 80 achievement level recipients.

Since the March 2020 spring compliance conference was postponed, Ohio EPA announced the following E3 gold, platinum, and silver award winners on Earth Day. The director recognized the award winners by sending out letters, flags, and plaques.

Platinum award winners were: Cleveland Metroparks; Cleveland Clinic; and Ford Lima Engine Plant.
Gold award winners were: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center;
Stirling Ultracold; a Division of Global Cooling; Inc.; Akron Engineering Bureau – Akron Waterways Renewed!; First Solar Inc. PGT-2; and Kenworth Truck Company.
Silver award winners were: Bendix; Cooper Farms; CSA Group; NASA Glenn Research Center; and Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution.

Ohio EPA recognized the latest 2020 E3 award recipients during our virtual compliance assistance conference Sept. 30, 2020.

2020 E3 Silver Level Award Winners

Charter Steel in Fostoria makes carbon and alloy steel bar, rod and wire products. Some environmental stewardship activities they completed are: reusing shipping supplies; implementing a facility wide energy efficiency program; and fine-tuning wet scrubbers on the pickling line (reducing hydrochloric acid (HCl) emissions, power consumption and water use).

OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus is a 1,059-bed, teaching hospital. Some environmental stewardship activities they completed are: developing a sustainable commuting program; electric vehicle charging stations for visitors; implementing energy efficiency improvements; purchasing reprocessed medical devices and products; recycling; composting; installing a green roof and rain garden.

2020 E3 Gold Level Award Winners

Vallourec Star, LP in Youngtown is a steel foundry, manufacturing seamless steel tubular products for the energy industry. Some of the environmental stewardship activities they completed are: incorporating an artificial intelligence model to optimize electric arc furnaces; reducing energy consumption; reducing water use; and increasing re-use of process water, re-using 125 million gallons of water daily.

Whirlpool Corporation in Findlay is a leading manufacturer of home appliances. Some of the environmental stewardship activities they completed are: piloting a Zero Waste to Landfill facility (currently at 98.30 percent waste diversion); installing two wind turbines onsite (offsetting 12 percent of the facility’s electrical use); installing a new reverse osmosis (RO) water system reducing water, chemical, electricity use, and maintenance costs.

Timken Steel Water Treatment Plant in Canton receives wastewater from three other plants, treating the water and returning the clean water back to the steel plants for use. Some of the environmental stewardship activities they completed are: using an alternative coagulant (reducing chemical usage by 90 percent); capturing and recycling two million pounds of iron from treatment systems annually (generating revenue and reducing disposal costs); reducing filter cake landfilled by 30 percent.

2020 E3 Platinum Level Award Winners

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (CZBG) is the second-oldest zoo in the U.S. Some of the environmental stewardship activities they completed are: building exhibits to LEED Gold and Platinum standards; using a solar array to provide 20 percent of the zoo’s electricity needs; assisting local parks with landscaping and pollinator gardens; and helping update 65 residential and 20 public spaces to LED lighting.

Denison University in Granville completed many environmental stewardship activities, including: helping coordinate community environmental stewardship activities, such as the local and state leaders Green Energy Ohio annual renewable energy tour; creating a guide for establishing solar pollinator habitats in Ohio; and partnering with Smart Columbus to facilitate regional transportation development.

Marathon’s Office Complex in Findlay completed various environmental stewardship activities, including: hosting an annual community recycling week; converting 2.5 acres of concrete to greenspace; participating in community cleanups; planting trees at local schools each year; donating office materials to local charities; and partnering with Sodexo to donate food weekly to the Findlay City Mission.

Congratulations to the September 2020 encouraging environmental excellence award recipients.

We look forward to learning more about the environmental stewardship and sustainability efforts of your organizations in the next cycle of the E3 award program! For more information about our E3 programs, please go to: https://epa.ohio.gov/ocapp/ohioe3 or contact Frank Basting at (614) 644-3544 or frank.basting@epa.ohio.gov or our hotline at (800) 329-7518 if you have any questions.

Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Program

Recognizes an organization’s exceptional achievements in environmental stewardship.
Environmental stewardship activities reduce the impact of business or organizational activities on the environment beyond measures required by any permit or rule, producing a better environment, conserving natural resources and resulting in long-term economic benefits.
Four Levels: Achievement, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Case Study: Kenworth Truck Company

Wed, 30 May 2018 16:54:32 GMT

Kenworth Truck Company in Chillicothe manufactures heavy-and medium-duty trucks. Approximately 2,000 employees work at the plant, producing about 150 trucks per day. The first Kenworth truck rolled off the Chillicothe assembly line in 1974. The plant’s milestone 500,000 truck was produced in February 2016. The 420,000 sq. ft. building houses manufacturing, warehousing and administration offices. The plant operates two manufacturing shifts and one maintenance shift on a 24-hour-a-day, 5-days-a-week work schedule.

In 2017, Kenworth received recognition as an Ohio EPA Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Silver Level Awardee for the following sustainable activities.

Implementing energy savings programs involving compressed air, machine maintenance and optimization, air conditioning settings and installing occupancy sensors.
Reducing and eliminating wastewater and storm water. They now re-use storm water as a dust suppressant on the facility’s gravel roadways and parking areas.
Becoming a Zero Waste to Landfill facility. Materials are now being recycled or sent to a waste-to-energy facility. These include hazardous and universal wastes, plastics, metals, glass, cardboard, paper, wood, pit and sump slurry wastes and wastewater treatment plant sludges. Plastic drums from raw product are now reused. More than 16 million pounds of material were recycled in 2016.
Incorporating a spent solvent recovery system where solvent used to purge paint lines is reclaimed and reused. Approximately 70 percent of the spent/waste solvent stream is recovered as usable solvent.
Converting to returnable rack systems for internal parts, removing 1,994 tons of cardboard from the waste stream.

The E3 program provides four recognition levels: Achievement, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Any organization in Ohio may apply for membership. Applications are accepted annually and include both written and on-site evaluations. To be eligible, applicants must be in compliance with environmental laws and rules. If you’re interested in applying for an E3 award, visit epa.ohio.gov/ocapp/ohioe3.aspx or call (800) 329-7518. We would be glad to help guide you through the process and get your organization the recognition it deserves.

The Ohio Clean Marinas Program

Wed, 30 May 2018 16:47:16 GMT

The Ohio Clean Marinas program is a proactive partnership designed to encourage marinas and boaters to use simple, innovative solutions to keep Ohio's coastal and inland waterway resources clean. The program assists these operators in protecting the resources that provide their livelihood — clean water and fresh air.

The basic goal of the program is environmental stewardship - making marinas and boaters more aware of environmental laws, rules and jurisdictions, and encouraging marinas to follow best management practices and receive Clean Marinas certification.

In 2015, the program was expanded from an initial focus on marinas in the Lake Erie area to statewide. There are currently 78 marinas that have been certified as Ohio Clean Marinas, with an additional 47 committed to beginning the process to meet the program’s certification standards.

The Ohio Clean Marinas program also promotes environmentally friendly habits for the recreational boating community. In 2017, the Ohio Clean Marinas program partnered with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to produce a series of videos outlining and promoting clean boating tips. The videos are available at go.osu.edu/CleanMarinasYouTube.

Ohio EPA is excited to be part of the Clean Marina partnership and is a participant on the group’s advisory board through our Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention (OCAPP). OCAPP is a free, confidential resource available to help marinas comply with environmental regulations such as storm water requirements and waste management processes from maintenance operations. OCAPP’s services were highlighted in a session of the annual Ohio Clean Marinas program conference and awards ceremony in Sandusky on Feb. 21, 2018.

More information about the Clean Marinas program is available at ohioseagrant.osu.edu/clean

E3 Platinum Case Study – The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 21:54:58 GMT

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is one of the first organizations in Ohio to receive Ohio EPA's E3 Platinum Award. Their sustainability efforts include:

Adopting a sustainability policy in 2008, including achieving carbon neutrality and zero waste status, reducing energy and water use, and increasing recycling rates.
Calculating the carbon impact of their purchasing and operating decisions to help them prioritize decisions.
Partnering with many organizations supporting regional, national and international conservation, scientific and sustainability efforts.

Their environmental stewardship and education projects include:

Installing frictionless magnetic flux drives on water pumps (98.5 percent efficiency at full power).
Installing light-emitting plasma lamps.
Upgrading their Holiday Wildlights Wonderland display to LED holiday lighting.
Installing Ohio manufactured skylights inside their warehouse.
Installing a closed-loop geothermal water system and water recycling system for the Polar Frontier exhibit.

They achieve a 65 percent waste diversion rate including composting and recycling by:

Using non-potable water for irrigation.
Locally sourcing animal feed.
Composting food scraps and animal waste.
Reusing many materials in their exhibits by recycling fibers, tires, old barn timbers, plastic, vinyl and concrete.

Their Mapori Restaurant:

Is Four Star Green rated (one of three in Ohio) and LEED Certified.
Their menu includes the carbon footprint of the items, so diners can make informed choices.
Composts food wastes and uses bamboo dishes and trays.
Uses a storm water polishing system before releasing storm water.
Recycled 95 percent of construction material wastes and installed energy star appliances.

Sustainability projects implemented from 2011 to 2016 have a pay back of 2.2 years, with annual savings of more than $120,000. The Zoo recognizes that the projects have long lives and will continue to provide savings over time.

We will feature a case study of Washing Systems, our other platinum winner, in our next newsletter.

If you’re interested in applying for an E3 award, visit epa.ohio.gov/ocapp/ohioe3.aspx or call (800) 329-7518. We would be glad to help guide you through the process and get your organization the recognition it deserves.

Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler (center) presents the E3 Platinum Level flag to Barbara Revard, Director of Sustainability, Columbus Zoo and Jim Balthaser, past Chair of the Columbus Zoo Board of Directors.

Build Your Business – Get on the List and Join the Marketplace

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 21:46:06 GMT

For many years, Ohio EPA has maintained a list of Ohio companies that recycle materials, based on known businesses and others that have let us know about their services.

In November, the Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention (OCAPP) initiated a campaign to update the current information, add new recyclers, and improve the software used to maintain the list.

Through web searching and more than 200 phone calls, the data is being updated, reflecting new business names, adding email addresses, clarifying the materials managed, and removing businesses that are no longer operating. A new software tool will be implemented soon, improving how the data is viewed, including improved search functions, and providing map locations to help customers identify nearby recycling options. A re-launch of the list of recyclers is planned in 2018.

Last spring, Ohio EPA launched the Ohio Materials Marketplace (OMM), a free online service that allows businesses and organizations to connect and find reuse and recycling solutions for waste and by-product materials. Currently, OMM has more than 600 members. This service helps Ohio recyclers source materials and helps Ohio businesses quickly find a nearby recycler for their excess materials. Ohio EPA recently sent an email invitation to 464 recyclers inviting them to join the marketplace.

We hope to continually expand participation in both the Ohio Materials Marketplace and the Ohio List of Recyclers. This will help strengthen and expand Ohio’s recycling market and help all Ohio businesses and citizens participate in Ohio’s growing circular economy.

Get on the List

All Ohio businesses that currently accept materials for reuse, processing or recycling are invited to contact the agency and provide information for the new recyclers list. Please contact Howard Dong at 800-329-7518 or howard.dong@epa.ohio.gov to be included on the list.

Ohio EPA Hosts First Sustainability Conference

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 18:16:53 GMT

On Oct. 3, 2017, Ohio EPA held its first Sustainability Conference in Columbus. A mix of Ohio EPA staff, business and community representatives presented conference sessions for the 125 attendees. Director Craig Butler kicked off the conference with an inspiring keynote address and the Ohio Materials Marketplace was featured as a luncheon presentation. Director Butler also presented 18 Ohio organizations with 2017 Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) awards. Evaluations from the conference were very positive.

Ohio EPA realizes many businesses, communities and other organizations are moving beyond compliance and incorporating sustainable environmental practices into their daily operations. The goal of the conference was to help attendees leverage sustainable practices and resources to strengthen Ohio communities and businesses. The agenda focused on ways to become a part of the circular economy, how sustainability can improve communities, how our water resources can benefit from sustainable approaches, and the resources and incentives that can help sustainability efforts. During the event, attendees also heard from business and community leaders who shared their insight on how they've gone above and beyond to implement sustainable practices. To learn more about the conference, go to: epa.ohio.gov/sustainability_conference.

Some of the agenda items included:

Becoming a part of the circular economy.
Green chemistry.
Promoting recycling at big venues and events.
Integrating sustainable practices in your community.
Innovative approaches to protecting or restoring a community’s water bodies.
Jump-starting your recycling efforts.
Save money by saving energy.
Funding resources to help you install/retrofit for cleaner air.
Funding assistance for Ohio businesses and communities to grow, create jobs and protect the environment.

EPA Recognizes 2017 Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Award Winners

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 17:40:23 GMT

Ohio EPA Director Butler presented 18 Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) awards on Oct. 3, 2017 at the Sustainability Conference in Columbus. Ohio’s E3 program recognizes businesses, nonprofits and governmental agencies for going above and beyond compliance with requirements while demonstrating environmental excellence. This is the first year of awards for our fourth level of recognition, Platinum, which recognizes organizations that have expanded their environmental programs beyond their own facility, to make a positive impact on the surrounding community.

The E3 program also provides Gold, Silver and Achievement levels of recognition. An organization can work through levels of recognition including Achievement at the base level; Silver level recognizing outstanding accomplishments in environmental stewardship; and Gold level recognizing comprehensive environmental stewardship programs. All levels require a commitment to meet or exceed environmental regulatory requirements. We will feature more in-depth articles on these award winners in future newsletters.

Congratulations to all the 2017 winners! If you are interested in applying for recognition for your organization under the E3 program, please visit epa.ohio.gov/ohioe3 or call (800) 329-7518. We are glad to help guide you through the process and get your organization the recognition it deserves.

Two organizations were recognized at the Platinum level:

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Powell) — The Columbus Zoological Park Association (Columbus Zoo) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation located in Delaware County. The mission of the Columbus Zoo is to lead and inspire by connecting people and wildlife. They adopted a sustainability policy in 2008.

Washing Systems (Loveland) — Washing Systems is the leading provider of environmentally sustainable products and services to the North American and European laundry processing industry. Product formulas are developed that reduce or eliminate chemicals of concern and reduce energy and water use.

Nine organizations were recognized at the Gold level:

Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland) — The Cleveland Clinic (Main Campus) is a nonprofit academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital healthcare services with research and education. The clinic is an Energy Star partner, a Practice Greenhealth member, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and part of the region’s Sustainable Cleveland 2019.

Crown Minster (Minster) — Crown Minster is an ISO 14001 certified manufacturer and assembler of wire harnesses and sub-assemblies used in the manufacturing of material handling equipment for the Crown line of lift trucks. The company incorporates the use of cross-functional teams and continuous improvement into its operating practices.

Ford Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 (Cleveland) — Started in 1952, the plant produces internal combustion engines (currently 3.5 L EcoBoost and 3.7 L Duratech) for use in the assembly of motor vehicles. Operations at the facility include metal machining and assembly areas. Recycling and sustainable packaging reduce waste generated.

Frito-Lay (Wooster) — The Wooster Frito-Lay facility has been operating for 69 years making snack foods. Some of their innovative projects and technologies include: installing energy efficient lighting; installing new Energy Star roofing material exhibiting solar reflectance; installing quick charge systems for forklift batteries; replacing motors and gear boxes with high efficiency units; installing pressure regulators to reduce water use; and water recycling.

GM Toledo — The GM Toledo transmission operation plant manufactures and assembles GM’s six-speed and eight-speed rear-wheel-drive and six-speed front-wheel-drive transmissions. The site continues to be landfill free, per GM’s internal criteria, and achieved a recycling rate of 90.05 percent for all waste generated in 2015.

Honda Anna Engine Plant (Anna) — The Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. Anna Engine Plant (Honda AEP) annually produces more than one million four-cylinder, V-6 and turbo engines for Honda auto plants throughout North America. The plant also produces high-precision pulleys for continuously variable transmissions used in the Honda Accord and CR-V. Honda AEP maintains a third-party certified environmental management system and continues the Honda of America-wide zero landfill waste status.

Honda East Liberty Plant (East Liberty) — The Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. East Liberty Plant produces the Acura RDX, a compact SUV. It’s also the U.S. home of the Honda CR-V. Their environmental stewardship activities include receiving a 10th consecutive U.S. EPA Energy Star award; maintaining a third-party environmental management system and continuing zero landfill waste status.

Honda Marysville Auto Plant (Marysville) — Opened in 1982, the Marysville assembly plant produces the Honda Accord sedan and coupe along with the Acura TLX and ILX for customers in more than 100 countries around the world. Operations include: stamping; plastics injection molding; welding; painting; sub-assembly; and assembly. Environmental stewardship activities include receiving the U.S. EPA Energy Star award for the 10th consecutive year, maintaining a third-party certified environmental management system and continuing zero landfill waste status.

Ohio University (Athens) — Ohio University (OU) is a large, primarily residential, public research university. Ohio University’s main campus in Athens serves 23,000 students and has close ties to the city. OU’s Office of Sustainability coordinates efforts to meet its sustainability and climate action plans and coordinates several programs, including Sustainable Ohio University Leaders.

Seven organizations were recognized at the Silver level:

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems (Elyria) — Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, air brake charging, and control systems and components for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. Approximately 80 percent of original product material (including brake shoes, air dryers, valves, and air compressors) is salvaged and reassembled with other salvaged and new components to meet current specifications.

Kent State University (Kent) — Kent State University (KSU) is a large, primarily residential, public research university, serving more than 30,000 students at its Kent Campus. KSU maintains an Office of Sustainability to manage, plan and coordinate the overall university-wide sustainability efforts with the strategic goal of meeting present needs without compromising future generations.

Kenworth (Chillicothe) — Kenworth Truck Company manufactures heavy- and medium-duty trucks. The first Kenworth truck rolled off the Chillicothe assembly line in 1974. The plant’s 500,000th truck was produced in February 2017. They participated in an American Electric Power program saving five million kilowatt hours over a two-year period. Kenworth became a Zero Waste to Landfill facility in March 2016.

Nestlé (Dublin) — The Nestlé Quality Assurance Center is the lead quality assurance center for all Nestlé businesses in the Americas. It tests almost every Nestlé product, ingredient and manufacturing environment to verify conformance with all regulatory requirements, and that they meet Nestlé’s high quality and safety standards. They achieved ISO 14001 certification in 2014 and re-certified in 2016. They continue to invest in new equipment technologies and increase waste reduction.

Oberlin College (Oberlin) — Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. They established their Environmental Policy Statement in 2004. Oberlin is a pioneer in green buildings with its Living Machine (Adam Joseph Lewis Center), requiring new buildings to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards and has several LEED Gold buildings.

ODOT (Cleveland), The George V. Voinovich (GVV) Bridge Eastbound Structure — The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) GVV bridge team used INVEST (Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool), the voluntary sustainability rating system created by the Federal Highway Administration, to evaluate and integrate sustainability into their programs and projects. The tool helped the design team track waste reduction, recycled material used, energy efficiency, environmental commitments and sustainability principles.

Tigerpoly (Grove City) — Tigerpoly Manufacturing, Inc. has been mass-producing rubber and plastic automotive parts in Grove City since 1987. They strive to continually improve their environmental management system, minimizing wastes and pollution. Recycling diverts more than 750,000 pounds of material from the landfill every year.

Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Gold Award Winner Honda Research and Development Americas, Inc.

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 17:07:42 GMT

The Honda Research and Development (R&D) Americas, Inc., facility in Raymond, Ohio was awarded the E3 Gold Award in August 2017. At the facility, approximately 1,300 employees develop and test Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda power sports and Honda power equipment products. They lead in advancing safety and environmental technologies with other global R&D centers. They work to develop environmentally friendly products, striving to minimize the impact of daily operations on the environment. Honda R&D Americas has a zero-waste-to-landfill policy, which is part of a broader goal to reduce the environmental impact of all Honda's operations.

The Honda R&D Americas Raymond facility is the first Ohio facility designated as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2006. Some of the green building features used at the Honda R&D Americas Raymond facility include:

Using an ice chilling system, which is more energy efficient, costing less than conventional air conditioning systems.
Reducing emissions by 75 percent using a biodiesel emergency generator.
Optimizing lighting using occupancy sensors and installing energy efficient light bulbs and ballasts.
Using a smaller footprint catalytic technology thermal oxidizer, achieving faster warm-up time and lower operating temperature.
Installing a waste oil furnace in the car wash.

The following environmental factors are considered in each product design/development:

Reducing the environmental footprint, from design and selection of materials, to the end of life.
Considering the dismantling complexity, remanufacture of components and minimizing substances of concern.
Encouraging suppliers to reduce packaging waste and adopt more energy-efficient processes.
Integrating environmental management accounting on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. Environmental is a core business element along with Quality, Delivery and Cost.
Implementing zero-waste-to-landfill, starting with their associates/work force.
Encouraging associates to participate in philanthropic events and seeking new volunteer opportunities in communities.

“As the first R&D center of a major auto maker to receive a gold level E3 award, Honda R&D Americas sets an example for others to follow to improve operational and disposal efficiency while implementing environmentally beneficial programs,” Director Butler said.

What is the Circular Economy and How Can Ohio Support It?

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 16:40:43 GMT

The circular economy is a system for regenerating and restoring by design. By optimizing resources through reuse and recycling, waste is designed out of the process. Using this business model decreases or eliminates landfill and waste disposal fees, generates new products and services, and provides energy savings. Designers, engineers and business employees at all levels can achieve these goals.

Unlike the take, make and dispose model of the linear economy, the circular economy focuses on designing waste out of products and by-products with the intent of being repurposed or reused (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).

MillerCoors Brewing in Trenton is an example of a large Ohio manufacturer leading in the circular economy. Landfill free since 2009, MillerCoors recycles or reuses more than 99 percent of the materials involved in its production process. More than 200 million pounds of waste per year is recycled from the brewery. For every five truckloads of beer shipped, one truckload of materials is sent out for recycling, reuse or other beneficial use. For example, MillerCoors sends its spent grain from the brewing process to local farmers for use as animal feed.

This spring, Ohio EPA launched a free online platform for Ohio businesses to take steps toward transitioning to the circular economy. The Ohio Materials Marketplace is a free, easy way for Ohio businesses to exchange by-products and waste materials with other businesses. Businesses post available or wanted materials, then communicate through a messaging system to determine transportation and logistics. The goal of the Marketplace is to help Ohio businesses reduce their landfill waste and to encourage more reuse and recycling in business practices. OMM now has more than 400 member organizations and lists 100 available materials and 45 wanted materials.

Narrowing the gap between reuse and disposal/pollution for waste generation brings businesses in Ohio closer to the ideal circular economy model. Becoming a member of the marketplace can help you achieve your sustainability goals. For more information, watch our introductory webinar at youtube.com/1YfFIMGq4_I, and go to ohio.materialsmarketplace.org to join today. For questions, please contact Joseph Klatt at materials.marketplace@epa.ohio.govor (614) 705-1147.

Life Cycle Assessment – A Tool to Improve Your Environmental Impacts

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 16:27:38 GMT

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool to assign a value to the environmental impact of a product, process or activity through its entire life cycle. Organizations can use it to help label their products or services and educate consumers about their environmental impacts. LCA can also help organizations strategically plan and design products with less environmental impact.

LCA analyzes the impact of the product from cradle to grave or until it becomes a feedstock for another product. It reviews a product or service, including the energy and material inputs and outputs, accounting for material wastes, recycling and reuse. Even completing a partial LCA can provide a company insight on opportunities to improve a product or service.

LCA examines and provides information about:

Extracting, transporting and processing raw materials that go into a product or service.
Processing, manufacturing and fabricating a product or service.
Transporting or distributing a product or service to the consumer.
Using a product or service by the consumer.
Disposing or recovering a product after its useful life.
Quantifying product and service inputs and outputs.

The analysis provides an understanding of each stage of product life. It can help identify inputs or processes that have more harmful impacts. You can use the LCA technique to make choices about specific feedstocks or processes, resulting in a more sustainable product or service. These assessments may help an organization identify where substituting a less hazardous material or improving the energy efficiency of a process can reduce the overall environmental impact of a product or service.

When companies use similar LCA techniques, customers can identify preferred products and services by comparing scores to make an informed decision. Completing an LCA can improve a business’ products and services and attract new customers interested in using environmentally preferable products.

For more information, go to:

epa.gov/saferchoice/design-environment-life-cycle-assessments

brevard.ifas.ufl.edu/communities/pdf/chapter1_frontmatter_lca101.pdf

Learn the Lingo

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 16:14:40 GMT

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) — A tool to assign a value to the environmental impact of a product, process or activity through its entire life cycle. Organizations can use it to help label their products or services and educate consumers about their environmental impacts. LCA can also help organizations strategically plan and design products with less environmental impact.

Zero Waste to Landfill — A philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. No trash is sent to landfills or incinerators.

Learn the Lingo

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:25:08 GMT

Circular Economy — A system for regener-ating and restoring by design. By optimizing resources through reuse and recycling, waste is designed out of the process. Unlike the take, make and dispose model of the linear economy, in the circular economy all products and by-products are designed with the intent of being repurposed or reused.

U.S. EPA Small Business Ombudsman — The Asbestos Small Business Ombudsman (ASBO) serves as a conduit for small businesses to access U.S. EPA, and facilitates communications between the small business community and U.S. EPA. The ASBO advocates for small business issues, and partners with state Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs), U.S. EPA Regional Small Business Liaisons (RSBLs) trade associations, U.S. EPA headquarters and regional offices, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and other federal agencies to help assist the small business community.

Dayton Expands Lime Reclamation Facility

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:18:55 GMT

The City of Dayton is investing more than $9 million to expand its lime reclamation facility. The city received a $250,000 grant from Ohio EPA’s Recycling and Litter Prevention program that was used to purchase high-volume pumps needed for the expansion. Dayton’s investment (primarily capital improvement funds) is intended to be offset by increased lime sales to external customers and the payback period for the expansion project is expected to be around 10 years.

Dayton has two water treatment plants that rely on ground water as their source. Lime softens the water and removes minerals that can build up in consumers’ pipes. The lime reclamation facility regenerates the spent lime from the water treatment process in the form of pebbles which are then re-used for water softening at the plant, keeping the spent lime out of landfills. Excess regenerated lime is sold to other water systems. The facility's carbon dioxide exhaust is used to adjust the pH at the water treatment plants.

Recently, the city began looking for lime residuals from outside sources to supplement the additional capacity of its system. Importing spent lime from other treatment plants will benefit the city while reducing waste. The expansion will also help improve cost efficiency — as the kiln operates closer to capacity, the relative costs for gas used for heating the kiln, labor and maintenance will be lower.

As a part of the expansion, Dayton is constructing several ancillary facilities to receive the lime residuals from off-site sources, process the residuals to feed into the lime kiln, and store the additional finished product. After the expansion is completed, the city expects to produce about 120 tons per day of lime for re-sale. Additionally, the project could create four new jobs. Dayton has reclaimed lime since the 1950s and currently sells lime pebbles to multiple water utilities and is in discussions with others. To learn more about Ohio EPA’s Recycling and Litter Prevention grants, visit epa.ohio.gov/ocapp/Grants.aspx.

Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Gold Award Winner — MillerCoors, Trenton

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:11:24 GMT

The MillerCoors brewery in Trenton was awarded the E3 Gold Award in May 2017. It brews up to 11 million barrels of beer a year with 510 employees. It is the second largest facility out of seven MillerCoors breweries, and produces Miller Lite, Coors Light, Miller High Life and Third Shift among other products. The brewery has not sent garbage to a landfill since 2009. It is located on 1,100 acres — including 2.5 acres of wetlands, more than 30 acres of managed prairie grass and more than 500 acres used by local farmers.

The Gold Level recognizes organizations that have a good environmental compliance record, have completed environmental stewardship activities and are committed to pursuing environmental improvement projects. Environmental stewardship activities that put MillerCoors in the E3 Gold level include:

Recycling more than 200 million pounds of waste per year.
Implementing an employee involvement program.
Launching an employee sustainability council to reduce water and energy use at the plant.
Installing water meters for tracking by department, production line or specific equipment.
Partnering with a bio-tech company converting wastewater into animal feed.
Treating 1.8 million gallons of wastewater per day and returning clean water into the environment.
Converting coal boilers to natural gas.
Constructing 2.5 acres of wetlands on-site to alleviate flooding and improving ground water quality.

The MillerCoors Trenton Brewery continues to strive to complete more environmental stewardship activities and become more sustainable. All seven major MillerCoors breweries in the U.S. are now landfill free, but the practices used to achieve this status originated from lessons learned at Trenton, the first to reach the milestone.

Ohio Hospitals Case Study — Achievement Level

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 14:57:12 GMT

In 2001, Ohio EPA’s Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention (OCAPP) and the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) partnered to eliminate mercury from Ohio hospitals. Since then, OCAPP has continued to participate on the OHA Environmental Leadership Council, providing updates on regulations and assisting with OHA’s Pollution Prevention University. OCAPP also helps evaluate potential recipients of OHA’s Melvin Creeley Award which recognizes hospitals for promoting sound practices through environmental stewardship.

In June 2017, the following hospitals received the Melvin Creeley Award from OHA and the E3 Achievement Level Award from Ohio EPA:

Stewardship activities of these award winners include:

Implementing recycling, water and energy conservation programs.
Installing a green roof and using natural landscaping to reduce irrigation and maintenance.
Reducing medical waste and recycling lead aprons.
Implementing composting and food donation programs.
Using an electronic assessment tool to evaluate and select computers and monitors with environmentally-friendly attributes.
Upgrading lighting and HVAC mechanical systems to conserve energy.
Developing green purchasing programs for cleaning chemicals.
Reducing pharmaceutical waste.

Ohio EPA’s Ohio Materials Marketplace (OMM)

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 13:43:34 GMT

In April 2017, Ohio EPA launched the Ohio Materials Marketplace (OMM), a significant step to shift Ohio from a “take, use and dispose” model to one emphasizing recycling, remanufacturing, reuse and maintenance. OMM’s free online materials and waste exchange encourages a dialog between members and provides a forum where they can connect and find reuse and recycling solutions for waste and by-products.

Through OMM’s interactive messaging system, Ohio businesses, not-for-profits and government organizations communicate with other members to advertise and acquire materials that might otherwise be destined for disposal in landfills. Since its inception, 270 organizations have joined OMM, listing 53 available materials and 22 wanted materials. Examples of advertised materials and their potential re-uses include:

bulk wooden pallets (mulch base)
used bricks (building materials)
spent foundry sand (soil additive)

Examples of wanted items and their desired re-use include:

bulk alumina oxide (for metals harvesting/recovery)
bulk food waste in packaging (for anaerobic digestion/energy recovery)
plastic drums and barrels (for recycling into new products)

OMM members can save, or even make, money by finding a market for their unwanted materials and avoiding landfill tipping fees. Buyers save money by having access to sellers’ discounted (or free) materials, and Ohio’s environment benefits by having more material removed from the waste stream.

Becoming a member of the marketplace will help you achieve your zero waste goals while participating in Ohio’s emerging circular economy. You can watch our introductory webinar at https://youtu.be/1YfFIMGq4_I, and go to https://ohio.materialsmarketplace.org/ to join today. For questions, please contact Joseph Klatt at materials.marketplace@epa.ohio.gov or (614) 705-1147.

Embracing the Circular Economy

Narrowing the gap between reuse and disposal/pollution brings businesses in Ohio closer to the ideal circular economy model.

MillerCoors Brewing in Trenton is an example of a large Ohio manufacturer leading in the circular economy. Landfill-free since 2009, MillerCoors recycles or reuses more than 99 percent of the materials involved in its production process.

The brewery recycles more than 200 million pounds of waste every year. For every five truckloads of beer shipped, one truckload of materials is sent out for recycling, reuse or other beneficial use. For example, MillerCoors sends its spent grain from the brewing process to local farmers for use as animal feed.

In addition to launching the Ohio Materials Marketplace, Ohio EPA is also supporting and promoting the circular economy by dedicating an entire track to this concept in its upcoming Sustainability Conference in October.

Save Money and Reduce Waste: Pollution Prevention for Metal Finishing

Tue, 02 May 2017 13:19:49 GMT

High disposal fees and raw material costs can be a financial drain on your metal finishing operation. To remain competitive and go beyond compliance, pollution prevention (P2) can be the easiest and best management choice for reducing these costs and waste issues.

Instead of concentrating on treatment, P2 focuses on optimizing processes, reducing raw materials and preventing losses. As a metal finisher, you can use the following principles when developing a P2 strategy:

Use the least toxic and easiest to manage chemicals.
Extract the most life (use) out of process chemistries.
Keep process chemistry solutions where they belong (in the process tanks).
Return as much escaping solution (dragout) as possible to your tanks.
Use the least amount of rinse water required for good rinsing.

Understanding P2 principles related to metal finishing helps identify areas where waste minimization opportunities exist within your operations. P2 techniques for metal finishing include the following:

Slow down — Reduce the speed of parts removal and allow drain time above process tanks to reduce dragout.
Counter-current rinsing — Feed fresh water into the rinse tank farthest from the plating tank and have it overflow backward through the flowing rinse tanks until it reaches the rinse tank immediately after the plating tank.
Static rinse — Make the first rinse after a process bath a static rinse that builds up a concentration of dragin and is used instead of fresh water to replenish the process bath.
Rack to reduce dragout — Position the part so that fluid will flow together and off the part by the quickest route.
Bath chemistry — Regularly monitor bath chemistry with pH and conductivity controls.
Restrict water flow — Use simple in-line flow restrictors to limit the water flow rate.
Drain boards — Place a drain board over the lips of two adjacent tanks to catch dragout.
Fogging/Spray/Air Knives — After a part is removed from a bath, use these devices, located above process tanks, to force excess solution off the work piece and into the process bath.

For more information and assistance about P2 and waste reductions in a metal finishing process, contact Ohio EPA’s Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention (OCAPP). OCAPP is a free and confidential program that helps identify and implement P2 measures that can avoid regulation, save money, increase your performance and benefit the environment. For more information about OCAPP and its services, please visit epa.ohio.gov/ocapp or call us at (800) 329-7518.

Publication Updates

Thu, 15 Oct 2015 20:52:18 GMT

SmallBiz@EPA Bulletin for September 2015.

Ohio EPA Division of Air Pollution Control (DAPC), Asbestos Notification for Demolition and Renovation forms, September 2015.

Paint Reuse: A Manual for Developing Effective Programs. This manual provides information about the paint reuse process for local government entities, community groups, transfer stations, and non-profit organizations. Published by New York Product Stewardship Council (NYPSC) and the Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. (PSI).

25th Anniversary Retrospective of the Pollution Prevention Act. Published by Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center.

Before You Light It…Know Ohio’s Open Burning Regulations- Brochure.