NEWS RELEASE
December 8, 2004
Contacts:
Regg Olsen, Utah Division of Air Quality, (801) 536-4165
Russ Larsen, Hughes General Contractors, (801) 292-1411
(Salt Lake City, Utah) – The Utah Air Quality Compliance Advisory Panel (CAP) has recognized the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce, Star Foundry and Cerro Wire and Cable for their efforts to “put their best foot forward” in preventing or reducing air pollution.
In response to last year’s inversion and air quality concerns in the Cache Valley, local businesses worked together to do what they could to reduce air pollution. The CAP honored the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce as a way of collectively recognizing those businesses for voluntarily taking action to protect public health and the environment.
Star Foundry, a metal casting business in Salt Lake City, upgraded its fume and dust collection system, switched to a higher grade sand with less dust and began recycling molding sand. Additionally, most of the castings are made from recycled or scrap metal, and the scrap metal is purchased from local recyclers. All of the machine and metallic refuse is sent to metal recycling centers.
Cerro Wire and Cable in Harrisville reduced waste by eliminating carton product packaging and changing to shrink film packaging. The company also eliminated unfriendly environmental heavy metals by changing PVC compounding formulas, redesigned plastic spools to reduce plastic waste and recycled copper and PVC scrap.
“We realize that these efforts are not easy or cheap, especially for small businesses with limited resources,” said CAP Chairman Russ Larsen of Hughes General Contractors. “But these efforts really do pay off in the long run.”
The CAP is a small business advisory panel to the Utah Division of Air Quality. This year is the second for the panel to recognize small businesses for having an environmentally friendly business approach, encouraging practices that reduce or prevent air pollution and being in compliance with air quality laws.