In this Issue:
- Eureka Cleanup
- Drinking Water Board
- DEQ/Health Partnership
- P2 Awards
- DEQ Employee Awards
- In Memory Of...
- Calendar of Events
Newsletter Links:
Sponsored by the
Utah Department of
Environmental Quality
In this Issue:
Newsletter Links:
Sponsored by the
Utah Department of
Environmental Quality
La-Z-Boy Utah sees every waste stream as an opportunity to recycle material and in the process the Tremonton manufacturer of upholstered furniture has managed to cut its waste by 15 percent.
Those efforts, along with the similar successes of five other businesses in Utah, were praised at the Utah Pollution Prevention Association’s annual luncheon on Oct. 4.
“I applaud your efforts and encourage you to continue your progress,” Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality, told an audience of about 30 industry executives and award recipients.
Pollution Prevention Association, a nonprofit group dedicated to reducing pollution through practical, cost-saving methods, has come along way since it was formed in 1991.
“It’s an incredible evolution when you look at pollution prevention,” noted Nielson. “It began as experimental. We were all focused on the right ideas but we didn’t have a lot of examples. We were trail blazers in the many projects we under took. That’s changed. Today, you can’t go to a business or a national park without seeing some indication of the focus on the environment or sustainability that is making a green footprint.”
Take Uinta Brewing, an Achievement Award recipient. The company has cut its water use by more than 1 million gallons a year. It powers its delivery trucks with bio-diesel and sends 3 million pounds of spent grain to farms for animal feed, rather than throwing it in the Dumpster.
Another award winner, Ben Louge of LaPorte Properties, remodels old buildings, converting them into energy efficient low-income housing. He recently upgraded 54 low-income housing units with photovoltaic panels that cut down on the utility expenses for tenants.
“I can do this because the state is committed to financing such projects,” Louge said. “The tenants love it. They are proud of the building. We have 100 percent occupancy.”
The University of Utah and The Associated Students of the University of Utah also were recognized for buying 25 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, which avoids carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions equivalent to taking over 3,000 vehicles off the road.
Two others, ARAMARK Lake Powell Resort and Marinas and Utah Wild Oats Market were praised for similar efforts. ARAMARK recycled 917,000 pounds of aluminum and cardboard in 2005. Utah Wild Oats Market has purchased over 24 percent of its energy use from wind power, thereby avoiding over 1,400 tons of CO2 emissions.
For more information on Pollution Prevention visit: http://www.deq.utah.gov/Pollution_Prevention/index.htm