Summaries of the 2007 Environmental Excellence Awards
(facilities listed in alphabetical order)
Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention Large Facility
The Anheuser-Busch Williamsburg brewery is proud to continue a tradition of environmental stewardship which began more than 150 years ago when the company’s founder, Adolphus Busch, recycled leftover brewers grain into cattle feed. Today, Anheuser-Busch is one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. In fact, the Williamsburg brewery recycles more than 99 percent of the waste we generate, including our grain and the famous Budweiser beechwood chips. Conserving resources and operating with care and concern for the environment is part of everything we do as we brew the world’s best-selling, highest quality beers. Every day, employees throughout the brewery look for ways to minimize our impact on the environment by recycling and reducing water and energy use. For example, our Water Conservation Task Force reduced the water used by our brewery by 5.6 percent in 2006, earning the 2007 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award. In addition, our employees promote environmental awareness in the community about conservation and recycling. We also believe in giving back to those communities where we do business. Anheuser-Busch and its charitable foundation have contributed nearly $2.5 million to the Williamsburg community over the past decade, supporting organizations such as the United Way, Boy Scouts of America and Jamestown 2007. The brewery also partners with the Williamsburg-James City County Community Action Agency (WJCC-CAA) on the Anheuser-Busch Green Team, an annual summer program providing jobs and mentoring to area youth as they work to beautify the community. Over the past 10 years, more than 100 students have participated in the Green Team program.
City of Charlottesville Outstanding Achievement for a Government Facility Local Government
Recognizing their responsibility to future generations and with a vision of being “A Green City” that has a sustainable natural and built environment, the City of Charlottesville has and will continue to implement numerous environmental sustainability and pollution prevention initiatives. In 2006, the City continued the implementation of its ISO 14001 based Environmental Management System (EMS) in its Departments of Parks and Recreation and Public Works. The Department of Parks and
Recreation was awarded the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise (E4) designation for its exemplary EMS and pollution prevention efforts. Energy and water conservation efforts in City and School facilities led to substantial natural resources conservation, cost savings, and air emissions reductions. The City conserved 1.9 million kWh of electricity, 7.9 million cubic feet of natural gas, and 2.2 million gallons of water, resulting in cost savings of over $289,000. These energy and water savings are estimated to have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by over 3.4 million pounds, sulfur dioxide emissions by over 21,000 pounds, and nitrogen oxide emissions by over 8,000 pounds. As part of the City’s Stormwater Management Program, a biofilter was constructed to treat runoff from a City maintenance yard and nutrient management plans were implemented in all City Parks, the City’s municipal golf course, and on sports fields. Community outreach projects involving over 325 volunteers resulted in the removal of over 3,000 pounds of trash during fourteen stream clean-ups, the enhancement of approximately one mile of riparian buffers, the planting of 246 trees, and the application of 215 storm drain placards. Other 2006 pollution prevention accomplishments include the use of approximately 50,000 gallons of B20 biodiesel, the expansion of hybrid vehicles in the City’s fleet, and the recycling of 5.95 tons of computer equipment and approximately 100 mercury containing thermostats. These pollution prevention efforts are indicative of the City’s commitment to environmental stewardship and goal of sustainable operations.
Corporate Office Properties Trust Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention Small Facility
Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) is an award-winning leader in constructing "green" buildings, and they are committed to creating facilities that are environmentally sound and exemplify the best practices of green development. Every new property they develop is built to meet the requirements for Silver certification in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program of the U.S. Green Building Council. Green features include improved environmental quality, extremely efficient mechanical systems, water usage reduction and green housekeeping programs. COPT is also undertaking a study of the sewage from their new buildings as compared to non-LEED buildings. Due to the use of very efficient plumbing fixtures, these new buildings are modeled to use 40% less water than a typical building. Anne Arundel County has been receptive when COPT proposed that the water/ sewer connection fees should be less, and their sewer allotment should support more square footage, effectively increasing the density they can support in the National Business Park.
eCity Corporation Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention Small Facility
eCity is a full service branding agency specializing in print and web graphic design, market research and measurement, campaign development and management, and public relations. eCity Corporation strives to be as green as possible by bidding projects on post-consumer content paper and working with printers that use eco-inks and produce minimal waste. eCity's internal green initiative includes establishing a community-wide recycling program, purchasing green office supplies, recycling electronic hardware through TurtleWings, reducing waste, and attending environmental conferences and seminars. eCity initiated an educational community awareness program by designing a coloring book entitled "ecoEd", printed on 100% recycled paper. The purpose of the book is to illustrate how seamlessly a business may decrease its consumption of energy and reduce waste. They have partnered with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to distribute copies of "ecoEd" at their educational centers.
Isle of Wight Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, P.C. Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention Small Facility
Isle of Wight Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, P.C. has worked to incorporate all of the “best management practices” and procedures that are referenced in the publication, The Environmentally-Responsible Dental Office: A Guide to Pollution Prevention & Proper Waste Management in Dental Offices. The Virginia Dental Association (VDA) and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) partnered to produce this publication. In addition, Isle of Wight Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, P.C. strove to design their facility to prevent pollution. Although the building has not been certified as a “LEED” (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), they did ask their architects and builders to use the LEED guidance as design “goals” for their project; and they were able to incorporate many of the measures. And throughout the design process, Isle of Wight Family and Cosmetic Dentistry always considered the environment. Isle of Wight Family & Cosmetic Dentistry continues to emphasize the importance of the environment to their employees and to their customers. Employees are trained on their commitment to the environment and in the many facets of what they do that have potential environmental impacts. They openly ask for their suggestions and ideas. Isle of Wight Family & Cosmetic Dentistry communicates this commitment to their patients by discussing it with them on their first visit and a laminated copy of their practice philosophy in the waiting area. The office is approximately 5000 square feet, and their monthly energy bill is approximately $175. Their design team estimates that this building is at least 50% more energy efficient than a traditional, new building.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard Outstanding Achievement for a Government Facility Federal Government
Environmental compliance at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard begins with a strong pollution prevention
program. The shipyard accomplishes this through numerous different avenues, each one designed to target one aspect of pollution prevention from material substitution, to process controls, and eventually to recycling, reuse, or disposal of the material. While the shipyard firmly believes material substitution is the primary means of pollution control, it understands the importance of complete management of hazardous materials to prevent those materials from entering the environment. The shipyard has been named a Sustained Distinguished Performance River Star by the Elizabeth River Project and been accepted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as an Environmental Enterprise participant in the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program. The shipyard EMS is set out in various chapters of the Occupational Safety, Health, and Environment Control Manual. These chapters cover all areas in which the shipyard may have an impact on the environment. They are reviewed yearly to ensure they are up to date and reflect the latest changes in environmental regulations and the various permits the shipyard holds. Metrics have been developed to track the shipyards performance in key areas including pollution prevention. Some of the pollution prevention projects have been implemented recently include expansion of the shipyard’s recycling program. In addition to partnering with the Navy Regional Recycling Program, the shipyard began recycling one time use batteries, such as AA, AAA, and D cells. An ethylene glycol recycling unit was installed in the aircraft support equipment shop which processed approximately 1100 pounds of coolant in the past year. The methylene chloride in the yards paint stripping tank was replaced with a less toxic, more environmentally friendly cleaner. A “just in time” procurement program has been instituted for the purchase of paints, which will reduce the amount of excess and expired shelf life paint by about 60,000 pounds per year.
Smithfield Packing Company - Landover Division Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention Large Facility
Smithfield Packing Company, Landover Division, is a ham-processing facility located in Landover, Maryland. The facility has been ISO 14001 certified since 2004. As both a corporate objective and an Environmental Management Program for 2006, the facility implemented an energy-savings program they titled “Energy Attack”. The facility began by addressing operational parameters, weekend set-back procedures, door monitoring and policies and mechanical changes. The facility spent $90,000 to recondition two boilers, their smokehouse and replace burner tips to result in more efficient burning. The rest of the changes, however, such as raising suction pressures, changing shut down policies, revising weekend set-back procedures and monitoring doors, were completed with no costs incurred. By implementing these changes, electrical (Kwh) usage was reduced by 10.69%, resulting in savings of $357,156. Natural gas (Dth) usage was reduced by 22.76%, for a savings of $485,062. In addition to saving our natural resources, the facility was able to realize over $842,000 in cost savings and has continued on to Energy Attack IV!
University of Virginia Outstanding Achievement for a Government Facility State Government
With an annual operating budget of $1.88 billion, educating nearly 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students per year, employing approximately 12,000 and ranked among the best universities in the United States, the University of Virginia has a compelling impact on the economy, environment and society. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University prides itself on academic leadership, civic responsibility, self-governance and stewardship of the University Grounds and Academical Village, i.e., sustainability. Within the context of the environment, UVA has implemented many programs with the intent of reducing their footprint, with the ultimate goal of a sustainable environment. The University’s promotion of sustainability and pollution prevention is seeing impressive results. In 2006, UVA recycled 48% of its waste stream, diverting a total 4,883 tons of material from landfills. A $73 million upgrade to the Main Heat Plant is seeing greatly reduced SO2, NOx, and other air pollution emissions. Nearly 90% of the University’s lighting systems have been replaced with energy efficient lights and nearly 6,000 motion sensors have been installed. The University has developed Nutrient Management Plans to minimize fertilizer application and Stormwater Management Master Plans which include green stormwater controls, such as bio-filters and wetlands that minimize pollution in runoff. Through the implementation of an Environmental Management System, on going improvement in pollution prevention is guaranteed. Lastly, in February 2007, the Board of Visitors approved a measure requiring all new and renovated buildings at the University be LEED certified.
Virginia Regional Environmental Management System (V-REMS) Partnership Partner of the Year
The Virginia Regional Environmental Management System (V-REMS) partnership consists of over 50 federal, state, and local public and private organizations, including 10 city/county governments. Partners voluntarily collaborate to address community and environmental issues throughout the Richmond area, across Virginia, and within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The V-REMS partnership has proven successful in protecting Virginia’s environment and natural resources. The partnership’s efforts have lead to quantifiably cleaner air, water, and waste streams, improved cost-savings and enhanced communication and cooperation between partners and throughout the community. Generating measurable improvements to organizations and the region for over four years, the V-REMS approach serves as a replicable model for other counties seeking to strengthen relationships with regional stakeholders, demonstrate environmental improvements, and support the county’s priorities.
York County School Division Outstanding Achievement for Nutrient Reduction Local Government
The York County School Division and Businesses for the Bay share a common goal – to reduce pollution and improve the quality of the environment, specifically the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The school division uses a two-pronged approach to reduce pollution in the Bay and reduce overall energy consumption. The first method involves specific building system design strategies implemented by the school division. These include replacing harmful chemical water treatment systems on building
cooling towers with environmentally-friendly ozone water treatment systems and implementing energy saving technologies to decrease the division’s carbon footprint. In 2006 alone, the school division reduced energy consumption by 668,104 kWh. This is the equivalent to removing 1,002,156 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or planting 194 acres of trees. These results were achieved by utilizing geothermal heating and air conditioning systems, heat wheel energy recovery systems, variable speed circulation pumps, occupancy sensor-controlled lights and HVAC systems, and full implementation of direct digital building automation controls. The second prong in the school division’s plan to reduce pollution is through education of employees, students and community. The division promotes environmental initiatives such as Earth Day and the Energy Star Change a Light campaign. The York County School Division also provides facility tours to engineers, architects and personnel from other schools systems so they could learn about the energy conservation measures already in place in York County. The York County School Division’s success has been recognized by the EPA and it is one of only 28 school divisions across the nation to be an Energy Star Leader. They have four of the five schools in Virginia that have been certified as Energy Star buildings and one-third of the schools utilize geothermal heating and cooling systems.
Kristel F. Riddervold, City of Charlottesville Mentor of the Year
Kristel Riddervold is the Environmental Administrator for the City of Charlottesville’s Department of Public Works. Under her leadership, the City of Charlottesville is developing and implementing a comprehensive Environmental Management System (EMS) and is a participant of the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program. Thus far, two of its departments are in the program – the Department of Public Works’ Fleet Maintenance program is at the introductory or “E2” level, and its Department of Parks and Recreation has achieved the highest ranking in the program – “E4”, which stands for “extraordinary environmental enterprise”. Kristel Riddervold is a founding member of “RMSA”, or the Rivanna EMS Association, a network of organizations in the Charlottesville area which promotes the sharing of information on EMS and works toward common goals. The City of Charlottesville and RMSA have identified inputs to the Rivanna River and the Chesapeake Bay as a significant environmental impact, and RMSA has encouraged its members to target nutrient and sediment impacts and to participate in Businesses for the Bay. In 2006, the City of Charlottesville joined Businesses for the Bay; and since that time, Ms. Riddervold and the rest of the City’s environmental staff have promoted membership in Businesses for the Bay to the City’s businesses. Ms. Riddervold’s mentoring activities in 2006 and 2007 have extended well beyond Businesses for the Bay. In 2006, she helped found VEMSA, the Virginia Environmental Management System Association, which consists primarily of participants in the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program. Ms. Riddervold is now the Chairman of this unique, all-volunteer organization that has received much national recognition for its efforts. VEMSA has hosted two extremely successful EMS conferences and is developing a plan for future activities and initiatives to meet the needs of its membership.
Throughout this time, Ms. Riddervold has actively assisted the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the US EPA in promoting EMS and has appeared at several national and regional conferences to present on the VEMSA project.