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NPPR News

Fall 2021

Message from the Chair

by Laura Henne

National Pollution Prevention Week is September 20-26, 2021. The theme this year is P2: A Building Block for Environmental Justice.     

We are delighted to present this year’s poster by Avery Bardwell, a recent high school graduate from a school for the arts in Toronto, Canada.

We asked Avery to say a few words.    

“Hi there!

My name’s Avery Bardwell. I’m a graduate of Etobicoke School for the Arts Contemporary Arts program, and am currently returning to refine my skill sets!   

As a queer woman, an art student and a member of a large family, I understand the importance of empathy, community and most importantly, representation. It is through my art that I aim to create stories and mechanisms of communication to educate and comfort.

In times like these, art has been of great use to reach the many generations in a multitude of ways . My hope is that it may continue to express and connect with others, as we move and grow with the world around us.” 

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Pollution prevention (P2) is a natural fit with Environmental justice. P2 was identified at the First People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, held in  1991, as a policy necessary for achieving environmental justice because of the clear need to reduce pollution impacts and the broad range of its damaging effects. (U.S. EPA, 2003)

 
2020 P2 Ambassador: Mark Rossi, Executive Director, Clean Production Action

NPPR seeks part-time Communications Coordinator

The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) is seeking candidates who bring strong skills in communications, event coordination, research, writing, and creativity to support the organization's mission.

If you are interested in working with a diverse stakeholder group of state environmental programs, universities,  private businesses, and non-profits to advance pollution prevention throughout North America, this is a great job for you!

This position will be a part-time (20 hours/week) remote work position, reporting to the NPPR's Board of Directors Executive Committee. Applicants are expected to provide their own computer and internet connection. Pay rate is $15/hour.

The successful candidate will:

  • Manage NPPR's social media accounts, including the organization's Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages, effectively communicating information and engaging stakeholders.
  • Help update and regularly review NPPR's website.
  • Assist in the planning, coordination, and execution of NPPR events, including, but not limited to, webinars, roundtable discussions, and in-person conferences and meetings.
  • Provide assistance with review and completion of written documents and resources produced by the organization, including the NPPR quarterly e-newsletter.
  • Assist with executing objectives and activities in support of NPPR's strategic plan.

Interested applicants are requested to submit a resume to admin@p2.org by November 1, 2021. If you have additional questions regarding the organization, position, or desired skills, please contact Laura Henne at admin@p2.org.

Apply now!

PPRC offers discounted rate to NPPR members for 2021 Virtual Pacific Northwest Pretreatment Workshop

The Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC), through its Western States Alliance (WSA) program, is hosting the 2021 Virtual Pacific Northwest Pretreatment Workshop (PNPW) on November 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, and 16th.  from noon-4 pm EST each day.

Conference registration is $300 for the entire event but PPRC is offering a $50 registration fee for current National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) members and/or member programs. If you aren't a current member of NPPR, join today!

This premier workshop provides pretreatment professionals technical training, local, state, and federal policy information, most recent innovative technologies, and much more to those who attend. 

If you are interested in attending, please e-mail Ken Grimm at kgrimm@pprc.org to get your special promotional code to register at the discounted rate. If you have questions, contact either Ken Grimm or Ed Gonzalez (egonzalez@pprc.org).

Register today!

NPPR endorses the Principles for Chemical Ingredient Disclosure

In July, NPPR endorsed the Principles for Chemical Ingredient Disclosure.   

This initiative has been led by Clean Production Action (CPA) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials Association’s (NEWMOA) Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2).

These principles are aspirational and visionary. They reflect the desire on the part of a wide range of stakeholders to promote transparency and accessibility to information on the chemical ingredients. The principles apply to a diverse set of products, including those in the building, personal care, cleaning, children’s, electronics, and apparel sectors.

Read the Principles

Workgroup updates

About NPPR Workgroups

NPPR's workgroups bring together P2 professionals from across the country to share ideas, information, and deliverables. The topical areas coincide with EPA national emphasis areas and other areas of interest to the P2 community.

NPPR currently hosts six active workgroups. They are:

Food & Beverage

The NPPR Food & Beverage Workgroup will meet Sept. 20 at 1 PM ET and Nov. 15 at 1 PM ET to finish off their series of 2021 workgroup meetings.

The September meeting will include speakers and focus on the topic of refrigerants.

Contact Joy Onasch at joy@turi.org for more information on this workgroup. 

Register

Private Sector P2 Professionals

The P2 Professionals Workgroup, in coordination with the Boston University Regulated Community Compliance Project, is hosting a webinar on Sept. 21 from 1-3 pm EDT entitled "Digitizing POTWs and Water Providers: Advancing the Use of Data in Water Programs."

Intended for water managers and P2 professionals, the webinar will cover opportunities for using new sensing and analytic tools to improve water management.

For a complete description of the program content and to register, visit the event webpage.

Learn more & register

From the states

Region 1

Case study: Family Martial Arts Center kicks out harmful disinfecting chemicals while defending against COVID-19

Before reopening their karate studio, the owners of Family Martial Arts Center (FMAC) in Leominster, MA needed to identify a reliable source of cleaning and disinfecting products. They wanted to ensure that those chemicals would not only be effective but would also not expose employees or students to chemicals associated with health risks.

With TURI's help, FMAC purchased equipment that could generate safer cleaning and disinfecting  solutions on demand, which allowed them to maintain business efficiency, promote safety and, stabilize access to cleaning products.

Read the full case study

Region 5

ISTC program yields big savings for Illinois wastewater treatment plants

ISTC's Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Assistance Program started in 2018 with funding from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Partnering with the University of Illinois’ Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC), the TAP team visits publicly owned wastewater treatment plants across the state and drafts no-cost assessments with specific recommendations on how to lower energy costs. Similar assessments would cost between $6,000 and $12,000. 

In four years, this project has developed 108 specialized energy efficiency assessments for individual wastewater treatment plants, identifying recommendations that can save municipalities over $2.8 million annually. Two communities that have benefited from this assistance are Caseyville and Annawan.

Case study: Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe – Safer Degreasing Products 

MnTAP staff worked with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Air Quality Program to help auto repair facilities replace hazardous automotive degreasers with safer alternatives.

Each site tested various blends of acetone, heptane,  hydrocarbons as replacements for more hazardous blends  containing xylene, toluene, PERC, TCE and methanol. The  safer products were sourced from local Auto Value, Napa and  O’Reilly Auto Parts stores. After identifying a working product, the auto shops were given a case of the product to continue testing it to ensure that it met cleaning expectations.


    Read the full case study

    Region 6

    Case study: Pursuit for Continual Improvement Generates Shocking Results and Surprising UFO Sighting

    Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) staff recently performed an E3 assessment at NorTex Metal Finishing

    TMAC’s review included finding lean, energy and environmental savings opportunities. The energy review identified an opportunity to qualify NorTex as a manufacturer that was using more than 50% of their electricity for the purposes of manufacturing.

    TMAC also noticed that the heated etch tanks could be insulated to also help reduce electricity costs. Polypropylene tank floats shaped like UFOs were installed by NorTex to help insulate the tanks. In addition to reducing heat loss these floats also reduce fumes, evaporation of chemicals, drag out and exhaust maintenance. In addition to saving over $1,000 in annual heating costs, this tank was now available 31% more time at the correct temperature during the day.  This study provided data to validate the UFO float technology, which could now be installed in up to 6 additional tanks in their facility.

      Read the full case study

      Region 10

      Washington Materials Marketplaces launches

      The City of Tacoma, Seattle Good Business Network, and the US Business Council for Sustainable Development have launched of a new program that allows for circular reuse of products and materials that might otherwise be destined for disposal in landfills.

      Through the Washington Materials Marketplace, traditional and non-traditional waste streams are matched with new reuse and recycling opportunities that result in landfill diversion, carbon reduction, cost savings, energy savings, and new job opportunities.

        Visit the website

        U.S. EPA news

        EPA Region 9 presents P2 Week webinar

        P2 for All – Promoting Toxics Reduction in Underserved Communities

        Sept 23, 2021 10:00 – 11:30 Pacific Daylight Time (1:00-2:30 Eastern Daylight Time)

        This webinar will highlight practical approaches for promoting toxics source reduction in underserved and overburdened communities. These communities face a host of chemical challenges, from polluting industries, “shadetree” businesses, and low-cost products aimed at consumers. Pollution Prevention (P2) assistance programs for business typically do not target outreach to these communities. The speakers will present tested and practical approaches for applying P2 tools to underserved communities disproportionately impacted by pollution, highlighting how to effectively engage and partner with those communities to meet their needs. The webinar is geared to pollution prevention practitioners at the state and local levels, but anyone with an interest in this topic is welcome to attend.

        Speakers include:

        • Corona Maria and Brooke Wright from the California Green Business Network on their efforts to expand small business technical assistance to environmental justice communities across California. (https://www.greenbusinessca.org)
        • Jose Bravo from Coming Clean Inc., speaking on the Campaign for Healthier Solutions’ efforts with low-cost retailers to reduce toxics in products that are disproportionately sold in lower-income communities. (https://comingcleaninc.org/projects/chs)
        To join the webinar, click the link below on Sept 23 or call in (audio only) at +1 619-375-3276,,651989938#  (phone conference ID: 651 989 938#)
          Join the webinar on Sept 23

          New publications

          P2 101 LibGuide: Focus on technology diffusion and P2

          The Pollution Prevention 101 LibGuide offers links to a wealth of information for P2 technical assistance providers.

          The technology diffusion and P2 page explains the basic concepts of technology diffusion, how they relate to pollution prevention adoption, and includes links to essential reading, case studies. See also Technology Diffusion and Pollution Prevention, which includes more detailed information and an annotated bibliography.

          Visit the P2 101 LibGuide

          An Analysis of Lithium-ion Battery Fires in Waste Management and Recycling

          U.S. EPA wrote this report to explore the growing number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in the waste management process. Anecdotal information has shown that materials recovery facilities (i.e., recycling centers or “MRFs”) and other waste facilities have seen an increased number of fires due to LIBs, but there has been limited data on fire incidents at a national level.
            Download the report

            Compostable Plastics Literature Review

            This literature review, conducted by US Composting Council and Nora Goldstein and Craig Coke of BioCycle Associates explored the following questions:

            • What is the formation and fate in the environment of microplastics derived from compostable bioplastics under industrial-scale composting conditions?
            • What are the factors that optimize the disintegration and biodegradation of compostable bioplastics during industrial-scale composting, including additives?
            • What are the similarities and differences of biodegradation under anaerobic and aerobic conditions?
            Download the report

            Compostable Products: A Primer for Compost Manufacturers

            This primer, published by the US Composting Council, updates a 2011 USCC document, Compostable Plastics 101. The primer has six sections:
            • Section I is titled, “Compostable Products — What Does That Mean?”;
            • Sections II-V cover standards, certifications, regulations and labeling, and bioplastic resins, respectively.
            • Section VI, “Current Landscape For Compostable Products,” looks at some of the challenges related to compost manufacturer acceptance of compostable products.
            • An Appendix defines the types of biopolymers.
            Dowload the primer

            Decarbonisation Road Map for the European Food and Drink Manufacturing Sector

            This roadmap has been developed by Ricardo Energy & Environment on behalf of FoodDrinkEurope.  It assesses the climate impact of the European food and drink manufacturing sector and sets out some  of the available pathways for decarbonisation to net zero by 2050. The roadmap highlights the many  opportunities that are available to the sector and discusses the numerous challenges and barriers that will need to be overcome.

            Download the publication

            Food Emissions 50 Company Benchmark

            The Ceres Food Emissions 50 Company Benchmark assesses the 50 largest North American food companies with exposure to the highest-emitting agricultural commodities on their performance in three categories:

            • greenhouse gas emissions disclosures
            • reduction targets, and
            • progress towards development and implementation of climate transition action plans.

            The benchmark is intended to guide investor engagements with companies along their food supply chains to drive timely and ambitious action on climate change.

            Download the report

            FOG National Reference Resource Guide

            The FOG National Reference Resource Guide, developed by the Western States Alliance, is a “one-stop” shop to learn about Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOG), its value as a resource, its problems in sewer conveyance lines, its contribution to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), its cost of treatment, and how a municipality can establish or enhance a FOG abatement program.

            Access the guide

            Smart Energy Analytics Campaign Toolkit

            DOE's Smart Energy Analytics Campaign (2016-2020) provided technical assistance, recognized exemplary organizations, and collected data from 104 organizations across the U.S., totaling 567 million square feet of gross floor area and more than 6,500 buildings. The Campaign produced the largest dataset on energy management and information systems (EMIS) costs and benefits, with findings including a median 2-year simple payback. 

            This Toolkit collects the Campaign's best resources to help facility owners and managers take advantage of savings opportunities and performance improvements from EMIS and ongoing monitoring practices.

            Explore the toolkit

            Toward Eliminating Pre-consumer  Emissions of Microplastics from the Textile Industry

            This report from the Nature Conservancy outlines the changes that must occur along all stages of the textile supply chain in order to eliminate pre-consumer microfiber pollution from the industry.

            Download the report

            Tap Talk Podcast

            Water operators, technical assistance providers, regulators, consultants, private well owners, and more all have a role to play in protecting public health. The team behind both WaterOperator.org and the Private Well Class has launched a new podcast to strengthen connections between the many stakeholders involved in this effort. 

            Tap Talk: The Drinking Water in Rural America Podcast connects the dots about the importance of formal and informal partnerships, helping us all ensure that every American has water that is safe to drink. 

            The first season of Tap Talk runs through Nov.18, with episodes releasing every Thursday. You can find Tap Talk on the podcast website or from your favorite podcast app.

            Tap Talk is a collaboration between the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and the University of Illinois, with funding from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. The show is hosted by Steve and Jennifer Wilson of the Illinois State Water Survey.

            Listen to the podcast

            Toxics Use Reduction Institute Continuing Education Conference Spring 2021 Presentations

            Presentations and recordings from TURI's Spring 2021 Continuing Education Virtual Conference are now available. Topics include: 

            • Keynote Presentation: the Intersection of Toxics Use Reduction and Environmental Justice
            • TUR Planning and Regulations: Materials Accounting
            • Alternative Planning: It’s Worth Considering
            • Practical Insights in EU REACH Implementation
            • Energy Saving Tools That Can Improve Your Conservation Success

            Access the conference content

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            Share it in the newsletter!

            Upcoming events

            Food & Beverage Workgroup meeting
            Sep 20, 2021, 1 pm EDT

            Register today

            Digitizing POTWs & Water Providers: Advancing the Use of Data in Water Programs
            Sep 21, 2021, 1 pm EDT

            Register today

            Chemical and Biological Approaches for Plastics Upcycling
            Oct 4, 2021, 1 pm EDT

            Register today

            2021 Virtual Pacific Northwest Pretreatment Workshop
            Nov 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 2021, noon-4 EST each day

            Register today

            Food & Beverage Workgroup meeting
            Nov 15, 2021, 1 pm EST

            Register today