|
Here are seven stories of environmental leadership from across Pennsylvania where students, companies, non-profit groups and government organizations have been recognized for their activities to improve the environment or educate others on stewardship.
Philadelphia Million Solar Roofs Partnership Recognized for Excellence
The Philadelphia Million Solar Roofs Community Partnership (PMSR) was recognized this week as one of 11 winners of the 2004 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its Norris Square Solar Project.
The Norris Square Solar Project involved the installation of 1.2-kilowatt PV systems on eight Los Balcones row homes constructed in 1993 at 128-142 Norris Street. The systems, which are expected to lower each resident’s electric bill by 15 to 25 percent, began operating in November 2004.
This was the first photovoltaic (PV) installation to benefit the residents of affordable housing in Philadelphia, and the largest solar photovoltaic installation in Philadelphia to date.
The overall goal of PMSR, administered by the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia, is to make affordable housing even more so by reducing low-income residents’ utility bills. NewsClip: Million Solar Roofs Partnership Recognized
Giant Eagle, King of Prussia Associates Win Recycling Awards
Giant Eagle Inc. of Pittsburgh and King of Prussia Associates of Montgomery County, were among the winners of the 2004 America’s Marketplace Recycles! Awards presented by the International Council of Shopping Centers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The awards recognize outstanding efforts and achievements by ICSC members to conserve resources, recycle and purchase recycled content products at shopping centers across the country. U.S. shopping centers generate a wide variety of materials that are prime candidates for recycling, including: corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, glass, plastic, metals, food waste, landscape trimmings and shipping pallets.
Giant Eagle was named winner of the Outstanding Retailer award. Giant Eagle maintains an extensive plastic bag recycling and waste reduction program. In 2004, over 322 tons of plastic was recycled system-wide. At the store level, cashiers credit customers with 5 cents for each bag reused. Giant Eagle is a national leader in conservation efforts and has been an EPA certified Energy Star Leader for two consecutive years.
King of Prussia Associates was named Outstanding Shopping Center Owner/Developer. The group has instituted a comprehensive recycling program, including: food court waste, plastics and paper - throughout its three properties. In recent years there has been a steady increase in both the volume of materials recycled and the percentage of total waste that is recycled rather than landfilled. NewsClip: PA Companies Recognized with Recycling Awards
PA Army National Guard Wins Award for Environmental Excellence
The Department of Environmental Protection this week recognized the Pennsylvania Army National Guard as one of 11 winners of the 2004 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for reducing air pollutants in the organization’s routine paint and coating operations by more than two tons annually.
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard Combined Support Maintenance Shop East facility, located in Lebanon County, replaced its solvent-borne coating with the new water-dispersible chemical agent resistant coatings (CARC) for routine surface coating operations.
The water dispersible coating emits virtually no hazardous air pollutants, and the content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), precursors to smog, is lower than the standard solvent-based coating used throughout the Army --- 1.8 pounds per gallon compared to 35 pounds per gallon.
By changing the process to water-dispersible CARC, the facility will reduce VOC emissions by 2.6 tons in the first year. Twenty fewer pounds of lead and chromate will be emitted. A similar reduction will be seen in particulate emissions, since silicates have been removed from the formulation as well. The paint provides 10 times the durability, offering even greater pollution prevention return in the future, as equipment will not have to be re-painted as frequently. NewsClip: Pa Army National Guard Wins Environmental Excellence Award
Pfizer Inc. Recognized for Environmental Excellence
The Department of Environmental Protection this week recognized Pfizer Inc. as one of 11 winners of the 2004 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its work on the New Street Ecological Park in Lititz, Lancaster County. Pfizer is the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical company.
Pfizer provided funding to reshape a portion of the Santo Domingo Creek, a tributary of the Conestoga River that runs through New Street Park. The restoration returned this section of creek to its historic elevation and removed silt that built up in and around the stream. This project was later designated as the pilot project for Pennsylvania’s fledgling Conestoga River Watershed Nutrient Trading Project.
The project represents a breakthrough on several fronts in Pennsylvania’s ongoing efforts to stem the tide of sediment and nutrient pollution being carried downstream to the Chesapeake Bay. Among those breakthroughs: a partnership among private and public entities, a pilot project for nutrient trading and an example of underemployed methods to reduce sediment and nutrient pollution in waterways.
This is the second consecutive year Pfizer won the award. The company was recognized in 2003 for a four percent reduction in energy use in 2002 --- a decrease of more than 2 million kilowatt hours, the equivalent of the annual energy use of roughly 100 single-family homes. NewsClip: Pfizer Recognized by Environmental Excellence Award
Allegheny County Health Announces Enviro Star Award Winners
The Allegheny County Health Department is honoring 23 local businesses, institutions and individuals with Enviro Star awards for implementing voluntary pollution prevention programs.
The awards were presented to the following businesses, institutions and individuals:
· Southwest Pennsylvania Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, for sponsoring household hazardous waste collection programs.
· Pittsburgh School District, for making a commitment to reduce energy consumption.
· Gateway School District, for an environmental science class project that monitors water quality.
· Alcoa, for its Energy Efficiency Network which has helped the company become more energy efficient.
· Carnegie Mellon University, for building a "green" and energy efficient residence hall.
· Interfaith Power and Light, for promoting energy efficiency in local churches.
· Eric Beckman of the University of Pittsburgh, for developing and licensing a process for turning carbon dioxide into a powerful yet environmentally benign solvent with commercial applications.
· U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works, for reducing hazardous waste.
· Giant Eagle, for making its stores more energy efficient.
· Wesley Center AME Zion Church, for making its church more energy efficient.
· General Electric Consumer Products Bridgeville Glass Plant, for reducing hazardous waste.
· Pittsburgh Brewery, for reducing energy and water consumption.
· Kazansky's Deli, for reducing waste generation as well as energy and water consumption
· Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ, for installing energy-efficient light and heating.
· Group Against Smog and Pollution, for an anti-idling education campaign.
· Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, for an in-vessel composting system.
· Carnegie Library - Hill District, for increasing energy efficiency
· Emory United Methodist Church, for reducing energy consumption.
· Overflow Connection, for encouraging citizen action to prevent sewer overflows.
· Homewood-Brushton Athletic Association, for recycling used athletic shoes into a basketball floor.
· Giant Eagle East Liberty Supermarket, for a new "green" building with an energy-efficient design.
· U.S. Steel Clairton Works, for reductions in air emissions and water discharges.
· Valspar Coating, for reducing hazardous wastes, air emissions and energy consumption.
NewsClip: Allegheny Health Dept. Announces Enviro Star Awards
Green Woods Charter School Wins EPA Award
Green Woods Charter School in Philadelphia was recently given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Schuylkill Action Network Sector Source Water Protection Award for 2005 for the work 4th grade students are doing to protect their local watershed.
This year, the fourth grade students are learning how streams are related to their watershed and during their research, they soon discovered how the people in the Philadelphia region depend on their watershed for drinking water, commerce, recreation, and as a buffer for stormwater. These 4th graders also participate in the Student Water Monitoring Network and continually monitor the water quality in their local streams.
In addition, they participate in other stewardship projects on behalf of their adopted stream, such as creating brush habitat for the small animals that come to the stream, and helping to build barricades to prevent walkers from taking a short-cut across the stream. NewsClip: Green Woods Charter School Wins EPA Award
Students Receive Awards to Commemorate Earth Day 2005
Twelve students are winners in a middle school environmental poster contest sponsored by the Allegheny County Health Department in commemoration of Earth Day 2005, April 22.
The theme of the contest was "SOS-Energy" or "Save Our Supply of Energy," with an emphasis on energy conservation and efficiency.
The winners, who represent 12 schools that participated in the poster contest, are:
· Joshua Smith, grand prize winner, a 7th grader at St. Cyril Of Alexandra in Brighton Heights.
· Theresa Nee, a 6th grader at St. Gabriel School in Whitehall.
· Kenny Mason, an 8th grader at St. Colman School in Turtle Creek.
· Emma Fraser, a 6th grader at Linton Middle School in Penn Hills.
· Kaelyn Conley, a 7th grader at Moon Area Middle School
· Sarah D'Allessandro, a 7th grader at S.S. Peter and Paul School in Beaver.
· Nena Bell, a 6th grader at South Allegheny Elementary School.
· Brad Sevener, a 6th grader at Ingomar Middle School in McCandless
· Emily Fisher, a 6th grader at St. Bernadette School in Monroeville.
· Katie Welsh, a 6th grader at St. Joan of Arc School in South Park.
· Ben Hammel, a 7th grader at St. Irenaeus School in Oakmont.
· Brady Hunzeker, a 6th grader at Verner Elementary School in Verona.
The grand prize-winning poster and the school-winning posters are displayed on the Allegheny County Health Department's website.
|
