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Businesses for the Bay, a voluntary program promoting pollution prevention at facilities throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, held its annual meeting at Westmoreland State Park in Montross, Virginia on November 8, 2007 to recognize the outstanding environmental accomplishments of area organizations.
More than 900 organizations throughout the watershed are participating members in Businesses for the Bay including 312 from Maryland. Since the program's inception in 1996, program participants throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed have reported the reduction and recycling of 8.7 billion pounds of waste and materials at a cost savings of $524 million.
Businesses for the Bay Coordinator, Mary Lynn Wilhere, presented awards to eleven organizations including the following three from Maryland. The complete list of award winners and information on how to join the program can be found on the Businesses for the Bay website at www.b4bay.org.
Smithfield Packing Company - Landover Division, Landover, MD
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 (a global standard for Environmental Management Systems) since 2004. In 2006, the facility implemented an energy-savings program they called “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 for 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 at no cost. 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 natural resources, the facility was able to realize over $842,000 in cost savings.
Bill Jones, Plant Manager for Smithfield – Landover Division, has a simple philosophy for running the plant, "Protect the environment; it will save you money. With continual improvement and a focus on water use, energy use, and recycling, we contribute to the protection of our environment and also reap a tremendous financial reward.” Smithfield
Subsidiary Environmental Coordinator Natalie Mackie can confirm this. She reported that in 2006 alone, implementation of Environmental Management System programs at the sixteen facilities in their Smithfield Packing division saved the company over $9 million.
Corporate Office Properties Trust, Columbia, MD
Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention, Medium-Sized Facility
Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) has shown a commitment to creating facilities that exemplify the best practices of green development. Every new property developed by COPT 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. Typical features include highly efficient mechanical systems, water usage reduction, and green housekeeping programs.
COPT Health, Safety, Environmental & Insurance Specialist Daniel L. Rettig remarked, "COPT is honored to receive this award in recognition of its green building initiatives. Our buildings are proof that green buildings can be highly functional, aesthetically pleasing and create a positive working atmosphere that helps to inspire success."
eCity Corporation, Ellicott City, MD
Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention, Small Facility
eCity Corporation 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 strives to be as green as possible by bidding projects on post-consumer content paper and working with printers that use environmentally friendly inks and produce minimal waste.
eCity's internal green initiative includes establishing a community-wide recycling program, purchasing green office supplies, recycling electronic hardware, reducing waste, and attending environmental conferences and seminars. eCity also 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 easily 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.
eCity is not resting on its laurels, however. President Karen Carpenter says, "Our team is filled with energy and ideas thanks to MDE's mentoring and the Businesses for the Bay organization. We look forward to continuing and improving our sustainability efforts this year. "
MDE congratulates all the award winners and encourages organizations in Maryland, including non-profit groups, government facilities, schools, and businesses of all types to join this team of forward-looking organizations that are committed to implementing pollution prevention in their daily operations. It’s free and easy to join. Simply visit www.b4bay.org or call the Chesapeake Bay Program at 1-800-968-7229, ext. 719, or MDE at 1-800-633-6101, ext. 4119 to learn more.
Organizations interested in receiving information on what they can do to save money and reduce their environmental footprint may call MDE Pollution Prevention Coordinator Laura Armstrong at 410-537-4119. MDE offers free on-site pollution prevention opportunity assessments through the Maryland Technology Extension Service. Click here for more information on this service.
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