BALTIMORE, MD (September 18, 2006) – The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is proud to announce its selection by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable as a recipient of the MVP2 Project/Program Award for its Environmental Management System Implementation Assistance Program. The national award is designed to recognize outstanding and innovative pollution prevention projects and programs that exemplify innovation, measurable results, transferability, commitment, and optimization of available project resources.
“Environmental Management Systems represent the future of environmental management. Their proactive approach ensures that organizations are able to address potential environmental liabilities and take advantage of cost-saving opportunities on an on-going basis,” said MDE Secretary Kendl Philbrick. “MDE’s program, in partnership with the Maryland Technology Extension Service (MTES), has helped a number of Maryland manufacturers improve their environmental performance and we look forward to more businesses taking advantage of this award-winning program.”
"The Maryland program is innovative, has produced measurable results, and is an excellent use of government resources,” said Jeffrey J. Burke, executive director, National Pollution Prevention Roundtable.
The MDE/MTES Program offers free assistance to Maryland manufacturers in implementing environmental management systems (EMSs) based on the ISO 14001 global standard. EMSs help organizations systematically identify and manage their regulated as well as unregulated environmental impacts. Over 88,000 organizations worldwide have registered their conformance to ISO 14001, but many more facilities have realized the benefits of implementing an EMS without taking the formal step of registering their company.
Organizations that have implemented EMSs find that it has helped to:
improve their environmental regulatory compliance;
resolve and prioritize organizational issues;
improve efficiency, reduce environmental costs and liability;
increase environmental awareness, involvement, and competency throughout the organization;
increase top management’s participation and involvement in environmental management; and
improve communication both inside and outside the organization.
Thirty Maryland manufacturers have taken advantage of the program. Each implementation group is comprised of four to five businesses and enrollment is on a first come-first served basis.
“Maryland’s EMS program has been a tremendous help for us,” said Reggie Prime, director, Environmental Affairs at Coca Cola Enterprises. “We’re now in a position to prepare an EMS template for our other bottling facilities and we couldn’t have done it without this program. I encourage other Maryland businesses to take advantage of this valuable service.”
The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) is the largest membership organization in the United States devoted solely to pollution prevention (P2). The mission of the Roundtable is to provide a national forum for promoting the development, implementation, and evaluation of efforts to avoid, eliminate, or reduce pollution at the source (i.e., source reduction instead of traditional end-of pipe methods). NPPR’s members are comprised of the country’s preeminent P2 experts from regional resource centers, state and local government programs, small business assistance networks, non-profit groups, industry associations and federal agencies.
For more information on the MDE/MTES Environmental Management Implementation Assistance Program and how to enroll, contact Laura Armstrong, MDE Pollution Prevention Coordinator at 410-537-4119.
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