BALTIMORE, MD (November 13, 2006), – Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Assistant Secretary Stephen L. Pattison presented awards today to small, medium, and large businesses including government facilities located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that implemented successful pollution prevention projects in 2005. The awards were presented at the Businesses for the Bay Annual Meeting on November 13, at the National Wildlife Visitor Center, Patuxent Research Refuge, in Laurel, Md. Five Maryland manufacturers were also recognized for successfully completing an Environmental Management System Implementation Program sponsored by MDE and the Maryland Technology Extension Service.
Businesses for the Bay is a voluntary program that encourages and recognizes pollution prevention practices at businesses, government facilities, and other organizations located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Pollution prevention, or P2, is an environmental management approach that aims to reduce or eliminate waste prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. P2 practices also include the increased efficiency of the use of raw materials, energy and water.
More than 700 organizations throughout the watershed are participating members in Businesses for the Bay. Since the program’s inception in 1996, program participants throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed have reported the reduction and recycling of more than 7.9 billion pounds of waste at a cost savings of more than $500 million. These wastes ranged from specific chemicals to air emissions and solid waste.
“These results represent just a small fraction of the potential reductions that can be achieved through pollution prevention measures throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said MDE Secretary Kendl P. Philbrick. “We are fortunate to have a regional organization like Businesses for the Bay to carry the message that a prevention-first approach to environmental management can yield significant cost savings.”
The following organizations from Maryland were recognized at the Businesses for the Bay Annual meeting. 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.
Volvo Powertrain, Hagerstown
Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention, Large Facility
Alliant Techsystems, Elkton
Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention, Large Facility
The Brick Companies, Edgewater
Outstanding Achievement for Pollution Prevention, Medium-Sized Facility
USDA, Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland
Outstanding Achievement for Nutrient Reduction, Federal Government
Lynne Forsman, Nautical Destinations, Annapolis
Mentor of the Year
The following Maryland companies were also recognized at the Businesses for the Bay Annual meeting for successful completion of an Environmental Management System (EMS) Implementation Program:
Coca-Cola, Baltimore Production, Baltimore
Freedom Electronics Recycling, Inc., Hagerstown
General Dynamics Robotics Systems, Westminster
Lorch Microwave, Salisbury
Standard Register, Salisbury
The EMS program, offered by MDE and Maryland Technology Extension Service, assists manufacturers in implementing an EMS based on the global ISO 14001 standard. EMSs steer facilities toward addressing both regulation and unregulated environmental impacts through pollution prevention.
For a complete list of past participants in the program, go to: mde.maryland.gov/BusinessInfoCenter/PollutionPrevention/P2/managment_assistance/index.asp.
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