Welcome to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Pollution Prevention (P2) newsletter! Through this newsletter, we will provide information on upcoming events, as well as tools and resources to help implement and improve P2 initiatives.
In This Issue:
- Upcoming P2 Webinars
- P2 and Greener Products Resources
- Success Story
- Employee Spotlight
Upcoming P2 Webinars
Part II: Best Practices for Reducing Fugitive Emissions From Ammonia Refrigeration Systems Used in the Food and Beverage Sector
March 17, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
In this webinar, the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) will highlight a best practices guidance document as part of its recently completed food and beverage pollution prevention work funded under EPA Region 5’s Pollution Prevention (P2) grant program. The objective of the webinar is to provide attendees with:
- Principles of refrigerant inventory determination for industrial ammonia refrigeration systems;
- The application of refrigeration system inventory determination for dynamically tracking refrigerant losses from systems that would otherwise go undetected; and
- Applicable industry standards for managing refrigerant additions to ammonia systems.
Applications of these methods are intended to help food and beverage plants as well as large food distribution facilities reduce their “consumption” of ammonia in an effort to achieve P2 goals.
Speakers:
- Douglas Reindl, Ph.D., P.E., Professor UW-Madison & Director of the Industrial Refrigeration Consortium
- Marc Claas, Researcher, UW-Madison’s Industrial Refrigeration Consortium
How Pre-Treatment Programs for Industrial Process Water Can Enhance Your Sustainability Goals
March 17, 2021, 2:30 PM – 3:40 PM EDT
In this webinar, the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC), a grantee funded under EPA Region 4’s Pollution Prevention (P2) grant program, will provide an overview of pre-treatment programs from the state, municipal, and industrial sector perspectives, as well as discuss best practices and other considerations.
Many municipalities are required to have pre-treatment coordination programs in order to regulate certain industrial process waters which can include oils, grease, or harmful chemicals that might affect the biological integrity of a public wastewater system. An effective pre-treatment program can help prevent harmful pollutants from entering public wastewater systems and can also enhance a facility’s sustainability goals through more focused tracking and treatment of certain pollutants.
Speakers:
- Laurel Rognstad, TDEC, State Pretreatment Coordinator
- Andrew Welch, Nashville Metro Water Services, Environmental Compliance
- Kimberly S. Sass, CHMM, Chemours, Environmental Leader
P2 and Greener Products Resources
The University of Illinois’ Pollution Prevention (P2) LibGuide is a comprehensive online library of P2 resources. For P2 novices, the guide provides a breakdown of essential information and training videos with basic P2 concepts. More advanced users can dive into resources categorized by sector, data sets, case studies, and software and tools designed to provide technical assistance to facilities.
P2 LibGuide also offers P2 materials specifically benefitting EPA Region 5. Technical assistance providers and companies interested in implementing P2 can search through state-specific grant opportunities and local case studies. The guide also maintains a list of current P2 and environmental assistance programs in each state for users to reach out to regarding P2, compliance, or grant assistance.
Interested in boosting your sustainable purchasing program? Check out our Identify Greener Products and Services webpage for tips on how to get started in some key purchase categories like building materials, electronics, fleets, and more.
P2 Success Story: Widmer Brothers Brewery
Committed to sustainable brewing, the craft brewer Widmer Brothers Brewery reports annually on its sustainability performance and accomplishments. In 2017, the brewery was one of the first organizations in Oregon to host an intern through the Oregon Applied Sustainability Experience (OASE) – a program coordinated by Oregon Sea Grant and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and funded in part by an EPA pollution prevention grant.
Through OASE, Alan Haynes, an Oregon State University engineering graduate, completed a 10-week internship with the brewery team to research potential innovative P2 strategies that reduce and optimize wastewater discharges. Widmer Brothers implemented the proposed recommendations, which included diverting brewing yeast to be repurposed off-site and increased waste solids monitoring. Ultimately, as a result of the implementation of P2 strategies and equipment changes, the brewery:
- Reduced discharges of Total Suspended Solids by 60 percent,
- Reduced Biological Oxygen Demand (a water pollution indicator) by 11 percent, and
- Saved the brewery more than $150,000 annually.
As a result of these impressive achievements, Alan Haynes and Widmer Brothers Brewery won the 2018 National Pollution Prevention Roundtable award for Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Program.
Additional Resources:
- OASE Case Study: Widmer Brothers Brewery – Alan Haynes
- News Release from Region 10: Pollution Prevention Award to Widmer Brothers Brewery
- Former OSU student helps Portland brewery win pollution prevention award
Employee Spotlight: Robert Guillemin, EPA Region 1, P2 Coordinator
Rob is a Pollution Prevention Coordinator at the US EPA Region 1 Office in Boston, MA, where he works in the Brownfields and Sustainable Materials Management Section. Since 2001, Rob has worked at EPA on programs that promote sustainability through behavior change, technical assistance, and market-based incentives. These include the Pollution Prevention Program, the Federal Green Challenge Initiative, and the Safer Choice Program. His areas of expertise include grant management, project coordination, outreach and education strategies, environmentally preferable purchasing, green teams, and sustainability practices for the food and beverage manufacturing, retail, and service sectors. He is also an Adjunct Instructor at the Tufts University’s Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Program and the Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Before joining the Environmental Protection Agency, Rob was the Environmental Purchasing Coordinator for the State of Connecticut, a researcher for the Toxic Use Reduction Institute, and a P2 Specialist at the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association. He holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy from Tufts University.