Environmental Management Systems Initiatives

State environmental agencies have been promoting environmental management systems (EMS) for several years. As indicated in the descriptions provided below, these efforts are continuing to expand and develop. Several states are now working closely with both businesses, public agencies, and other organizations to encourage the development and implementation of EMSs. These "nontraditional" organizations include public agencies, universities, and hospitals. The states are also actively engaged in programs to document the impacts and results of their EMS activities.

Connecticut

A workshop on "Strategic Environmental Management: Environmental Management Strategies for Growth and Survival in a Changing Marketplace" was held on March 28th and 29th at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). The workshop was sponsored by the CCSU in partnership with the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation's Strategic Environmental Management Initiative. CT DEP was one of several co-sponsors. The workshop covered the pollution prevention and ISO 14000 framework for EMS and the steps for implementing an EMS.

Maine

Matt Donahue of Univ. of MA Lowell and NEWMOA led a half day Environmental Management System training session at the Maine DEP. This workshop introduced the EMS process to a wide representation of Maine POTW, Water Operators and DEP personnel. The facilitators reviewed the key elements of an EMS, a case study from the Lowell, MA POTW, and the benefits of incorporating an EMS at a water treatment facility. About 30 participants attended the workshop.

Massachusetts

When the US EPA recently announced that 14 organizations across the country would be receiving technical assistance grants in support of EMS development, MA DEP was among those chosen from a field of 50 applicants in a rigorous screening process.

MA DEP will use its grant to apply EMS principles to all activities and functions of the Wall Experiment Station in Lawrence, thereby reducing the facility's environmental impacts and operational costs. The effort will also demonstrate DEP's leadership among environmental public health labs in the Northeast.

 Originally known as the Lawrence Experiment Station, the Wall Experiment Station (WES) was founded in 1887 by the MA Board of Health to conduct trail-blazing research in the development of practical methods for wastewater treatment and drinking water purification. WES is internationally recognized as one of the first such laboratories in the world and in 1975 was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

EPA's grant is not a direct award of funding. Rather, a range of support services - in-depth training, coaching and on-site technical assistance - will be provided by the Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), a Virginia-based non-profit consulting organization.

Working with GETF over the next two years, DEP will develop its EMS for the Experiment station using elements of the ISO 14001 International Standard as a baseline. In the short term, the project will help DEP:

• Build awareness, expertise, infrastructure and linkages - both internally an externally - to design and implement EMSs for environmental laboratory facilities.
• Reduce operational costs and enhance worker safety.
• Promote EMS within other state agencies.
• Provide a model for EMS development at other environmental labs.
• Implement P2 activities, such as micro-scale analyses.
• Implement meaningful performance measures that address P2 compliance and unregulated environmental impacts for other lab facilities in MA.

The EMS at DEP's WES Lab is also the focal point in a EMS program to develop guidance for the use of EMS in enforcement, overseeing an EMS model for a major city school system, and EMS training for DEP staff.

CONNECTICUT

CONNECTICUT DEP

Mercury Collection Campaign

The goal of collecting 2001 pounds of mercury by the fall of 2001 is well on its way to being met. To date, 1085 pounds have been reported as collected. This includes 250 pounds from school clean-outs, 35 pounds from thermometers, and 800 pounds from household hazardous waste collections and thermometer exchanges. Over 32,000 mercury thermometers have been exchanged for digital models at these events. Additional thermometer exchanges are scheduled for the Spring in conjunction with HHW events and as part of health fairs and other events. A pick-up is also being arranged for 165 dentists in the state who have stores of unused mercury. Distribution of "The Environmentally Responsible Dental Office" to all CT dentists served as a catalyst to provide for this collection in partnership with the CT State Dental Association.

The CT DEP is working in cooperation with the CT Auto Recyclers Association on a voluntary program where auto recyclers would remove and recycle used mercury switches from automobiles. This would prevent mercury from being released when cars with these switches are crushed and shredded, or if the switches corrode with age. For more information contact: Kim Trella, CT DEP (860) 424-3234.

Green Home

"A Green Home is a Healthy Home" exhibit and brochure - In an effort to reach a more mainstream audience with the pollution prevention message, a new exhibit and brochure were designed and shown at this spring's CT Home Show held on March 16 - 18 at the Hartford Civic Center. Thousands of attendees had the opportunity to consider more than the new house they were building or the renovations they were making by visiting the new green home booth. A diverse selection of information was available on everything from xeriscapes to green building design. For more information contact: Kim Trella, CT DEP (860) 424-3234.

NICE3 Grants Encourage Energy Innovation - CT DEP has co-sponsored four CT companies over the past four years and brought in over $2 million in grants for these companies to use to prepare their new energy-saving technologies for market. For more information contact: Lynn Stoddard, CT DEP (860) 424-3297.

Fuel Cell Feasible? - The CT DEP has been awarded a grant to study the feasibility of adding a fuel cell to their operations at the 79 Elm Street headquarters building in Hartford, CT. The year-long study will offer suggestions on how alternative energy sources might be incorporated into the building's energy framework. For more information contact: Lynn Stoddard, CT DEP (860) 424-3297.

Green Building Fact Sheets Available - A series of fact sheets on Green Building is being created with four fact sheets currently available. They are: "What to Consider for Your Green Home," "Your Home Landscape," "Indoor Environmental Quality," and "Proper Use and Disposal of Treated Lumber." For more information contact: Frank Gagliardo, CT DEP (860) 424-3365.

MAINE

MAINE DEP

Maine DEP recently sponsored a series of pollution prevention workshops facilitated by Terri Goldberg, NEWMOA. These sessions focused on the integration of P2 in the enforcement and permit writing processes for DEP personnel. Current case studies, where the insertion of P2 suggestions or technologies eased the regulatory burden of reporting facilities, were examined. Brainstorming sessions for identifying what pollution prevention means and where it can fit into business and manufacturing processes and compliance assurance were integral sessions of each training.

For more information contact: Chris Rushton, ME DEP (207) 287-7100.

MASSACHUSETTS

MASSACHUSETTS DEP

MA Mercury Reduction Bill

The Cellucci-Swift Administration may file comprehensive legislation to reduce man-made mercury in the environment. If enacted, the legislation would ban the sale of mercury thermometers in MA without a prescription, hold manufacturers more accountable for better labeling of products that contain mercury, include a phase out and bans, and expand public education and outreach. The proposed legislation is part of a regional plan to reduce mercury in New England and Canada and is based on the NEWMOA Mercury Education and Reduction Model Legislation.

Nearly three years ago, Governor Cellucci joined the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in unanimously agreeing on a regional plan for reducing mercury pollution by at least 50 percent by 2003. Massachusetts has gone beyond the regional plan by setting a goal of cutting mercury emissions by 75 percent or more by 2010. Massachusetts will exceed the regional 50 percent reduction goal this year - two years ahead of schedule - and the rest of the New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces have, together, already reduced mercury emissions by 40 percent

MA Beyond 2000 Solid Waste Master Plan

This winter, the Commonwealth unveiled Beyond 2000 Solid Waste Master Plan- A Policy Framework. This plan charts a course for the next ten years by providing an overarching policy framework for managing solid waste in the Commonwealth that will lead to a more sustainable future.

The plan builds on ten years of reducing the disposal of solid waste (40 million tons). Massachusetts has also quadrupled its recycling rate, brought comprehensive recycling services to 85 percent of the population and closed 100 unlined landfills that posed significant threats to groundwater.

To go beyond the progress MA has already made, the state must embrace sustainability principles that require the reversal of recent trends of increased waste generation. Discarded material can no longer be viewed as waste that has served one purpose but as a resource for another purpose. Manufacturers must take greater responsibility for the products and packaging they produce that unnecessarily becomes waste. Using these principles, the plan calls for a 70 percent reduction in the waste stream by 2010.

An integral component of the plan to reduce waste is the Product Stewardship Initiative sponsored by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA). Product stewardship refers to the concept that all parties responsible for the design, production, sale, and use of a product assume responsibility for its environmental impacts. The cooperation of product designers and manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, retailers, and consumers are necessary.

The following are examples of product stewardship: reducing the amount of plastic in a soda bottle; substituting a non-toxic for a toxic material in a bathroom cleaner; and setting up a collection program to take back carpet, paint, or electronics for recycling. Product Stewardship efforts have already begun in Massachusetts. EOEA has worked with the rechargeable battery industry to implement a recycling program, developed oil recycling legislation with the petroleum industry, and is currently involved in a surplus paint take-back program with Benjamin Moore.

While this effort primarily will be voluntary in nature, it will be backed by the potential for government regulation. For example DEP has issued municipal waste combustor regulations that require facility owners to assist the state in developing programs to collect and recycle or dispose of products containing mercury prior to combustion.

EOEA and the Univ. of MA are supporting the creation of a new national Product Stewardship Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. This Institute will assist Massachusetts and other states to negotiate with industry to reach agreements to reduce environmental impacts from the manufacture, use, storage and disposal of consumer products.

Other source reduction strategies include:

• Promote construction and demolition reuse and source reduction,
• Promote Pay-As-You-Throw programs throughout the state,
• Expand on-site composting programs for yard, paper, and food waste,
• Conduct multi-sector paper reduction campaign, and
• Enhance business source reduction technical assistance.

In April 2000 MA became the first state in the nation to ban the disposal of cathode ray tubes (CRT). CRTs are the leaded glass picture tubes found inside televisions, computer monitors, and some video games. Currently, 275 communities provide for collection of CRTs and/or consumer electronics. Through the CRT grant program, more than 1,850 tons of computers and TVs were recycled during calendar year 2000. Communities not participating in the program recycled an estimated additional 1,000 tons. This equates to more than 110,000 TVs and computers that would have been discarded.

Environmental Stewardship

Two MA firms-CASTion Corp. of Ludlow and BOC Edwards of Wilmington-were recognized for environmental stewardship through the the MA Strategic Environmental Tech. Partnership (STEP).

STEP is a unique collaboration of government and academia (Univ. of MA) that promotes technology-based solutions to environmental challenges. STEP provides a range of services including technology assessment; technology demonstration; business assistance; applied research and development; and access to interstate markets. Since 1994, more than 140 companies have received assistance from STEP.

CASTion's zero discharge wastewater recovery system was installed in 1999, and to date BOC Edwards has efficiently and safely cleaned and re-circulated its waste chemicals and industrial water, eliminating the discharge of wastewater into the environment.

For further information, contact: Paul Walsh, MA DEP (617) 556-1011.

MASSACHUSETTS OTA

Drawing on their experience working one-on-one with Massachusetts manufacturers, OTA staff are working with professors at several University of Massachusetts laboratories to help strengthen the relationship between academic environmental research and the needs of Massachusetts industry.

An OTA research proposal, based on issues encountered in the field through the course of on-site technical assistance visits, is already accepted and underway at Univ. of MA Boston. Under the direction of Professor John Warner of the Univ. of MA Boston Department of Chemistry, researchers are seeking to identify the mechanism by which lead (in the form of litharge - PbO) acts as a stabilizer in the rubber and plastics used for electrical wire and cable insulation. Currently, underground wire or cable installations require difficult and costly measures in order to prevent groundwater contamination from lead leaching out of the coating material. The researchers hope that the so-called "litharge project" will facilitate the development of easier and less-toxic alternatives to lead-containing insulation.

Interest in lead-reduction initiatives, such as the litharge project, has been sparked by new Persistent, Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBT) regulations that will require companies to report lead usage of 100 pounds per year or greater. OTA has identified 15 manufacturers of wire insulation in MA, the combined lead usage of which totals approximately 12 million pounds annually. A non-lead alternative would greatly benefit these companies, and bring a new niche market opportunity to MA manufacturers.

OTA is also working closely with Professor Warner to increase awareness, understanding and support of the research and application of "green chemistry" technologies, which seek to mimic the sustainable, low-toxic, self-assembling characteristics of natural processes. On April 6, the EOEA and the Univ. of MA co-sponsored the first-ever MA Green Chemistry Symposium. Speakers included representatives from university laboratories, industry, MA state government and the White House Office on Science and Technology Policy.

The Symposium provided an introduction to green chemistry and its relevance to MA industry, with an emphasis on the biotechnology and the plastics and resins sectors. OTA hopes the event will help catalyze further industry-university-government partnership in developing innovative environmental technologies.

In addition to supporting environmental research, OTA is helping draw attention to select P2 success stories throughout MA. A March 21^st event at BOC Edwards in Wilmington, organized by DEP with support from OTA, recognized that company's considerable commitment to environmental management and responsibility. Highlighted at the event was the facility's recently installed water filtration and recirculation system developed by Ludlow-based CASTion, Inc. Acknowledgments from DEP Commissioner Lauren Liss, Deputy Secretary Gina McCarthy, and State Senator Bruce Tarr, and comments from BOC Edwards executives emphasized the link between environmental and economic performance. OTA is helping to arrange a similar event at a Western MA metal finisher that recently went through a dramatic transformation; the company remade itself as an environmentally conscious manufacturer and, as a result, has reaped significant economic benefits.

For more information contact: Stephen George, MA OTA (617)

MASSACHUSETTS TURI

P2 Training in Toronto

The Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) recently collaborated with the Canadian Centre for P2 to offer P2 training to business representatives, provincial, and federal staff. This three-day training event addressed planning procedures and regulatory requirements in by two recent regulations. The Professional Development Centre, a department within the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the Univ. of Toronto, hosted this training.

Participants in this pilot offering of the training received comprehensive lessons on the planning process, baseline review, materials accounting, cost information, establishing targets and objectives, options impact assessment, implementation issues, and monitoring and review based on the MA program. Energy efficiency and facility sustainability were also included in the discussion. Case studies and "lessons learned" from Canadian and American programs were presented to assist in helping the local businesses ease into new reporting and planning requirements.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW HAMPSHIRE DES

P2 in Healthcare Activities

NH DES P2 staff is continuing to work with hospitals on mercury reduction and P2. NH DES and the NH Hospital Association will be conducting a follow-up survey on mercury use and reduction to compare to the 1999 NH Mercury Reduction Survey. Preliminary results from a quick phone survey have been positive. For example, the survey results have shown that the distribution of over 1400 mercury thermometers per year by three hospitals has been discontinued. A summary of the results of the second survey will be available on the NHPPP web page later this year.

NH DES, New Hampshire Dental Society, and the NH Small Business Development Center are beginning to work with the dental sector. A survey will be created and distributed to a random sample of dental offices. The survey will be used to determine the amount of amalgam versus composite use in dental offices, the type of information dental offices would benefit most from, and the type of media dental offices would most likely use.

The Mercury Reduction Task Force continues to meet quarterly. At the February 2001 meeting, Commissioner Varney asked the Task Force to expand their focus to address dioxin as well as other PBTs. Many Task Force members are educated and informed on the issues associated with dioxin emissions, and they will address this request in the appropriate workgroups.

Three bills have been introduced that address mercury in products. HB 645 requires pre-sorting for mercury-containing products from municipal solid waste and HB 655 establishes an advanced disposal fee for mercury-containing products to fund the pre-sorting program. HB 675 proposes labeling and collection requirements, a disposal ban, phase-out provisions, and disclosure provisions for mercury-containing products used in health care facilities. The bill also includes a state procurement provision and provides for equal reimbursement of non-mercury dental fillings by state insurance providers.

NEW YORK

NEW YORK STATE DEC

Strategic Goals Program (SGP) - Metal Finishing

Staff continues to actively participate in the SGP program. The NYS SGP Framework Document was finalized and signed by stakeholders on September 20, 2001. A document outlining the "Role/Function of the Technical Review Board (TRB)" has been developed. The TRB will review metal finishers applications for placement/movement up/down the performance ladder. Four Metal Finisher/EMS Workshops were held in March 2001. The workshops were coordinated with local POTW's to increase participation. Over 75 participants attended these workshops. The next step is to identify participating metal finishers who qualify for placement on the performance ladder and work with them on completing their placement applications.

Staff in cooperation with the NYS Department of Ag & Markets has been a surveying farms to identify the use of Hg manometers. The survey which originally used certified milk inspectors to survey the farms will now be completed with a direct mailing. It is now expected that the collection of data will be completed in the summer 2001. The project will also include evaluating replacement alternatives and the costs of each alternative.

TRI Reporting

The 1999 New York State's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Report is being prepared. Previously data was entered by Department staff and a report was generated. This year NYS DEC will be downloading EPA's compiled data and then preparing the report. Constant EPA changes and Y2K problems have finally resulted in DEC giving up on the Agency's outdated data management system. The report is being reformatted to be more user friendly.

Governor's Awards

The New York State Governor's Awards for Pollution Prevention applications are now available and the deadline for applying is May 1, 2001. This year DEC has added a new category: Continuous Improvement. This category is for organizations that demonstrate a longer term commitment to P2 and continue to develop and implement P2 programs and achieve results. Projects are not necessarily limited to those which have been started or completed in 2000. The awards will be presented during Pollution Prevention Week in September 2001.

P2 Conference

In lieu of the annual P2 conference the Unit will be holding a special P2 Open House at DEC's new location at 625 Broadway, Albany NY. It will be held during P2 Week, September 17-23, 2001. Planned activities include exhibits and presentations, facility tours and the annual children's poster contest awards.

Outreach

VERMONT

VERMONT DEC

Mercury Fever Thermometer Exchange

Vermont DEC has completed a two-week statewide mercury fever thermometer exchange conducted at pharmacies in the state. The event was highly successful with about 15 percent of households participating, 33,000 digital thermometers distributed, 45,000 mercury thermometers collected, and 95 pounds of total mercury collected. A total of 111 pharmacies out of 119 in the state participated in the exchange. All of these pharmacies voluntarily pledged to discontinue the sale of mercury fever thermometers. DEC is preparing a final report on the project detailing methods and results. For further information contact: Karen Busshart, VT DEC (802) 241-3455.

Biosolids Toxics Use Reduction Project

Vermont DEC is initiating a pilot toxics use reduction project with two municipalities - the city of Winooski and the Town of Brattleboro - with a focus on improving biosolids quality. DEC hopes to provide these communities with funding to create their own toxics use reduction strategies, working with businesses, schools and other institutions, and the community at large, with technical assistance and education programs developed. DEC staff and the VT Small Business Development Center will provide technical assistance and project oversight. Although the focus of the program will be initially on improving biosolids quality through increased awareness and behavior change, it is hoped that the initiative will have broader P2 implications in the community and serve as a model for other communities and community-based approaches.

Mercury Product Model Legislation

EPA REGION I-NEW ENGLAND

Municipal DPW Garages

Requests from highway associations, regional planning agencies, and individual facilities for workshops and on-site assistance have been generated by the "Natick" enforcement letter, and EPA has been responding to these where state partners are interested and time allows. Two compliance/ P2 workshops will take place in Central/Western MA in April in cooperation with MA DEP. Also, EPA Region I is trying to come up with an acceptable self-audit and outreach initiative for DPWs in response to a request for enforcement amnesty/leniency by APWA. EPA Region I has developed a new DPW compliance/P2 checklist (modeled on NEWMOA's for vehicle repair facilities) and are revamping the website for municipalities. For more information contact: Abby Swaine, EPA Region I (617) 918-1841.

Storm Water Phase II

Because the new Phase II storm water regulations will begin affecting a lot of entities - smaller "urbanized" communities, municipal vehicle maintenance facilities, wastewater plants, and public and private construction operations disturbing one acre or more - starting in March 2003, EPA has been busy researching exactly what these regulated entities will have to do and planning outreach to provide as many specifics, tools, and options as possible. Due to the complex and evolving nature of the program and the state/federal interaction in implementing it, EPA's strategy has changed several times. However, EPA did stage two large kick-off workshop/trade shows in MA and NH late last year, and have produced a couple of fact sheets and articles to begin getting the word out. For more information contact: Abby Swaine, EPA Region I (617) 918-1841.

Energy Efficiency

EPA and NEIWPCC conducted an energy efficiency workshop for wastewater treatment facilities in RI and are planning another for ME. EPA Region I drafted a guide called "Saving Money and the Environment Through Energy Efficiency: Options for Wastewater Treatment Facilities." EPA continues to meet with DOE to work on a strategy to market energy efficiency more directly to municipal departments and facilities. For more information contact: Jack Healey, EPA Region I (617) 918-1844.

Assistance to Colleges/Universities

Region I has been doing a great deal of outreach at various events related to colleges and universities in the Region. EPA staff presented at the national Partnership for Environmental Technology and Education (PETE) Instructor conference in St. Louis in March, and at the "Environmental Management, Compliance and Performance Conference for Colleges and Universities" in Washington, DC in February. In April, EPA, ME DEP, and university partners are cosponsoring a "21st Century Campus" Conference in Bar Harbor. The Regional Office has also been working with Yale University on a May 17th "Best Practices in Environmental Management" Seminar to be held at Yale. The seminar will cover BMPs such as chemical inventory management, advanced training technologies, laboratory process mapping, green building design, and green purchasing.

EPA Region I is working with the firm TetraTech to develop an Environmental Management Systems Guide for Colleges and Universities. EPA has been spending a lot of effort developing, and getting OMB approval for, a telephone survey of colleges/ universities that have attended one or more of their events, to assess customer satisfaction and behavior change. The Region is also developing a project to get more colleges and universities to take advantage of EPA's Self-Audit Policy. For more information contact: Peggy Bagnoli, EPA Region I (617) 918-1828.

K-12 & Vocational Schools

EPA Region I is now working under the umbrella of the Regional "Toxics Free Schools" campaign initiated by former Regional Administrator Mindy Lubber. The Regional staff continue to conduct most of their outreach at other organizations' events. Recently their efforts in Maine have been expanding. Some large CT manufacturers have approached EPA and CT DEP to propose funding toxics cleanouts in schools, and EPA is exploring whether Agency policy will allow them to be involved in coordinating that work. EPA is continuing to work with NEWMOA on a mercury checklist for schools, and with EPA-HQ on collecting all EPA outreach materials for K-12, posting them on the Internet, and creating a toolkit advertising the website, contacts, and resources. For more information contact: Lee Fiske, EPA Region I (617) 918-1847.Assistance to Metal Finishers

EPA Region I is making considerable progress in getting the AESF to take over the EPA Strategic Goals program so that the Agency can turn their attention to newer challenges related to metals and electronics, such as the new Metal Products and Machinery Effluent Guidelines, and making electronics product components less toxic and easier to disassemble for reuse and recycling (see below). Rick Reibstein, who is now at EPA Region I, held a workshop on cleaner production for electronics manufacturers in March in Manila. For more information contact: Linda Darveau, EPA Region I (617) 918-1718.

Mercury Challenge for Hospitals

Over the winter, EPA focused on reviewing, approving and publicizing about 50 applications for the Mercury Challenge EPA Partners for Change program. A joint EPA Region 1 and 2 compliance workshop for hospitals was held in CT in March. For more information contact: Janet Bowen, EPA Region I (617) 918-1795.

Marina Initiative

EPA Region I has been meeting with state agency partners, marine trade association officials, and other relevant organizations in all states to discuss plans for outreach and compliance assessment effort for marinas. A Marinas guide and checklist that will be used in this effort is in draft form. For more information contact: Larry Wells, EPA Region I (617) 918-1836.

P2 Template

EPA Region I have been working with EPA's Office of Research and Development to explore how the P2 Template format might be used to analyze or portray technologies under the next (post pilot) phase of Environmental Technology Verification program's P2 technology verification efforts, with EPA's consultant Battelle to find potential partners for Cooperative Research and Development Agreements involving the Template, and with NEWMOA to devise ways to refocus New England effort toward general analyses using the Template. For more information contact: Abby Swaine, EPA Region I (617) 918-1841.

Sustainable Performance & Practices

The pace of state and national government efforts in Product Stewardship has increased greatly in the last several months. In December, the Boston kickoff meeting of the National Product Stewardship Forum focused on five commodities, one of which was electronics. In February, a National Electronics Stewardship Workshop brought together federal agencies, businesses, academia, and non-government organizations to foster a cohesive strategy among federal agencies (and within EPA itself) on the issue of Electronics Product Stewardship and Electronics Recycling. In April, EPA Region I will moderate two sessions at the Electronics Product Recovery and Recycling (EPR2) Conference on collection models and electronic product stewardship initiatives. In January, the Product Stewardship Institute (Univ. of MA Lowell) began coordinating states toward a Product Stewardship position on electronics management and disposition. EPA Region I is assisting Headquarters (HQ) in preparing a fact sheet called "Electronics: A New Opportunity to Reuse and Recycle" which will include regional information.

In January, EPA Region I participated in a meeting of the National Ski Areas Association to assist a team from HQ in presenting a variety of EPA environmental tools to participants, including WAVE, WasteWise, Energy Star, Performance Track and EMS. For more information contact: Cynthia Greene, EPA Region I (617) 918-1813.

EPA REGION II

NORTHEAST P2 ROUNDTABLE

NEWMOA is please to announce that the state of New Jersey is rejoining the Association. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will now fully participate in NEWMOA's pollution prevention, waste management, and waste site cleanup activities. NEWMOA is excited about having New Jersey as a member and is looking forward to working with them. Readers of this newsletter can expect updates and information from New Jersey in the next issue.

NEWMOA recently welcomed two new staff people to work on a variety of projects this year. Karen Thomas, who worked for the Toxics Use Reduction Institute for many years, recently joined the NEWMOA staff to manage a mercury reduction project (see description below). Karen brings a wealth of industry and research experience and has gotten the project off to a great start. Hannah Sarnow comes to NEWMOA from the Tellus Institute where she was involved in a wide variety of energy and economic projects. Hannah has background in natural resource economics and is already contributing a great deal to a variety of NEWMOA projects, including various web-based databases and development of pollution prevention metrics software.

Community Mercury Reduction

With funding from the MA DEP, NEWMOA has begun a project to get mercury out of public schools. Through this project, NEWMOA is developing guidance for conducting school mercury audits and preparing curriculum for middle and high schools on the sources, uses, safety issues and health risks associated with mercury. The curriculum and guidance materials are being tested through a pilot project with 12 Massachusetts middle and high schools. Through this project, NEWMOA will work with local officials to facilitate mercury clean-outs at participating schools and help to ensure that mercury-containing products are not reintroduced at the schools in the future. NEWMOA will learn about the effectiveness of the materials delivered through pre- and post- mercury surveys of participating students/staff.

NEWMOA is also working with three Massachusetts communities to develop guidance for municipal officials, businesses and the public for mercury collection and source separation projects. Two of these brochures will include information on sources and impacts of mercury and safe handling and disposal options for municipalities and businesses. The third brochure will be for the general public. These brochures will include checklists to assist people in identifying mercury-containing products and materials. NEWMOA will facilitate mercury clean-outs at participating municipalities and assist the communities in conducting fever thermometer exchanges.

NEWMOA has been working closely with the EPA Region 1 and MA DEP on a project to examine the use of mercury at federal facilities and identify opportunities for reduction. The Project Team visited four different types of federal facilities: an analytical laboratory, an air force base, a naval shipyard and a military college. The level of mercury awareness prior to the project varied among the four facilities. However, the Project Team did find opportunities for reduction at all the facilities. The Project Team found a few serious situations: mercury spills not being cleaned up properly, staff uninformed about the danger of mercury exposure, mercury not being carefully stored, and used fluorescent bulbs disposed in the regular trash.

P2 PUBLICATIONS

Materials Matter: Toward a Sustainable Materials Policy (Urban and Industrial Environments)

(317 pp) 2001, by Ken Geiser. Published by MIT Press; ISBN-0262072165. In press.

Integrated Environmental Management Systems: Implementation Guide