Environment DEC
From the February 2005 issue
DEC Presents First Annual Environmental Excellence Awards
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty recently announced seven winners of the first annual New York State Environmental Excellence Awards for outstanding efforts in environmental innovation, sustainability and partnerships. DEC established this new awards program in 2004 to recognize emerging technologies, superior management practices and creative partnerships that achieve exceptional environmental, social and economic benefits for New York State.
"These outstanding businesses, governments and community organizations are helping us achieve Governor Pataki's goals of environmental and economic progress in New York State," Commissioner Crotty said. "I want to thank them for their leadership and congratulate them on a job well done. These efforts should serve as examples to others across the state."
Commissioner Crotty presented the awards during the Environmental Excellence Awards ceremony and dialogue. This event celebrated the winners' achievements and provided a forum for each of the award recipients to discuss their programs and accomplishments with state government officials. It also continued an ongoing dialogue initiated by Commissioner Crotty last fall regarding sustainable business and development in New York State.
Award Recipients
The award recipients were selected from nearly 100 applications submitted by organizations statewide. An advisory committee of stakeholders from business, government and citizen organizations reviewed the applications before the following winners (listed in alphabetical order) were chosen:
Albany Molecular Research, Inc.
Albany Molecular Research, Inc. - honored for installing an innovative alternative cooling system to handle the cooling needs of a 128,000-square-foot building housing its organic chemistry laboratory. To meet this need, Albany Molecular installed a closed-loop, non-contact geothermal cooling system, the first of its kind using groundwater as condensing water in a centrifugal chiller.
Pictured from left: Dan Loewenstein,
VP for Malcom-Pirnie;
DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty;
Geoff Horine, Facilities Manager for
Albany Molecular Research, and
Brad Fisher, Friedman-Fisher Associates
Groundwater is beneficially used without depleting the aquifer resource or having any other adverse impacts on the environment. Groundwater cooling saves approximately 352,000 kWh per year compared to conventional systems. This project demonstrates that groundwater also can be used as a resource for conserving energy, and that non-conventional, groundwater-source cooling systems are a sustainable solution that can be used in lieu of conventional systems that are less energy efficient and less environmentally friendly.
Battery Park City Authority
Battery Park City Authority - honored for the development and implementation of environmental residential guidelines. Developers in Battery Park City (BPC) in New York City focus on improving overall building energy performance, indoor air quality, stormwater management and use of sustainable and recyclable materials, while also achieving reduced operating costs. The guidelines paved the way for the design and construction of the first truly green residential building in the country, known as the Solaire. Other green buildings currently are being developed in BPC that follow these same guidelines.
Pictured from left:
James Cavanaugh;
DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty,
and Lynn Kaplan
In addition, the authority commissioned the design, development and maintenance of Teardrop Park, which uses a majority of native or indigenous plant material, recycled and local building materials and recycled construction waste. This new green city has produced a model process for developers around the world to replicate, easing the risks associated with using new technologies in the development of green buildings.
Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council
The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Management Plan - honored for the creation and implementation of a plan to manage the quality and quantity of a water resource that serves as a source of drinking water for approximately 60,000 people and generates nearly $100 million from tourism and recreation. Fourteen municipalities signed an agreement to adopt this plan and provided major funding for its implementation.
Pictured from left: Leo Trickey, Councilman for Town of Italy;
Wayne Houseman, Supervisor for Town of Bristol;
Kevin Olvany, Watershed Council,
and DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty
Several major themes are addressed in the management plan: a watershed approach to resource protection; pollution prevention; a consensus-based collaborative approach, and a partnership approach. The communities formed the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council, the goal of which is to maintain and enhance the high quality of the Canandaigua Lake Watershed through four broad approaches: education, research, restoration/protection, and regulation. Within each of these approaches, the council has undertaken many projects to implement its management plan across the entire watershed.
Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies, Rochester Institute
of Technology
The Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies - honored for developing and implementing an innovative process for recovering parts used in copiers around the world, thereby conserving natural resources and reducing solid waste transferred to landfills. By investigating the reusability of two components that are typically replaced in the toner cartridge remanufacturing process, the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) developed a patent-pending device called the Wiper Blade Edge Analyzer, that inspects the working edge of the urethane wiper blade for minute defects that are invisible to the naked eye and enables the reuse of this part.
Pictured from left: Lester Cornelius, President,
Optical Technologies Corp.;
DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty;
Andrij Harlan, Industrial Program Manager,
CIMS/RIT, and Simon Jessop, Senior Engineer, CIMS/RIT
In the past, toner cartridge remanufacturers routinely discarded this part because no cost-effective method to assess the component quality was available. As of July 2004, the Wiper Blade Analyzer has enabled more than 600,000 wiper blades and toner cartridges to be diverted from landfills. This work is part of a comprehensive research, development and demonstration program of pollution prevention and sustainable design projects at CIMS being conducted by academia in partnership with multi-national manufacturing companies, the U.S. military and other entities.
Clean Air Communities
Clean Air Communities (CAC - honored for the following activities:
- Advanced Truck Stop Electrification at Hunts Point Co-op Market (Bronx, NY)
- Grid-Integrated Commercial Photovoltaic Power System, Greenpoint Mfg. and Design Center, (Brooklyn, NY) - employing a photovoltaic roof system
- Diesel Emissions Reduction Demonstration, Seven WTC (Lower Manhattan, NY)
- Central Steam Conversion, Seward Park Coop Housing Corp (Manhattan, NY)
Pictured from left: Glenn Goldstein, Program Director;
DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty; Randolph Price,
VP for Environmental Health & Safety,
Consolidated Edison of NY, Inc., and Oleg Krotoff, Scientist, CHMM
These activities are excellent examples of cooperative efforts that resulted in benefits to the community and to the environment. CAC, an initiative of the Northeast States Center for a Clean Air Future (NESCCAF) and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), is a non-profit entity committed to implementing community-based air pollution reduction and energy efficiency projects, particularly in low-income, minority neighborhoods that are disproportionately affected by air pollution and other environmental burdens. CAC lends expert technical assistance, environmental engineering and legal and educational services to work in partnership with a wide range of public and private sector stakeholders who participate in CAC projects.
Corning Incorporated Erwin Manufacturing Complex
Pictured from left: Ron Shobe, Corporate Environmental
Director; Ralph McTaggart, Plant Manager; DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty,
Ron ReSue, Jr., Environmental & Safety Manager,
and Michael Ford, Senior Environmental Engineer
Corning Incorporated Erwin Manufacturing Complex - honored for their development and implementation of numerous innovative environmental projects that resulted in waste reduction, and energy and water conservation, including the following:
- Developed a stainless steel die which eliminated a die plating process, reducing hazardous waste
- Discovered a beneficial partnership for the reuse of reject-fired ware, saving landfill space
- Identified ways to reuse its off-specification green ware, resulting in the reuse of millions of pounds of this material that would have otherwise gone to a landfill
- Re-engineered the size of the logs in which their ceramic material is used, reducing thousands of pounds of waste
- Pursued numerous environmental improvement projects to reduce energy and water consumption, saving approximately 105 million cubic feet of natural gas, more than half a million gallons of water per day, and an estimated 4.28 million killowatts annually
Waste Management and Recycling Products
Waste Management and Recycling Products - honored because they have helped hundreds of organizations to establish recycling programs for electronic waste, and these programs have resulted in the diversion of thousands of tons of electronic wastes from being landfilled. Waste Management and Recycling Products (WMRP) recovers and recycles surplus computers and electronics through a comprehensive process of evaluating, sorting, de-manufacturing, testing, refurbishing, reselling and recycling.
Pictured from left: Peter Muscanelli, President;
Peter Bennison, CEO;
DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty,
and David Furlow, VP for Business Development
In 2004, WMRP expects to recycle approximately 1,500 tons of electronics equipment. Since their inception, they have recycled more than 5,000 tons of electronic waste. WMRP serves state agencies, local school districts, universities, hospitals, and industrial, manufacturing, retail and individual consumers. In addition, a number of collection events have been held for municipalities. WMRP also has developed strategic partnerships with other electronics recyclers, enabling the company to provide services on a national basis.
Environmental Leadership Program
DEC is developing an ongoing environmental leadership program. New York Environmental Leaders will focus on recognizing and providing incentives to organizations that demonstrate long-term commitments to superior environmental management and performance. For more information about this program, as well as about the Environmental Excellence Awards, please visit DEC's Web Site by using the links below.
