In this issue
- Greening at Warners' Stellian
- ReUSE
Minnesota: Making reuse happen
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New tool explains stationary engine rules
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DoItGreen Directory: Promote your green business efforts
- Turfgrass maintenance trainings
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MPCA
looking for small business partners in VOC reduction
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Rural MN Solar Initiative helps farmers, small businesses gain solar
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Funding: MPCA Clean diesel grant helps reduce air pollution
Minnesota appliance company Warners' Stellian has
completed the latest in a list of environmentally friendly projects aimed at
turning the 50-year-old purveyor of energy-using home appliances into an
"energy star" in its own right. Two hundred ten solar and reflective panels (190
watts each), now operational on Warners' Stellian's
St. Paul warehouse/headquarters, are expected to provide 20 percent of the
company's power needs each year. Warners' Stellian invested
$300,000 in this effort to decrease its energy usage and carbon footprint, and
expects the solar panels to have paid for themselves with energy savings after
five years of use. Warners' Stellian's solar panel system has an expected
lifespan of 40 years.
Going solar is the latest environmentally friendly
project that Warners' Stellian has launched. The family-owned business has made
a commitment to reducing waste and energy use, and is also trying to set an
example of how businesses of any size and type can put green ideas into action.
The company now uses delivery vehicles that power down after 5 minutes of
idling to reduce fuel consumption. Its warehouse facility includes
photo-sensing lighting, an energy-management system, and an
"economizer" cooling system.
Warners' Stellian has responsibly recycled appliances for
years, but in 2009, the company took the initiative to address a less-obvious,
yet huge environmental concern within appliance retail operations.
Appliances come with literally tons of packaging – much
of it Styrofoam. This nonbiodegradable material takes up a significant amount
of air space in landfills and is made up of toxic
chemicals. It doesn't decompose, and its volume means constant shipments to
landfills, consuming fuel and labor. Robert Warner, Warners' Stellian vice
president and director of operations, estimates the Styrofoam accounted for 85%
of the company’s total waste.
“Appliance and cardboard recycling have been a part of
our mission for many, many years -- but we wanted to do more,” Robert said.
"We're moving beyond recycling pop cans. Whatever we generate that we can
recycle, we're doing."
With the support of customers and staff, Warners'
Stellian made a significant investment in a machine that compacts Styrofoam
into 1/20th of its original size while processing it into a reusable format. The
compacted packaging takes up much less air space, so it fills fewer vehicle
loads (and therefore consumes less fuel) to transport it away for re-use. The compactor
is one of only two in the state. A video of Warners' Stellian's Styrofoam
compacting process can be viewed at: http://is.gd/fduWm.
For more information about Warners’ Stellian, please
visit www.warnersstellian.com.
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A new
nonprofit association recently formed to bring visibility to the reuse,
rental, and repair sectors in Minnesota. The vision of ReUSE Minnesota is “a strong Minnesota reuse economy that leads
the nation in documented environmental benefits through the intentional actions
of committed individuals and institutions.” The organization, a successor of Reuse Alliance–Minnesota,
was incorporated in December 2012 by eight founding members, including
Bridging, Arc’s Value Village Thrift Store and Donation Center, and Companies
to Classrooms, among others.
A 2011 study by the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency revealed that the reuse sector is responsible for 46,000 Minnesota jobs, and because it
is a service-based sector, reuse tends
to keep money local. The sector includes such varied businesses as antique stores, party rental supply
companies, electronics repair, consignment and thrift stores, furniture
refurbishments, building material reuse, architectural salvage, and more.
For more
information on how to become involved in ReUSE Minnesota go to http://www.reusemn.org/. For more information about the study go to http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=17700
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New tool explains stationary engine rule
EPA has
released a new Regulation Navigation Tool for owners and operators of internal
combustion engines subject to the Stationary Spark Ignited and Compression
Ignition Internal Combustion Engine NSPS rules (subparts JJJJ and IIII).
The “Reg Nav” tool asks a series of questions, which produces a printout of the
regulatory requirements for a specific engine. The tool can be found under
‘Implementation Information’ at http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/nsps/sinsps/sinspspg.html and at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/nsps/cinsps/cinspspg.html. EPA says that the original Regulation
Navigation Tool- for the Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines NESHAP
(subpart ZZZZ)-has been temporarily taken down while the agency updates it with
the recent regulatory changes.
If you
have any questions, please contact Melissa Payne at payne.melissa@epa.gov.
DoItGreen Directory: Promote your green business efforts
Let
others know about your pollution prevention efforts by putting your
organization in the Do It Green! Directory. The directory is an all-in-one
resource for local, sustainable, and green merchants, grocers, retailers,
contractors, designers, consultants and other businesses in Minnesota. It is
searchable by location and business type. It is produced in print (10,0000
copies) and online (13,000+ hits/month) at www.doitgreen.org/directory. If
you are interested in being a part of the only green business directory in
Minnesota, visit the Do it Green! website and apply by September 1.
More companies are looking to reduce the cost and environmental
impact of their turf management regimes. ‘Turfgrass Maintenance with reduced
environmental impacts’ trainings are being offered this summer. These voluntary
trainings offer information about best practices for managing turfgrass
(mowing, seeding, fertilizer and pesticide application, and more).
Who Should Participate?
- Property managers
- Private maintenance companies
- Schools
- Park departments
- Master Gardeners
Training Topics:
- Equipment calibration
- Selection and application
of fertilizers
- Mowing techniques
- Weed control application
tips
- Best practices aeration
- Legal issues and
additional resources
- Environmental effects
These
practices will help you save money, time, and the environment. An
optional test is offered at the end of the workshop to earn Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency (MPCA) Level I Certification in Turfgrass Maintenance
Best Practices. Certified individuals are listed on the MPCA website.
The next training is offered on August 1 at the Mississippi
Watershed Management Organization in Minneapolis. No time for training? Check out the Turfgrass Manual and the Summer Turfgrass Management Best Practices Matrix.
Funding for this program was provided by MPCA through a grant from
US EPA, Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Fund. Trainings are free with a preference given
to participants in the Mississippi watershed. For questions or to register contact Nancy
Mulhern at 763-478-3606 or nancy@fortinconsulting.com.
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MPCA
looking for small business partners in VOC reduction
The Business Assistance Unit at
the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is looking for small
business partners across the state who are interested in helping reduce
Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs).
We are in the planning stages
of a two-year project where we will be issuing $300,000 in grants and providing
technical assistance to businesses to implement VOC-reducing projects
throughout their facilities.
VOCs
are emitted from processes that use coatings, inks, solvents, adhesives, or
other chemicals that contain VOCs. They can be released from processes
where fuels (including wood, fuel oil, diesel, gasoline, natural gas, propane,
and coal) are burned for heat or used to power engines in cars, trucks,
generators, lawn mowers, machinery and recreational equipment. They can
also be released from the storage and transportation of chemicals and
fuels. When VOCs are released into the atmosphere they are
chemically transformed into ground-level ozone (also known as smog), which is a
harmful air pollutant.
The
funding could be used to research and implement projects to eliminate or reduce
the release of VOCs from manufacturing facilities and related support activities
such as office, building maintenance, and fleets. We are looking for partners
in the project and want to hear your VOC reduction ideas. Contact
Tom Jablonski at 651-757-2171 or thomas.jablonski@state.mn.us if you have ideas you
would like to share, or if you would like to receive updates on the project as
we move into it.
Grant funding and technical
assistance is being offered from the MPCA as a result of the recently published
Clean Air Dialogue Final Report: A Collaborative Plan to
Reduce Emissions.
Rural MN Solar Initiative helps farmers, small businesses gain solar
Are you considering a solar
energy system to help power your farm or small business? If so, the Rural
Minnesota Solar Initiative may be a great resource for you. The Initiative, led
by Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) and funded by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Rural Development, can help farmers and small businesses learn how
solar can work for them. CERTs staff will provide one-on-one direction and
guide you to resources to help plan and implement a solar energy project. To
learn more and get started, see the Initiative flyer and view fact sheets and guides.
The big, shiny, red
trucks that bring fizzy cola joy into the Phillips neighborhood will be doing
so “with a 90% reduction in most tailpipe emissions,” according to Mark
Sulzbach of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Clean Diesel Grant
Program.
Thanks to an EPA
Clean Diesel Grant from the MPCA in 2012, Eagan’s Coca-Cola Refreshments fleet
replaced six older diesel trucks last fall with six new diesel-electric hybrids
used in local deliveries. The company uses the new cleaner trucks in core,
urban routes where air quality is a concern, including deliveries in the
Phillips neighborhood.
Diesel-electric
hybrids are ideal for the stop-start operation of local deliveries, where
stores may be only blocks apart. As an added benefit, “the trucks are quieter
than their predecessors and early indications are that they will reduce fuel
costs by about 20 to 25%,” according to Don Chiodo, Distribution Manager for
the Twin Cities.
Inner-city
neighborhoods often have higher pollution levels, in part, due to their
proximity to highways and higher traffic on busy streets. These new hybrid
delivery trucks will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and fine particle
pollution by more than 90% when compared to the trucks they are replacing.
Coca-Cola’s grant
paid for the extra cost of a hybrid above the cost of a new regular diesel
delivery truck. Part of the grant requirements mandated that the older trucks
that were replaced had to be taken out of service so they can’t pollute
anywhere again. Eagan’s fleet now has 17 diesel-electric hybrids and plans to
add to that number.
More information is
available on the grants/financial assistance
for clean diesel projects
webpage. While there sign up for email updates on grant availability or contact
Mark Sulzbach 651-757-2770 for questions.
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