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I am extremely pleased to announce the recipients of the 2003 White House Closing the Circle Award. The Department of the Interior (Interior) is honored with a total of six awards. Three recipients are from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Two recipients are from the National Park Service. Also, the Department was pleased to nominate the "Green Cleaning Partnership" which recognized the joint accomplishment of ten partners led by the Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled and included the Department of the Interior.
This prestigious award recognizes Federal employees and facilities for efforts which resulted in significant contributions to, or have made a significant impact on, the environment in the categories of waste/pollution prevention, recycling, affirmative procurement, environmental preferability, education and outreach, environmental management systems, sustainable design/green buildings, and biobased products. The award recognizes work consistent with the intent of Executive Order 13101 - Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition, and Executive Order 13148 - Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management.
The White House Office of the Federal Environmental Executive administered the selection of award recipients, convening an Interagency Awards Committee. This Committee reviewed Interior's nominations submitted by the Director of the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance through Interior Bureau and Office Heads.
Please take a moment to review the attached narratives which describe the accomplishments of this year's recipients. As you will see, their work is truly impressive. Practices employed by these award recipients should be considered for adoption at other sites throughout Interior where appropriate. For more information about these awardees, please visit http://GreeningInterior.doi.gov.
Please distribute this memorandum throughout your Bureau and Office so that we can all learn from these success stories.
Attachment
2003 White House Closing the Circle Award
Department of the Interior Recipients
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Standard Operation Procedure for Refuge Procurement and Waste Management (Recycling):
The staff of Buenos Aires NWR are very proactive in managing and protecting the Buenos Aires NWR's savannah-type environment that is among the most unique not only in the Southwest, but in the Service. The Refuge has made dramatic strides in promoting the Waste Reduction, Recycling and Affirmative Procurement programs. By the end of 2000, the Refuge was recycling approximately 40% of its wastes, a 100% increase over the prior year. The Refuge is in a remote location which makes recycling difficult, but they succeed in recycling not only paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic, but also tires, batteries, oil, solvents, oil and fuel filters, bicycles and scrap metal. They also recycle newspaper, colored paper, junk mail, and colored glass, which they had previously been unable to do. The kitchen staff composts food waste which is then used in the Refuges landscaping projects. The Refuge "closes the loop" by purchasing re-refined oil and recycled content paper products and plastic products.
Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hazardous Materials Pollution Prevention and Minimization Program (Waste Pollution/Recycling):
The Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery has four full-time employees and two part-time employees that have made outstanding achievements in reducing storage of hazardous materials used in daily maintenance operations. Personnel inventoried more than 200 distinct substances ranging from common cleansers to toxic chemicals. All hazardous products were disposed of according to environmental specifications. The station eliminated the use of Formalin altogether by redesigning the egg hatching process. Through employee awareness and education, the station has reduced the storage of chemicals by 60%. By reducing bulk storage, the potential for spills has also been reduced and/or minimized. Through recycling efforts, unused waste has been reduced 50%. The hatchery is now a cleaner, safer, more environmentally friendly place to work. Compliance with environmental regulations is more manageable, and the public can be assured that the Chattahoochee Forest NFH and the Department of the Interior are good stewards of the environment.
James J. Behrmann, Region 6, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Green Procurement (Affirmative Procurement):
Jim Behrmann is the Environmental Compliance Coordinator for Region 6, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). He initiated the Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition Program in FWS by coordinating with Engineering and Contracting and General Services Divisions. Jim had all the field stations in his region appoint a Recycling Coordinator. With these contacts, he initiated the use of 100% post-consumer recycled, chlorine-free copier paper in the Regional Office and field stations. Jim reviewed engineering plans, and encouraged that contracts specify use of recycled materials, such as fly ash, recycled content plastic lumber and shingles. In order to emphasize re-refined oil closed-loop programs, he has provided funding to field stations for their first purchase of re-refined oil. He also initiated the use of engine coolant recycling systems, and has purchased several units for Region 6 facilities. He has provided guidance and funds to help facilities purchase biodiesel fuel. Approximately 30 facilities are participating in the recycling program, thereby preventing these wastes from reaching a landfill or waterways.
Sonya J. Capek, Pacific West Region, National Park Service, Tools to Promote Environmental Purchasing (Environmental Preferability):
Sonya Capek developed Environmental Purchasing in the National Park Service: A How-To Guide that includes federal requirements, principles, an Affirmative Procurement Plan, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) considerations, reporting, resources, tips, examples, and Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) tracking spreadsheets. In conjunction with the "how-to-guide," she developed Environmental Contracting training for 40 Pacific West Region (PWR) procurement/contracting officers and project managers. Sonya also developed two exceptionally user-friendly guides: The Green Janitorial Products and Practices Guide identifies non-toxic products, vendor sources, General Services Administration (GSA) availability and Green Seal standards; and The 100+ Best Management Practices Guide recommends a variety of practices defining "what a green park looks like" and supports the Strategic Plan for Greening the DOI. As a result of Sonya's efforts, seventeen PWR parks initiated or completed Integrated Solid Waste Alternative Programs (ISWAP) in 2002. All PWR parks are using at least CPG compliant recycled content paper. Sonya revised the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Construction Waste Management master specifications section, and encouraged its inclusion in all PWR construction specifications. She maintains a "help line" for inquiries from both within and outside the NPS. The effect of Sonya's outreach is measured by the large number of park staff, contracting and procurement personnel, educators, and concessions staff who are now familiar with and consider environmentally preferable and CPG products.
National Capital Region Sustainable Practices Team, National Park Service,
National Capital Region Sustainability Fair (Education and Outreach):
At the time the Sustainable Practices Team first convened, the members realized that there was a lack of understanding about sustainable practices and a need to further convey its meaning and long term benefits to others within the Federal government and to the general public. They chose to do so by bringing national attention to innovative programs and initiatives underway within the Federal government private industry and community organizations through a Sustainability Fair: "Sustaining America's Special Places: Your Parks, Your Communities." The theme of the Fair focused on fostering partnerships with community organizations and community activists, State and local governments, and the local business community. The Sustainability Team published an informational booklet detailing park activities, and provided ideas for individual involvement and opportunities for visitors to gain information and interact with partnership organizations involved in the sustainable practices movement.
Partnership, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind and Severely Disabled: Green Cleaning in Federal Buildings, (Environmental Preferability):
During 2001 and 2002, a National Industries for the Severely Handicapped affiliated community rehabilitation program, Chimes Inc., began to use environmentally preferable cleaning products in over 20 million square feet of federal office space, improving indoor air quality for as many as 90,000 federal employees in the Washington, DC area. Additionally, the thirteen hundred Chimes employees, no less than 75% of whom have mental or other disabilities, now have a safer workplace due to these green cleaning products which have significantly decreased health hazards. Many other federal, state, local and private entities are following suit.
This transition is the culmination of efforts involving as many as ten organizations that worked cooperatively to make these products readily available in the federal marketplace, and that ensured that the products meet newly-adopted, stringent criteria for environmentally preferable cleaning products.
Partnership Organizations:
- The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, the independent Federal agency that administers the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program
- The National Industries for the Blind (NIB), a not-for-profit organization that enhances opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily by creating, sustaining and improving employment.
- National Industries for the Severe Handicapped (NISH), a non-profit agency creating employment opportunities for persons with severe disabilities
- Green Seal, an environmentally preferable product certifying non-profit organization
- Rochester-Midland, Inc., a chemical cleaning product manufacturer
- St. Louis Lighthouse for the Blind, a NIB-affiliated non-profit agency that employs blind persons making products for federal agencies
- Eagle Maintenance Supply, a Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) authorized distributor of Skilcraft/Rochester-Midland products
- Chimes, Inc., a NISH-affiliated community rehabilitation program performing janitorial and other services, for federal and other client properties employing persons with severe disabilities
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
- U.S. Department of the Interior, the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance and the National Business Center
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