MONTANA POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM - 2001
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES:
EcoStar: The Montana P2 Program's recognition program for small businesses
will honor twenty firms for their efforts in waste reduction and resource conservation
this year. The big news for these businesses, and the P2 Program, is the August
29 reception with Governor Martz in Helena. We anticipate 60-80 people to be
in attendance at the reception, and efforts are underway to encourage statewide
press coverage, particularly in the hometowns of the EcoStar recipients.
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing: In a cooperative effort with
the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the Montana P2 Program will
provide training in EPP to state government purchasing and contract officials.
Plans are now being made to broadcast this training to county and city governments
throughout Montana. Anticipated training date is September 17. This training
is also part of the Montana P2 Program's local government initiative.
Local Government and Pollution Prevention: In addition to the above-referenced
EPP training targeting the purchasing power of government agencies, the Montana
P2 Program has completed the "Pollution Prevention Guidebook for Montana
Local Governments". This document, designed to introduce local government
officials to the concepts of P2, provides a number of local case studies emphasizing
the ease of implementation of many programs, along with the potential savings
which can be achieved. Distribution of the document will take place at the Montana
Association of Counties annual conference.
Dental Mercury Reduction Project: As part of a PBT initiative, the Montana
P2 Program researched mercury waste management practices in the dental care
industry, along with the experiences of other P2 programs in providing guidance
and information to dentists. Success in providing guidance to dentists and dental
offices appears to be directly related to the cooperation and participation
of a state dental association. The Montana P2 Program has approached the Montana
Dental Association to open discussions on a cooperative effort, however, the
Dental Association has elected to not cooperate with us. This project will be
re-evaluated for alternative means of reaching the target audience.
STAR (Spray Technique Analysis and Research): Activities in this program
have been hampered by a lack of available instructors. All necessary equipment
has been purchased.
Small Business Contacts and Collaborations: The Montana P2 Program reached
a new business segment during this project year. Fixed Base Operators (FAA language
for aviation service stations) have many of the same waste management issues
as automotive repair facilities. Because of continuing education requirements
for aircraft mechanics, this audience can often be targeted at large annual
meetings. In February, the Montana P2 Program provided a display and a new P2
document at the Montana Aviation Conference. Plans are being made to provide
a formal presentation at the next conference.
Our outreach to the Montana hospitality industry currently includes working
directly through the Montana Innkeepers Association (MIKA) and developing a
partnership with the Montana Department of Commerce "Travel Montana"
program. We are members of MIKA, and MIKA's Executive Director sits on our advisory
committee. We attend MIKA's Annual Convention in November, where we have a display
table with factsheets and signup sheets for MIKA members interested in being
on our mailing list and participating in on-site P2 visits. This year we assisted
MIKA in finding speakers for an energy conservation panel planned for their
upcoming event. We continue conduct P2 on-site visits to the hospitality industry
upon request, and are producing a series of pollution prevention best practices
factsheets. The first in the series, "Housekeeping Best Practices"
has been completed and is ready for distribution. We have also produced an article
on energy conservation best practices which MIKA is publishing in two parts
in the next two issues of their quarterly newsletter. Travel Montana has provided
us with a mailing list of all facilities in the state that pay the state "bed"
tax. We hope to pursue additional collaboration with Travel Montana in the future.
Montana Material Exchange Program: We are currently implementing a two-part
strategy designed to greatly increase usage of the Montana Material Exchange.
The first part is a total redesign of the Material Exchange website. The second
part is a promotional campaign. The website redesign will make the site as automated
and interactive as possible, with online forms and a fully searchable database.
The goal is to make the website much more user-friendly and to make it as efficient
as possible for us to administer. The promotional campaign will focus on developing
partnerships with other federal, state and local government entities, and targeting
business sectors (such as construction) that are most likely to use the service.
The promotional campaign will include coverage in the business and trade press,
presentations, public service announcements, distribution of promotional literature
and other strategies.
CONTINUING PROJECTS:
The Bridge quarterly newsletter
Youth Awareness Program for P2
P2 Resource Library
Free on-site pollution prevention visits to small businesses
Technical assistance to small businesses and individuals
MTP2/SBA joint presentation of "Outstanding Achievement in Pollution Prevention"
award.
Montana P2 Program Web Site
NEW PUBLICATIONS:
Environmental Compliance Checklist for Airports and FBOs
Housekeeping Best Practices
Pollution Prevention Guidebook for Montana Local Governments
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