Since 1990, 452 individuals and organizations from 37 countries
have earned the United States Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award. The award recognizes
outstanding contributions to protect the Earth's stratospheric ozone
layer. This year's 28 recipients have demonstrated originality and
public purpose, persuasive moral and organizational leadership, and
elimination of emissions of ozone-depleting substances. The winners
are from Australia, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Russia,
Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States.
EPA Stratospheric Ozone Protection Awards are particularly
prestigious because nominations compete globally using previous
winners as judges.
Quotes
"My work for the ozone layer occurred at the same time
that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was making the
transition to free enterprise and democracy. Both revolutions were
important, but social progress is nothing without a healthy
environment for future generations. The only true security comes
from cooperation and sustainability." Nikolai
Kopylov Chief, All-Russian Research Institute for Fire
Protection Deputy Chair, Inter-Agency Commission of Ozone Layer
Protection
"Those of us who have been fighting for the ozone
layer since the early 1980s look back in amazement at what has
been accomplished. Most of us consider our work on ozone as the
most important part of our lives. These EPA awards bring us back
together to reflect on our success and to inspire us to take on
new environmental challenges-daunting challenges that bring
supreme satisfaction to our lives." Dr. Iwona
Rummel-Bulska, World Meteorological Organization
"Fetzer Vineyards is proud to join Kendall-Jackson
Wine Estates in accepting the prestigious Stratospheric Protection
Award for our success in avoiding methyl bromide. Customers
throughout the world are demanding sustainable agriculture and
natural food products. The best companies are respecting those
demands. Together we can protect the earth and the skies for
future generations." Dennis Martin, Vice President
Director of Winemaking Fetzer Vineyards
"Japan's Save the Ozone Network (JASON) is very proud
to earn this Award. We fight with all our strength to protect the
ozone layer--and with great imagination. JASON activists use
street theater, dance, and song to gain public support. And we use
our political organizing and policy skills to craft the new
Japanese laws that outlaw the release of ODS and the greenhouse
gas HFC-134a during refrigeration and air conditioner equipment
service."
Hiromi Nishizono, CEO, JASON
Summaries of the 2002 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award
Winners' Accomplishments
Corporate and Governmental Awards
C.O. Keddy Nursery
C.O. Keddy Nursery Inc. stopped using methyl bromide by 1995.
Keddy now rotates crops on a three-year cycle to control disease,
improve soil health and reduce the accumulation of weed stock in the
soil. Keddy achieves excellent control of nematodes, weeds and
soil-borne diseases using Telone C17.
Daikin Industries
Daikin Industries has been a leader in developing
non-ozone-depleting refrigerants and equipment models that use them.
Daikin supplies many HFCs, and was the first to mass-produce HFC-32,
a component in HCFC-22 alternative blends. Daikin has stopped using
HCFCs in commercial unitary equipment and plans to completely phase
out of HCFCs in 2002. Also, Daikin has produced a facility capable
of destroying up to 1000 tons of CFCs and HCFCs per year.
Dow AgroSciences
Dow AgroSciences has developed practical pest management
solutions to meet grower and food processor needs for economic and
effective alternatives to methyl bromide. Since 1998, Dow
AgroSciences has developed and registered TeloneÔ C-35, InLineÔ (1,
3 dichloropropene) and Telone EC soil fumigants, which provide
nematacidal and disease control performance equal to or better than
methyl bromide. These products are being used successfully on a wide
variety of crops globally. VikaneÔ (sulfuryl fluoride) has served as
an important pest control tool in the structural fumigation industry
for more than 40 years. Dow AgroSciences has recently developed new
uses for sulfuryl fluoride (ProFumeÔ) which will replace methyl
bromide in the food processing, grain milling and stored commodity
industries. ProFume has been submitted to EPA for registration with
plans to market by 2002-2004 worldwide.
Fetzer Vineyards
Fetzer, the nation's sixth largest wine maker, expects to have
all of their grape acreage certified organic in 2002. Prior to 1992,
almost all vineyards depended on methyl bromide. Since 1992, Fetzer
has developed 400 acres of new vineyards without methyl bromide with
organic methods including field sanitation, resistant root stocks,
natural soil amendments and cover crops. Each acre of grapes
developed organically represents a reduction of 250 pounds of methyl
bromide. In addition, Fetzer has played a leading role in solid
waste reduction, reduced energy consumption, and use of renewable
energy sources.
Honeywell International
Honeywell began their search for alternatives to HCFC-141b in
1991 and selected HFC-245fa after screening hundreds of potential
foam blowing agents. Honeywell has invested well in excess of $150
million on research, toxicity testing, applications development,
manufacturing process development, and plant construction in order
to supply HFC-245fa to the industry. Honeywell is also working
cooperatively to ensure that formulations and foam processing using
HFC-245fa in all rigid insulation foam sectors are optimized for
processability, energy performance, and cost effectiveness.
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates voluntarily banned the use of
methyl bromide and several other pesticides in its farming operation
in Australia, Argentina, California, Chile, and Italy.
Kendall-Jackson, along with its sister company, Jackson Family
Farms, uses sustainable agriculture approaches which include cover
crops, integrated pest management, and rodent control with raptors.
Kendall-Jackson is restoring habitat and wildlife corridors and
leaving land in open space.
General Mills for the Recently Acquired Pillsbury Company
In 1993, long before alternatives to methyl bromide had been
identified, the Pillsbury Company made a strategic environmental
leadership decision to eliminate as much pesticide use as possible.
By 1997 they completely eliminated all use of methyl bromide.
Pillsbury selected heat treatment as the main alternative in high
volume flourmills and food processing plants and today is
investigating the use of heat in conjunction with phosphine and
carbon dioxide.
USDA - ARS, Water Management Research Laboratory
The Agriculture Research Service at the USDA's Water Management
Research Laboratory has been studying methyl bromide alternatives
for over five years. Research for short-term implementation includes
alternative fumigants, application techniques and cultural practices
that allow growers to maintain current production levels without the
use of methyl bromide. Research for long-term implementation focuses
on economical integrated pest management systems. The team has
demonstrated an alternative fumigant drip irrigation system on
eighteen strawberry fields, leading to an accelerated phaseout of
methyl bromide for some growers. Further research is underway to
apply the same technology to other products.
Raynor
Raynor has invested much money, time, and expertise in developing
a fully automated manufacturing line to produce steel residential
garage doors using hydrocarbon blowing agents in lieu of
ozone-depleting substances. Under the "Raynor Innovations Series"
trade name, Raynor will introduce and market these new doors to both
a national and international market.
Yoder Brothers
Yoder Brothers--specializing in chrysanthemums, azaleas,
hibiscus, poinsettias and other perennial plants--has facilities in
Ohio, Florida, South Carolina, California and Canada. In 1991, they
began research on alternatives to methyl bromide including chemical
pesticides and non-chemical pest controls. Yoder Brothers selected
steam as the best option for their production system, and has moved
quickly to implement it despite a cost increase compared to methyl
bromide. Yoder Brothers now treats over 20 acres of open field and
covered area with a centralized boiler steam system.
Association and Team Awards
Japan's Save the Ozone Network (JASON)
JASON has been instrumental in lobbying and grass roots
organizing of ozone layer protection in Japan. In addition to
traditional NGO tactics, JASON is also famous for using street
theatre, songs, and art to educate the public and policy makers.
Their perseverance has led to recent Japanese regulations outlawing
the release of ozone-depleting substances and HFCs.
Florida Telone Commercialization Team
The Florida Telone Commercialization Team consists of Kay Barrett
of Yetter Manufacturing Company, Dr. Jim Gilreath of the University
of Florida, Bruce Houtman of Dow AgroSciences, John Mirusso of
Mirusso Fumigation and Equipment, Jerry Nance of Dow AgroSciences
and Dr. Erin N. Rosskopf of USDA - ARS. Development of
1,3-dicholoropropene (trade name Telone) into a viable alternative
for methyl bromide in Florida required the creation of a new
application method suitable to the sandy Florida soils and the
differences in applying a liquid versus a gaseous product. Producing
a solution required input, coordination and cooperation from people
with diverse skills, representing various organizations. Researchers
from University of Florida and USDA joined forces with
representatives of Dow AgroSciences, Yetter Farm Equipment
Manufacturing and Mirusso Fumigation and Equipment to test and
develop new application equipment and procedures which were
ultimately proven effective under commercial farming conditions. The
result was management of problem pests and yield protection that
often exceeded the typical performance seen with methyl bromide.
Individual Awards
Sue Biniaz, U.S. Department of State
As a key member of the Montreal Protocol Legal Drafting Team,
Susan Biniaz helped ensure legal integrity and consistency of the
various provisions of the Montreal Protocol. Her work established an
original, coherent, framework that allowed clear presentation of
legal options for consideration by Parties and assured that each
adjustment and amendment could be accomplished without inconsistency
or ambiguity. Her focused legal review of Protocol proposals through
the 1990s ensured consistency and brought potential unintended flaws
and consequences of pending proposals to the attention of the
Parties for resolution. As a member of the United States delegation,
she was indispensable in ensuring U.S. preparation for meetings. She
never let her national affiliation get in the way of providing fair,
unbiased information to all Parties; ensuring fair consideration of
Protocol proposals.
Dr. Iwona Rummel-Bulska, World Meteorological Organization
Dr. Iwona Rummel-Bulska, LL.M.PhD., was Chief of the
Environmental Law Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) until 1991. She helped organize and lead the negotiations
establishing the 1985 Vienna Convention and 1987 Montreal Protocol.
She also acted as the coordinator of the Ozone Secretariat in UNEP
and was the General Secretary of the Ozone Diplomatic Conferences,
playing an integral role at the first meeting of the Conferences of
the Contracting Parties to the Ozone Treaties. Currently, she is
legal counsel for the World Meteorological Organisation. She also
co-authored Global Environmental Diplomacy-Negotiating Environmental
Agreements for the World.
Jim Cochran, Swanton Berry Farm
As a lone pioneer in the early 1980's, Jim Cochran developed the
technology and economics of farming strawberries using organic
methods. Over the years, he demonstrated to a skeptical industry
that it was possible to grow commercially successful crops of
strawberries without relying on methyl bromide as a soil fumigant,
using instead crop rotation and soil amendment strategies. Working
with the University of California at Santa Cruz, he shared this
technology with other farmers with the result that today, over fifty
other farms in California alone are producing organic strawberries
for a rapidly growing market. Mr. Cochran is President of Swanton
Berry Farms, Inc.
Kert Davies, Greenpeace
Over the past ten years, Kert Davies has led the environmental
community in efforts to curb the use of methyl bromide. From 1992 to
1994 he conducted extensive fieldwork in Florida, interviewing
tomato farmers, researchers, grower groups and activists. From 1994
to 2000, as a campaigner at Environmental Working Group and then
Ozone Action, he focused on pesticide policy and national methyl
bromide policy. He worked with local California communities to
document that dangerous levels of methyl bromide were drifting from
treated fields into schools yards, daycare facilities and
residential areas. In response to his evidence and activism, the
state of California enacted a number of use restrictions. He helped
initiate similar work in Florida and assisted Friends of the Earth
in the development of the Sustainable Tomatoes Campaign. Mr. Davies
was active on Capitol Hill to defeat a number of bills that would
have stopped or delayed the phase out of methyl bromide, forming a
rapid response team to fight these actions.
Dr. Paul Fraser, Commonwealth Industrial Scientific Research
Organization
In 1976, Dr. Paul Fraser initiated the first continuous
monitoring of CFCs in the Southern Hemisphere, and subsequently
introduced technologies to measure halons, chlorinated solvents,
methyl bromide, HCFCs and HFCs. Dr. Fraser has been involved in the
development of Australian and international ozone protection
policies. In 1978, Dr. Fraser began archiving Southern Hemisphere
air samples that are supplied to major research institutions around
the world.
Marcos Gonzalez, Costada Norte Parque
Mr. Marcos Gonzalez, as member of the National Assembly of Costa
Rica, led the ratification of the Montreal Protocol and the Vienna
Convention in 1991. Mr. Gonzalez conducted the Costa Rican
delegation to the Montreal Protocol and Multilateral Fund meetings
for three years beginning in 1995. In that role, he was the
forerunner in the developing countries effort to ensure an equitable
replenishment of the Multilateral Fund, leading to the highest ever
Fund replenishment. Mr. Gonzalez was instrumental at brokering an
agreement with China to completely phase out the production and
consumption of halons on an accelerated schedule.
Nikolai Kopylov, All-Russian Research Institute for Fire
Protection
N.P. Kopylov is the chief of the All-Russian Research Institute
for Fire Protection, deputy chairman of the Inter-Agency Commission
of Ozone Layer Protection, chairman of the Fire Extinguishing Halons
Working Group, and an active member of the TEAP Halon Technical
Options Committee. Under his direction, much research has been
conducted in the formulation of new fire extinguishing media and the
development of total flooding systems using non-ozone-depleting
chemicals. Because of his work, ozone-depleting halons are
practically excluded in all new Russian Federation projects.
James Frederick O'Bryon, U.S. Department of Defense
(retired)
Mr. James F. O'Bryon was a driving force as vice-chairman and as
co-chairman of the Pentagon's Halon Alternative Steering Group
(HASG). The HASG coordinated all activities within the Department of
Defense (DoD) to find suitable replacements for ozone-depleting
substances. Mr. O'Bryon oversaw the completion of the Technology
Development Plan for alternatives to ozone-depleting substances for
weapon system use, yielding recommendations for near-term
replacements for all halons and CFCs in the DoD. Mr. O'Bryon was the
lead in the Pentagon chain, assuring that fire and explosion
suppression systems are effective and compliant with Montreal
Protocol and other environmental regulations. He dedicated resources
to replace halons in engine nacelles and fuel tanks on Air Force and
Army aircraft while maintaining crew safety and survivability. As
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, he worked with the senior
levels of the DoD to raise the importance of halon replacement on
legacy systems and his leadership resulted in an environmentally
responsive waiver process.
John Okedi, National Environment Management Authority
As head of the Ugandan delegation to Montreal Protocol meetings
in the years 1998-2000, and a key member of the Multilateral Fund's
Executive Committee, John Okedi brought consensus on the key issue
of how to move forward with methyl bromide projects under the Fund.
Professor Okedi also took a strong hand in facilitating
implementation at home. He made sure that Uganda's ozone unit made
and enforced national policies. Because of his efforts, Uganda has a
system to permit imports and sales of ozone-depleting substances and
equipment, ensuring compliance with the Protocol. Uganda will phase
out non-QPS consumption of methyl bromide in 2005, ten years ahead
of its Protocol schedule.
Nancy Reichman, Ph.D., University of Denver
Dr. Nancy Reichman cooperated with Dr. Penelope Canan (2000 award
winner) in conducting original, empirical, qualitative and
quantitative research on the ozone layer protection community as a
social system of networks that actualized the phaseout goals of the
Montreal Protocol. Her insights on the implementation of the
Montreal Protocol as an example of a new model of regulation - one
based in personal connections, cooperation and collaboration - has
been hailed by social scientists and socio-legal scholars throughout
the world as innovative, original and theoretically important.
Reva Rubenstein, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(retired)
Dr. Rubenstein managed U.S. EPA's risk analysis review process
for new alternatives to ozone-depleting substances. Under her
leadership, EPA listed hundreds of acceptable substitutes in air
conditioning and refrigeration, fire suppression, aerosols,
insulation foams, solvent cleaning and adhesives. EPA's
determinations, which Reva guided, have provided the roadmap by
which the transition from ozone-depleting chemicals has occurred, in
the U.S. and worldwide. She has also contributed her expertise to
numerous organizations, including the National Fire Protection
Association, the International Maritime Organization, and the UNEP
Halon Technical Options Committee. In all of these positions, she
was relied upon and respected for her extensive knowledge of the
issues and the accurate environmental and human health information
she provided.
Darrel A. Staley, The Boeing Company
Darrel Staley was instrumental in helping The Boeing Company be a
major head-start company in phasing out ozone-depleting solvents. He
has been a member of the Solvents Technical Options Committee,
Chapter Leader for Metal Cleaning Applications, advisor for the
Polish Essential Uses Exemption, and has conducted valuable
evaluation missions in several countries.
Sue Stendebach, National Science Foundation
For the past decade, Sue Stendebach, in various roles, was
central to the development of the major policies and programs for
implementing domestic protections of the ozone layer in the United
States. Sue helped recruit, lead, motivate and inspire a dedicated
group of EPA employees who together wrote and implemented the bulk
of the creative, effective and flexible regulatory programs for
assuring the recovery of stratospheric ozone.
Patrick Széll, Department of the Environment, Transport and the
Regions
Patrick Széll was Chairman of the Protocol's legal drafting group
for over a decade. He demonstrated public purpose, originality and
organizational leadership in his efforts to translate all Protocol
proposals into appropriate and consistent legal language for
adoption by the Parties. He ensured the review of all Protocol
language and decisions to make certain that the intent of the
proposers was reflected in related Protocol actions. He was
available to all Parties to answer queries on the Protocol and its
history, enabling a better understanding of the Protocol. His work
is manifest in most of the legal language of the Montreal Protocol
and his ideas are reflected in some of the Protocol's original work
on non-compliance.
Dr. A. Tcheknavorian-Asenbauer, United Nations Industrial
Development Organization
Dr. Tcheknavorian was responsible for putting Montreal Protocol
issues on the agenda of the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO). With her leadership, UNIDO negotiated an
interagency agreement with the Executive Committee of the Protocol's
Multilateral Fund. This critical effort enabled UNIDO to use its
expertise in assisting developing countries to phase out
ozone-depleting substances. She also created a successful ozone
program at UNIDO that assisted over 40 developing countries plan and
implement projects that will eliminate over 30,000 tons of
ozone-depleting substances. Under her leadership, the program has
focused on countries that have previously received little
assistance, including Africa, the Middle East and Eastern
Europe.
Howard L. Wesoky, National Aeronautics & Space
Administration (NASA)
Mr. Wesoky has played a unique and preeminent role in forging a
lasting and open basis for the scientific assessment of the effects
of worldwide aviation on the global atmosphere. In the late 1980s,
he successfully advocated for the establishment of the Atmospheric
Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP) at the U.S. National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, which at its height devoted $18 million
per year to scientific study. Mr. Wesoky's management ensured the
scientific credibility of the program and engaged key domestic and
international stakeholders.
|