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1997
Governor's Award
Recipients |
The applicants and nominees
listed below were recognized by the Governor in 1997 for their
efforts to protect and enhance the environmental quality of Vermont
by conserving natural resources and preventing pollution before it
is generated: (Where there are multiple award recipients in a single
category, the panel of judges did not make a distinction between
first, second, and third place winners. Thus, the award recipients
are listed alphabetically)
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| Business/Industry/Trade/Professional
Organizations: |
 Tivoly, Incorporated
(Derby Line, VT) Tivoly, with 160 full time employees, is recognized
with a Governor’s Award this year as the first Vermont company to be
ISO 14001 registered — and the first cutting tool manufacturer
receiving ISO 14001 certification in North America. ISO 14000 is a
series of international standards developed to prevent, reduce, and
manage the environmental impact of industrial activities. The ISO
14000 series of standards contain requirements and guidelines for
establishing and maintaining a company’s environmental management
system. In the spring of 1996, even before the standard was
officially approved, Tivoly’s management team committed itself to
seek this registration and started to work toward the development of
required documentation. Tivoly’s environmental policy explicitly
states that "TIVOLY employees are committed to prevention of
pollution, continual improvement and compliance to relevant
environmental regulations." Their environmental slogan, "ISO 14001
-- A Crystal Clear Policy: PosiTIVOLY Committed to Environmental
Excellence" helped build employee solidarity with the notion that
environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility. With such a
commitment to environmental excellence, to quality, and to
environmental performance it is likewise crystal clear why we now
recognize Tivoly with a Governor’s Award for Environmental
Excellence in Pollution Prevention.
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 International Business Machines
(IBM Chemical/ Environmental Programs) (Essex Jct., VT)
IBM manufactures semiconductor memory and logic components for
computers. A fifth-time award recipient, IBM is recognized this year
for its efforts to prevent pollution through modification of a
standard semiconductor industry spin-solvent tool used to remove
contaminants from computer wafer surfaces. Through innovative parts
placement, modification of the solvent application technique, and
reengineering of the filter system an IBM engineering team was able
to double processing capacity of the tool and to reduce solvent use
and waste by 1,860 metric tons. This toxics use reduction represents
a 93% reduction in one chemical, an 85% reduction in another, and a
72% reduction in a third toxic chemical. Two of these chemicals
represented the largest hazardous waste streams generated at IBM
Burlington. Besides the significant environmental benefits of this
project, the process and tooling changes resulted in a significant
improvement in product yield and reliability and have generated 5.7
million dollars in annual site chemical and production cost savings.
Once again, IBM reminds us of what it means to achieve prosperity
without pollution.
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 Hubbardton Forge (Castleton, VT)
Hubbardton Forge, formerly Glennbrook Manufacturing Corp., employs
42 people to manufacture fine quality hand-forged wrought iron
lighting and home accessories. As a third-time recipient of a
Governor’s Award Hubbardton Forge is recognized this year for
building on its success at converting from liquid coatings to
electrostatic powder coatings. Hubbardton Forge uses a proprietary
two-coat powder-coating finish on 70% of its product. This requires
two applications of powder and two passes through what was
determined to be a state-of-the-art -- but energy inefficient --
conveyorized convection oven. Faced with greater than a 40% growth
in sales, the management team decided to focus on ways to accomplish
the finish in a single pass, to gain back 35% of system capacity,
and to reduce energy consumption by one-quarter if they could. After
months of research the Hubbardton Forge management team opted to
invest in a catalytic-long wave infrared oven which uses propane.
Infrared energy heats the surface of parts without a transfer of
heat to the surrounding air, it is quieter, safer, cures in
one-third the time of a convection oven, and takes up one-quarter
the floor space of a convection oven. Although the powder coating
formula itself needed to be altered, Hubbardton Forge achieved the
goals it set for itself. Using reformulated powder coatings in
conjunction with the new catalytic-long wave infrared oven the
company is able to use infrared "tacking" to provide a stable base
for a second coating before curing both coats at once. Besides the
immediate savings in gas and electric consumption, eliminating the
extra curing pass through the oven achieved a 23% reduction in
energy consumption and eliminates air pollution from incomplete
combustion that would have occurred during those extra passes.
Several hours of oven run time are eliminated each day now. As the
oldest contemporary commercial forge, Hubbardton Forge is clearly
committed to quality, to honest simplicity, and to environmental
excellence — pollution prevention again proves to be an important
strategy for achieving both economic and environmental goals.
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Steve
Prouty - Steve Prouty took over the family septage
hauling and management business in 1992. Prouty and Sons Septic
Service provides septage pumping and management services to both
residences and commercial businesses. Septage, the waste of our
daily living is difficult, if not impossible, to prevent — but it
need not be disposed of in a landfill or incinerated when beneficial
uses exist. Steve transformed an old erosion-prone sand borrow pit
in South Londonderry into a lush vegetated hay field. With little
organic material in the borrow pit, Steve’s re-seeding and
controlled application of septage resulted in a grass-covered field
that is no longer subject to soil erosion. As a soil amendment, the
septage amended soil pH, improved water holding capacity, and
encouraged the lush growth of vegetation. Groundwater monitoring
conducted on the site prior to and after Steve’s efforts show that
groundwater quality has been protected, and vastly improved from
when other septage management strategies were employed at this same
site. The management of septage is not a livelihood that confers a
great deal of social status or respect. Steve’s enthusiasm,
commitment, and sense of social responsibility defy public
perception and stereotypes of septage managers. It would, indeed, be
easier for him to haul other, less stygmatized recyclables, because
most Vermonters are knowledgeable and supportive of recycling. The
same can not be said for Vermonters’ understanding of and support
for septage management. Steve goes far to redefine the role and
image of the septage manager in Vermont.
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| VTANR Award for Exemplary P2
Planning: |
 Columbia Forest Products -
Columbia Forest Products of Vermont, in Newport, is a manufacturing
facility that produces rotary-cut hardwood veneers. Columbia has
worked persistently to create a safe and clean environment for its
employees and its neighbors. This ethic is readily apparent in
Columbia’s 1996 Pollution Prevention Plan. The plan describes
initiatives to reduce toxics use and hazardous waste generation
implemented over the past decade as well as those initiatives
currently being implemented and those targeted for the future.
Projects completed since 1987 include process changes in splicing
operations and glue mixing to minimize waste and toxicity. In 1990,
Columbia replaced seven single-walled underground storage tanks with
double-walled tanks as a pro-active measure to prevent groundwater
contamination. In 1992, the company went beyond compliance with
environmental regulations to reduce air-borne dust and particulates.
The exemplary pollution prevention planning being done at Columbia
Forest Products helped to establish benchmarks with which continuous
improvement has been effectively guaged. At Columbia, they have
utilized the planning process to affect positive change for
employees, for neighbors, and for the environment in exactly the way
it was envisioned in 1991 when Vermont’s Pollution Prevention
Planning statute was signed into law.
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| Governor's Awards Program
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