Prevent Pollution!
Pollution Prevention (P2) Month is an annual event held each September to draw attention to the economic and environmental benefits of pollution prevention and to recognize businesses and organizations that have implemented pollution prevention practices. Pollution prevention is any technique used to reduce or eliminate pollution generated. In contrast to most pollution control strategies that manage a pollutant’s effect on the environment after it has been generated, pollution prevention seeks to eliminate or minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes and pollutants before they are generated.
To commemorate P2 Month 2010, DEQ invited Idaho businesses and industries to apply for recognition as Pollution Prevention Champions. A total of five businesses were selected as Pollution Prevention Champions, including Driggs’ Silver Star Communications.
Since the beginning of its sustainability program in 2008, Silver Star Communications has reduced the waste it sends to the landfill by over 22 yards per month by switching to reusable kitchenware, using hard roll holders instead of paper towel holders in the bathrooms, replacing magazine and catalog subscriptions with digital versions, utilizing duplex printing, and reusing scrap paper. Silver Star Communications implemented an environmental preferred purchasing policy and switched to 40% or greater post-consumer recycled products. The company replaced all T12 fluorescent lighting with T8 bulbs, reducing energy consumption by 40%. It installed a video conference system, which reduced the amount of miles traveled by 24,000 miles and prevented over 22,000 pounds of pollution. Silver Star Communications also encourages employees to carpool between corporate locations and created an incentive program to encourage alternative transportation to and from work.
For more information about Silver Star Communication’s efforts or pollution prevention, visit DEQ’s Web site at www.deq.idaho.gov/multimedia_assistance/p2/case_studies/index.cfm.
To learn how to put pollution prevention to work for your business, contact DEQ’s Pollution Prevention Coordinator, Joanna Pierce, at 373-0146 or joanna.pierce@deq.idaho.gov .
