DEP program offers businesses no-cost, environmental blueprint to go green and save green
With the nation’s challenging economic situation increasing the need to cut costs, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Florida Pollution Prevention Program (P2) helps businesses find ways to maximize profits, improve sustainability and protect the environment by going green. DEP’s non-regulatory P2 Program offers free, confidential assistance to help businesses create an environmentally conscious business blueprint.
“With the cost of products and services on the rise, DEP’s P2 Program encourages companies to use this free resource and go green without losing green,” said DEP Director of Sustainable Initiatives Deas Bohn. “Learning strategies that allow companies to protect employee health, safety and the environment, while simultaneously reducing waste, energy and water use simply makes good business sense.”
DEP’s P2 Program is committed to stopping pollution at its source by providing free assistance to industries and manufacturers, commercial businesses, government, military facilities, schools and organizations. Over the past 10 years, the P2 Program’s professional engineers have helped more than 500 Florida companies reduce waste and lower costs through individual consultations, on-site surveys and recommendations tailored specifically to each facility’s needs. P2 offers businesses of all sizes numerous options, from simple changes to complex overhauls, all of which are 100 percent voluntary.
“Every Florida business, large or small, can contact the P2 program and we will send a professional engineer to conduct a custom assessment – for free,” added Bohn. “After a thorough review the company will be presented with numerous ways to decrease pollution but increase its bottom line – in this economy, every tip can help.”
Success stories:
Arizona Chemical’s Pensacola facility implemented various P2 projects
over five years, achieving a 74 percent reduction in hazardous waste,
32 percent reduction in non-hazardous waste and savings of nearly
$500,000.
Collier County School Board replaced its air-cooled chiller plant with
an energy efficient water-cooled plant using 50 percent less energy,
and saving more than $231,000 per year.
Windsor Metal Finishing in Kissimmee implemented smarter technology and
modified procedures after participating in the P2 Program, resulting in
a 42 percent reduction in hazardous waste, and saving more than
$230,000 in less than one year.
Going green can yield a potential profit increase of 66 percent for industry and businesses, according to The Next Sustainability Wave by Bob Willard.
Some tips to start greening today include:
Decrease energy usage.
Use water conservation measures.
Recycle wastes that cannot be eliminated.
Use natural, “green” cleaners.
DEP’s Office of Sustainable Initiatives is comprised of three voluntary, non-regulatory programs that assist Florida industry and citizens in protecting the environment. The Clean Marina Program, the Florida Green Lodging Program and the Florida Pollution Prevention Program offer a variety of services including on-site assessments, consultations, speakers and workshops, all at no cost to citizens or organizations. The goal of the Sustainable Initiatives programs is to meet the needs of the present population without compromising resources for future generations. To learn more about DEP’s Sustainable Initiatives, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/green .
To learn more about DEP’s P2 Program, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/pollutionprevention.
This article originally published on January 10, 2009.
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