Four groups and one individual who championed recycling causes were among the 13 “Environmental Heroes” honored by Region 9 of the U.S. EPA. Region 9 covers California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Guam.
Honorees “have applied creativity, teamwork and leadership in addressing many of the area's most pressing and complex environmental problems,” remarks EPA regional administrator Wayne Nastri.
Region 9 Environmental Heroes with a recycling connection include:
- The Los Angeles Unified School District, which has developed a comprehensive waste diversion and recycling program for its nearly one million students and 80,000 employees. The district has expanded its mixed-paper recycling program to all schools and administrative offices and has designated several test schools where recyclables will be picked up as part of the city’s curbside program. In addition, the school board recently adopted a resolution to purchase environmentally preferable products.
- Tara Pike of Las Vegas was honored for expanding volunteer-supported environmental programs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She oversees all aspects of recycling at the university, staffing the program with over 100 student volunteers each semester. Pike also volunteers on Saturdays to supervise juvenile offenders who perform community service hours for the recycling program.
- Tyson Miller and the Recycled Products Purchasing Cooperative of Encinitas, Calif., were recognized for recycled-content purchasing efforts. Recycled paper's higher price has at times deterred its widespread use. The Co-op addressed this problem by negotiating price reductions based on high volume collective purchasing power. Co-op participants have purchased more than 100,000 cases of 30 percent post-consumer recycled paper. The Co-op also offers discounted 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper that is processed without chlorine. The co-op expanded from San Diego nationwide in 2001 and has launched the Green Press Initiative, targeting authors and publishers. The Co-op has been hailed by the EPA as a national model for increasing the use of recycled products. “Using recycled paper bolsters the market for recovered paper -- ultimately keeping these materials out of landfills,” the EPA notes.
- Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., was honored for its Mercury Thermometer Replacement and Battery Recycling programs. The Household Battery Recycling Program redirects batteries from landfill waste streams to recycling facilities. EPA Region nine is hopeful the program can easily be replicated at other colleges, universities and large corporations.
- Ken Cleaveland and Mark Rumpler of San Francisco’s Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) were honored for their comprehensive “San Francisco Recycling and Hazardous Waste Guide for Commercial Property Owners and Managers.” The guidebook was developed and distributed in conjunction with San Francisco’s recycling program. Approximately 220 office buildings participate in the association’s High Rise Recycling Program and divert more than 1,600 tons of paper monthly. Paper represents nearly 80 percent of an office building's waste stream, the EPA notes.