Photo by David Herrera

PPRC’s “Greening Sports” project is designed to compliment efforts by the Green Sports Alliance, U.S. EPA, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and others to assist sports teams, venues, and leagues to reduce their environmental footprint and improve their economic performance. PPRC provides technical assistance and resources to assist these efforts.

Greening Sports Directory

Explore the first-ever concise and comprehensive Directory of local, regional, and national contacts to help sports facility managers “green” their operations.

Greening Sports Rapid Response Service

PPRC is pleased to expand our Rapid Response service to cover questions relating to any environmental challenges experienced at your sports facilities, as you work to develop greener
policies/procedures/activities, operations, etc. We will provide free research into related questions to support your efforts.

Sports and Sustainability Forum: A White House discussion with the Sports Industry (July 19, 2012)

The Obama Administration brought together sports league and team leaders, stadium operators and supply chain companies to celebrate success stories in making our sports facilities more energy efficient and raising the profile of the importance of going green. Watch the three-part video series:

• Greening our Stadiums and Ballparks (Part One)
• Greening our Stadiums and Ballparks (Part Two)
• Greening our Stadiums and Ballparks (Part Three)

Funding for this project provided by USEPA         

The Motivation

Industries and manufacturers commonly produce wastes that other businesses could use. A lack of inter-business communication prevents efficient use of resources. The ResourceFull Use program was started to help turn one business’ trash into another’s treasure.

What is ResourceFull Use?

ResourceFull Use provides manufacturers and industry with workshops and a website-based mechanism to assess resource needs and actively exchange resources (e.g., use the waste of one organization as an input for another). The result is the creation of a sustainable eco-industrial community.

Benefits are improved economic viability through reduced waste, improved resource efficiencies and cost savings, and a reduced environmental footprint achieved through decreased emissions (CO2 and other greenhouse gases) and pollution.

2013 Workshops

**All workshops 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted**
Please RSVP to Debra Taevs

**View the Materials Available and Needed**

Send any material postings, preferably with photos, to debtaevs@gmail.com.

Workshops include:

About the Project

The ResourceFull Use program is different from traditional passive web-based exchanges (such as IMEX in Kent, Washington) in these important ways:

The ResourceFull Use Project started in 2006 as the result of collaboration between Zero Waste Alliance, a Portland-based nonprofit organization and Columbia Corridor Association.   The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) joined as a co-facilitator of the program in 2008. In its first phase the ResourceFull Use program achieved these initial successes:

The program has benefited from advisory, funding, and in-kind support from a wide cross-section of organizations including Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center, The Boeing Foundation, Cadmus Group (formerly Quantec, LLC), Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Portland Development Commission (PDC), City of Portland’s Recycle at Work Program, Portland General Electric (PGE), City of Gresham, Portland Water Bureau, Columbia Corridor Association (CCA), Zero Waste Alliance (ZWA), Portland Metro, and Portland Office of Sustainable Development.

Participants

The program is designed to benefit the manufacturing and industrial sector in the greater Portland, Oregon metro area.  This program fills the needs of under-served manufacturing and industrial sectors.  There are few programs focused on this group.

Results and Expected Outcomes

The project will help to create a sustainable eco-industrial community with existing local industries.  The goal is to achieve exchanges through the workshop series.   Other outcomes include education and awareness around the collaborative zero waste efforts, increased understanding of possible exchanges as well as barriers to exchanges. Measurements will include:

 Presentations and Articles

Contact

For more information about the project, please call or email:

Thank you to our project funder

Thank you to our workshop host

Although different organizations (government, nonprofit, or industry) may define environmental purchasing in somewhat different ways, it generally refers to buying products and services with reduced effects on human health and the environment. Also called “Affirmative Procurement,” “Environmentally Preferable Purchasing,” and “Green Purchasing,” this approach means integrating environmental factors into procurement policies, usually using the following tools and/or methods:

What Are The Benefits of Environmental Purchasing for Companies?

Just as pollution prevention actions often lead to dollar savings, many companies have reduced costs through environmental purchasing. Companies highlighted in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, “Private Sector Pioneers: How Companies Are Incorporating Environmentally Preferable Purchasing,” (June 1999, EPA742-R-99-001) have achieved savings that include:

As noted in the EPA report, many companies adopted environmental purchasing policies for traditional business reasons that include:

Although these reasons result in intangible benefits, there are specific examples of measurable reduced costs associated with environmentally preferable products. These include a lower purchase price (e.g. remanufactured products), reduced operational costs (e.g. energy efficiency), reduced disposal costs (e.g. more durable products) and reduced hazardous management costs (e.g. less toxic products). In addition, purchasing environmentally preferable products may reduce an organization’s potential future liability, improve the work environment and minimize risks to workers.

EPP Rapid Response Service

Many cities, counties, states and the federal government are in the process of developing their internal procedures to incorporate EPP criteria into their purchasing decisions. This research takes staff time. PPRC is pleased to be able to assist with the process by bringing Rapid Response Service to Pacific Northwest government and businesses.

EPP Programs and Strategies: Integrating Environmental and Social Factors into Procurement Practices

This 98-page report highlights the variety of approaches organizations are using to incorporate environmental and social factors into procurement activities. Based on interviews with representatives from 18 public and private sector organizations, the report describes:

Synopses of the participating organizations’ EPP strategies or programs are included in an appendix to the report.

• Woodfold Mfg., Inc. – 1997 Case Study - a team involving Oregon Manufacturing Extenstion Partnership, PPRC, and Woodfold Mfg. employees, worked to identify numerous environmental improvements during a value stream mapping (VSM) exercise, including water conservation and material efficiency through spray transfer efficiency improvements.
• ON Semiconductor – 2009 Case Study - a team involving Idaho TechHelp, PPRC, Idaho State government, and ON Semiconductor – used a VSM including facilities, equipment, and environmental inputs and outputs to identify numerous improvements. A kaizen implementation event and establishment of a green team, are saving the company over $400,000 per year.
• Washington State Department of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Unit (HWTRU) and the Washington State MEP, Impact Washington, partnered to jointly deliver lean and P2 services to three Washington manufacturers in 2006 and 2007:
  • Canyon Creek Cabinet Company in Monroe, Washington
  • Lasco Bathware in Yelm, Washington
  • Columbia Paint in Spokane, Washington
• Lean and Environment at Givaudan - 2010 Case Study – a team involving Oregon Manufacturing Extenstion Partnership, PPRC, the Innovative Productivity Center and Givaudan staff used a value stream map, facility walkthrough, and previous energy audit recommendations, to identify numerous priority and plan for implementation. Over the course of about one year, the company implemented several of the changes, leading to water conservation (and reduced wastewater generation), and significant energy improvements.

 Other Projects and Case Studies

• EPA Lean and Environment Case Studies and Best Practices
• Green Manufacturing: Case Studies in Lean and Sustainability  – this book compiled by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, offers practical, in-depth case studies of environmental, and energy issues — including the application of lean principles to these issues.
• Green Suppliers Network – Lean and Clean Case Studies

 Resources and Tools

• PPRC’s Facility Enviromental Checklist for Lean Providers - offers a handy checklist and set of questions to use during facility walkthroughs and lean events, to bring more environmental wastes to the forefront. Covers corporate environmental policy, energy, fuel, water, toxics, waste, air quality, and stormwater.
• Sustainable Packaging Checklist for Manufacturers - offers a handy checklist and set of questions to use during manufacturing facility walkthroughs and lean events, to understand packaging opportunities, and identify inefficiencies.
• U.S. EPA’s Lean and Environmental Toolkit – offers practical techniques and strategies that can help lean, environmental, and other specialists deliver environmental improvements as a routine task of lean driven business operations.
• U.S. EPA’s Environmental Professional’s Guide to Lean and Six Sigma – provides an overview of common Lean and Six Sigma methods, explains why environmental professionals should consider integrated Lean and environment efforts, describes how Lean differs from pollution prevention and sustainability, and outlines different models for advancing Lean and environment implementation efforts.
• U.S. EPA’s Lean and Energy Toolkit – offers strategies to use lean to specifically address energy conservation.
• U.S. EPA’s Lean and Chemicals Toolkit – offers strategies to use lean to address time, cost, risk, and quality issues, related to all aspects of chemical manufacturing, management, and use.
• Value & Energy Stream Mapping (VeSM) – White paper on the methodology developed and used by California Manufacturing Technology Consulting to incorporate energy consumption and management into value stream mapping.
• Lean Manufacturing and the Environment - EPA sees an important connection between lean manufacturing and environmental improvement, and defines lean and environment, summarizes EPAs efforts to enhance the environmental benefits of advanced manufacturing techniques, explains potential benefits of incorporating environment with lean, and links to several case studies and other resources.
• Lean Manufacturing and the Environment - Ignoring the 8th Deadly Waste Leaves Money on the Table - This article by Mitch Kidwell discusses the results of a Shingo Prize-winning study commissioned by the EPA. The study found that lean helped many companies save money by taking steps that also benefited the environment, as well as productivity, even when they were not consciously trying to do so.
• Working Smart for Environmental Protection: Improving State Agency Processes with Lean and Six Sigma – is a primer on how state environmental agencies have used lean and six sigma to improve permitting and other agency processes.
• The P2Rx Topic Hub for Lean Manufacturing is a primer on lean – offering a quick guide to the essential pollution prevention (P2) information on lean manufacturing.

PPRC’s Promise – Environmental Performance

Today, both promises can be kept.

The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) is committed to promoting improved environmental operations via lean manufacturing activities. Our goal is to be a networking and referral hub for lean and environment, serving the lean community in the Northwest.

Simultaneously combining lean and environmental efforts has boosted lean results for many U.S. companies, including three Washington manufacturers. Here are just a few of results from the lean and environment pilot projects completed in Washington State:

• Avoided filing for a Title V air permit by reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) releases;
• Reduced energy costs by $99,000 annually;
• Reduced hazardous waste by over 60,000 pounds annually;
• Reduced fiberglass overspray by about 60% (for one product line);
• Reduced solid waste by over 500,000 pounds annually;
• Eliminated one source of wastewater generation, for an annual savings of $17,000;
• Increased staff environmental awareness so this knowledge and experience can be applied during future improvement efforts.

PPRC will provide free assistance to lean professionals to identify environmental opportunities that are synergistic and complementary to lean, and can further increase bottom line savings.

What is Lean and Green?

Lean production and lean manufacturing refer to the use of systematic methods to reduce costs by eliminating wastes and non-value added activities, while delivering what the customer wants, on time. Lean manufacturing was originally developed by the Toyota Motor Company in Japan based on concepts pioneered by Henry Ford, and is now being applied beyond mass production, into service-oriented businesses, agencies, and offices.

Even without explicitly targeting environmental outcomes, lean efforts can yield substantial environmental benefits. However, since environmental wastes and pollution are not the primary focal points, these gains may not be maximized in the normal scheme of lean.

The two strategies can be integrated and offered simultaneously. The approaches have similarities, in that they strive to eliminate non-value-added components, assess baseline conditions and operations, capture the details of process inputs and outputs, and strategize to design, and incorporate changes that will reduce environmental or productivity inefficiencies.

How has Lean and Green Been Applied?

The U.S. EPA, Washington Department of Ecology, NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership programs in several states, and the Green Suppliers Network have recently begun integrating environment into lean projects and are achieving great improvements in productivity and environmental performance. These projects have incorporated the analysis of waste, pollution, and toxicity, while increasing environmental awareness during traditional lean training, value stream mapping, and kaizen events. See case studies.

How PPRC’s Lean and Green Service Works

This service is for lean professionals in the Northwest. If you are working on lean projects and feel that your business or industry could benefit from adding green to your lean efforts, email us at leangreen@pprc.org.

Below are the typical steps throughout the lean and green assistance process, however, each project varies to suit the needs of the client:

EPA’s E3 Program

The E3 (Economy, Energy, and Environment) Initiative is a coordinated federal and local technical assistance initiative to help manufacturers adapt and thrive in a new business era focused on sustainability. The program focuses on lean, clean, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Read more about the E3 Initiative and learn about E3 in the Pacific Northwest.

Other Lean and Environment Resources

View a collection of projects, case studies, tools and other resources as well as organizations involved in Lean and the Environment.

Certified shops receive publicity through printed advertising and other media coverage. EcoBiz certification allows a business to market its sustainable practices to its clientele. Since many Oregon consumers are going “green”, certification helps businesses attract new clients.

EcoBiz certification for auto body shops not only promotes many multi-media ecological business practices, it helps body shops go above and beyond compliance with the new EPA air toxics rule and often saves them money on top of that!

Contact Eco-Biz Associate Mitchell Frister: mfrister@pprc.org or 503-348-6219.

The EcoBiz Team at the 100th Certification

Latest Eco-Biz News

• Case Study: Pacific Landscape Management saves clients big money with irrigation smart controllers
• Watch the speech that Jim Hauser of Portland, Oregon’s Hawthorne Automotive Clinic gave at the Oregon League of Conservation Voters’ press conference to help reinforce the need for funding of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s small business projects like EcoBiz and STAR training.
• Down To Earth Irrigation was awarded Ecobiz Landscape certification and helps customers reduce water usage by up to 30 percent. Read the full press release.
• Kadel’s Nu Way Auto Body certifies it’s 12th shop and final shop. Read the press release here.
• Kaady Car Wash is the first car wash to receive certification in the EcoBiz program and received certification for all 12 Oregon locations. Read the press release here.
• Beaverton School District transportation shop and support center received certification as the first multi-media operation. Read about it on page two of the district newsletter.
• Everett Street Autoworks of Portland is the most recent automotive business to be certified and they go well above and beyond the requirements of the program.
• Kadel’s Nu Way Auto Body of Oregon certified their Hillsboro location in February 2010. This is their 10th and final location to be certified. Read the full press release here.
• Washington County (OR) Fleet Services earns EcoBiz certification for the 500+ vehicles and equipment in their department. Read the full press release here.

Other Eco-Biz Resources

• EcoBiz Homepage