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Newsletter 2004 issue 2 |
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Award Winning Baking
A blue ribbon at the county fair isn’t
the only high prize that a baker can boast of. At least one,
General Mill’s Chanhassen baking facility, can show off
its Governor’s Award for Excellence in Waste and Pollution
Prevention.
Congratulations to General Mills and four
other 2004 Governor’s Award recipients! These organizations
demonstrated that pollution and waste prevention practices
are environmentally and economically beneficial.
Innovative production
General Mills
When Dotti Shay talks about saving dough at the Chanhassen
baking facility, she means it literally and figuratively.
By integrating environmental considerations into the design
stage of products and related production practices, her facility
reduced ingredient waste and cut costs.
To identify process and product improvements, waste generation
was correlated to specific products and production steps.
Over 12 months, one production line alone will save $353,700
by avoiding the generation of 640,000 pounds of ingredient
waste.
United Defense, Armament
Systems
Folks in the environmental field debate about the effectiveness
of using an Environmental Management System (EMS) to minimize
environmental impacts. United Defense proves that planned
well and executed right, an EMS makes a difference.
Following its EMS which incorporates environmental considerations
into manufacturing practices, United Defense:
- No longer uses a paint that requires
a chrome conversion coating, eliminating chrome from entering
the environment.
- Removed cadmium plating from fasteners,
so that this toxic chemical will not enter the environment.
- Uses powder coatings instead of liquid
paint, improving transfer efficiency and eliminating toxic
materials and a large waste stream.
Innovative products and design
Faribault Mills is using Ingeo, a corn-derived
fiber, as a yarn in woven blankets.
Nylon Board Manufacturing, in Medford, recycles
100 percent post-consumer carpet into products such as shingles
and specialized pallets.
The Steele County Sheriff’s Office
was honored for its new detention center that uses a geothermal
system for heating and cooling.
See the following links for more information
about the award
winning efforts, PMPs and
the Governor's
Awards Program.
St. Cloud Wins, Again
Success begets success. The St. Cloud
Wastewater Treatment Facility won a Governor’s Award
in 2003 for its Phosphorus Management Plan (PMP). This year
it won an MVP2 award for continued success with the project.
MnTAP consulted with the facility’s pretreatment coordinator
to help identify pollution prevention options for its industrial
users. The city cut the total phosphorus entering the facility
by 32 percent and the phosphorus leaving by 48 percent.
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