University Park, Pa. -- Penn State long has been committed to protecting the natural environment, through both education and practice throughout the University. Under the direction of Penn State's Department of Environmental Health and Safety, the University has taken major steps in its commitment to pollution prevention on campus, and recently the department's work received some notable recognition.
Highlighting Penn State's ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, the Environmental Protection Agency recognized the University for its pollution prevention program with the EPA Partnership Award at the 2005 EPA Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Conference in Baltimore.
"We were delighted to receive this award which shows recognition of programs that we think are important are also important to the EPA," said Maurine Claver, director of environmental health and safety at Penn State.
Among advances made in numerous initiatives for pollution prevention, Penn State's hazardous chemical and waste program has been upgraded to require comprehensive training for all employees and students working with chemicals at all University locations.
During the first year, a University-wide clean-out of all backlogged chemicals resulted in a three-fold increase in the volume of generated hazardous waste. Meanwhile, increased education on the importance of buying only what is needed has since prevented excess accumulation of hazardous chemicals.
"This program has advanced to stay current with regulations and best practices to protect people and the environment," Claver said. "In this end, we have not only implemented a number of enhancements, but we have also taken this opportunity to integrate this program with good chemical handling practices at the user level, and, at the same time, instituted a number of efficiencies to maintain its cost-effectiveness. With the yearly increases in the amount of research involving hazardous chemicals, we have been successful in leveling costs."
Since 2001, the department also has systematically collected University-wide more than 9,000 mercury thermometers -- totaling 553 pounds of mercury -- eliminating many and exchanging many with safe, non-toxic and environmentally friendly thermometers.
"This has been a tremendous initiative that impacts the environment and people," Claver said. "Mercury is a naturally occurring element with unique chemical and physical properties that is a dangerous and often unrecognized hazard commonly found at work, home and schools. The ability of mercury to bioaccumulate in the environment makes it particularly hazardous to humans and animals."
Mercury fumes from broken thermometers present a hazard for faculty, staff and students in laboratory areas and the element also presents a hazard to the local environment. Broken mercury thermometers also create hazardous waste that is costly to clean up and dispose. In addition to providing an environmentally sound alternative, the thermometer exchange has reduced costs of cleanup and disposal for mercury spills.
"As a leader in higher education, we should be leading by example in many initiatives, including environmental stewardship," Claver added. "At Penn State, it is important for us to be this leader and demonstrate this protection for our future. We are proud that we have many initiatives that rank us high among our peers, and are most proud that we have had such cooperation and support for these throughout the University."
For information on pollution prevention initiatives in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at Penn State, visit http://www.ehs.psu.edu/envprot/pollution.cfm online.
For more information about what Penn State has done to maintain or improve its surroundings, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/psugreen/ online.