From the source [Vol. 14, no. 1 (Winter 2005)]

source from the

Winter 2005

Vol. 14, No. 1

A publication of the Georgia Pollution Prevention Assistance Division

Dalton carpet mills partner with utility to reduce phosphorus

by John Allen, Pollution Prevention Engineer

Cooperation is not a word that often comes up when describing the relationship between a local wastewater utility and its regulated industries. Generally, when a utility has an issue with a particular pollutant, the solution is to either install additional equipment or to impose discharge limits on the industrial community. When Dalton Utilities was recently faced with rising levels of phosphorus in its industrial wastewater, the utility decided to take a different route. The result of this change in approach was a win-win situation for both the utility and Dalton-area businesses.
Dalton Utilities, located in the northwest Georgia city of Dalton, currently spreads its wastewater effluent onto land. About three years ago, the utility began to notice increasing levels of phosphorus in the wastewater coming to its facilities. The increased phosphorus levels threatened the projected lifespan of the land application system, causing the utility to consider imposing a limit on phosphorus discharge by area industries. After exploring its options for dealing with the issue on its own, Dalton Utilities asked P2AD to organize a voluntary effort that would involve the industries with the highest levels of phosphorus in their wastewater. If the industries could not bring down their phosphorus levels, the utility would have to make expensive equipment modifications or impose strict pre-treatment limits on the industries.
The first phase of the project involved two major carpet manufacturers: Mohawk Industries, Inc., and

Shaw Industries, Inc. The manufacturers discovered that the majority of the phosphorus was coming from the use of phosphoric acid in the dying process. Subsequently, Mohawk replaced most of the phosphoruscontaining chemicals used in its Dalton-area carpet facilities and Shaw developed a new buffer blend that greatly reduced the phosphorus in its wastewater. Shaw is currently in the process of converting all of its Dalton-area facilities to the new blend. These chemical substitutions allowed the manufacturers to maintain product quality with insignificant increases in production costs.
A tradeoff of the chemical substitutions has been an increase in the biological oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand (BOD/COD) levels at the Mohawk and
See Dalton, page 8
Dalton Utilities' treatment facility

inside Director's Column .......... 2 Partner Spotlights ....... 6 Green Power ............... 10 Fieldstone Inn ................. 4 Radon Grants ............... 8 Calendar ...................... 12

source from the A publication of the Georgia Pollution Prevention Assistance Division
From the Source is a quarterly publication of the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division (P2AD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
P2AD provides free, confidential, technical assistance in the areas of pollution prevention, resource conservation, waste reduction, byproduct reuse, and recycling. Our clients include manufacturers, commercial businesses, institutions, military and government facilities, agricultural operations, consultants, and the citizens of Georgia.
Please contact us with address corrections, inquiries, and opinions. Articles in From the Source may be reprinted with permission from P2AD. Limited paper copies of this publication are available upon request, and the full version of this edition, as well as back issues, are available online at www.p2ad.org.
Editor: Suzanne Burnes Technical Reviewers: Chuck Boelkins, Becky Marshall, Susan Hooper, and Iva Walls.
More Info
404-651-5120 800-685-2443 (outside Atlanta) info@p2ad.org

Director's column

by Bob Donaghue

Continual improvement begins at home

In this issue, I'm excited to unveil a new and improved P2AD

responsible

to our readers. Through a strategic busi-

planning process over the past year, we have prioritized our initiatives and reorganized our staff according to two goals: foster environmental leadership and exemplify organizational excellence. We will accomplish these goals by meeting six objectives: attract and retain Part-

nesses and institutions tend to be informed consumers who try to minimize their personal environmental impact at work and at home.
In our new structure, Stephanie

ners in the P2AD Partnership Program; improve our clients' environmental performance; build a conser-

Busch, Judy Adler, Becky Marshall and Iva Walls will lead our staff as program managers for the environ-

vation ethic; demonstrate environmental stewardship; sustain an efficient and dynamic work place; and maintain customer satisfaction.
By aligning our efforts around the P2AD Partnership Program and dedicating more resources to its

mental leadership, technical assistance, communications, and administrative teams, respectively. David Gipson, will act as my special assistant, working on strategic planning, contracts, reporting and budget issues. Please don't hesitate

growth, we can address all of these objectives. The program will become the cornerstone of our organi-

to contact my staff if your organization needs assistance with waste reduction efforts, or if you are

zation, and our primary means of providing services across the state.
Technical assistance will remain a key element of P2AD's activities, with a new focus on providing assistance to our Partners as they move toward sustainability. This focus will allow us to make the best use of P2AD's limited staff and financial resources. We will also be working to instill a conservation

looking to join forces with other environmental leaders in the state.
Continual improvement is a mantra around P2AD, and we're confident that by taking the time to evaluate where we are heading and adjusting our course, we are practicing what we preach. Our goal is to make this a stronger organization, one that is more responsive to our clients' needs. I welcome your

ethic in Georgia citizens by helping feedback as we move down this our Partners with employee educa- new path.

tion and community outreach programs. We have seen that

employees of environmentally

Page 2

From the Source

Fulton County middle school gives new life

to old sneakers

America Recycles Day event matches Autrey Mill Middle School with

Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program

by Suzanne Burnes, Pollution Prevention Specialist

Two pairs? A dozen pairs?

The program has now helped

How many old athletic shoes are

donate more than 170 sport

gathering dust in your closet, or

surfaces to communities around the

have ended up in your garbage

world often to communities that

headed for a landfill?

wouldn't otherwise have access to

In recognition of America

high-performance sports surfaces

Recycles Day this past November, and has kept millions of pairs of

students at Autrey Mill Middle

athletic shoes out of landfills.

School (AMMS) dug deep into their

Shoes donated by AMMS

closets and found 154 pairs of old students were delivered to

athletic shoes that they knew could Gidewon, who collects donated

serve a greater good than gathering shoes from recycling events around

dust. For the second year, students the area and ships them to Nike in

at this Fulton County school held a batches of several thousand.

recycling event in conjunction with Gidewon has a goal of resurfacing

the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program

one Atlanta area playground, ball

and the Gidewon Foundation, an field or track each year, using "Nike

Atlanta area partner of the Nike

Grind"-containing surface material.

program.

AMMS will be holding another

In 1993, the Nike Reuse-A-

sneaker recycling event this April in

Shoe program began taking donated recognition of Earth Day. If your

athletic shoes (any brand not just organization is interested in having

Nike), grinding them up, and

its own sneaker recycling event or

providing this "Nike Grind" for use setting up a collection center, the

in

Gidewon Foundation is available to

creating assist in collection and

surfaces transportation of the shoes to Nike.

for

To recycle athletic shoes outside of

athletic collection events, Atlanta's

fields, Niketown retail store and any of

basketball Georgia's Downtown Locker Room

and

stores will accept small quantities.

tennis

courts,

playgrounds and

More Info crystal.betts@CS-Americas.com www.nikereuseashoe.com

Shoes collected at AMMS.

tracks.

Now available!
PAD's Sustainable Office Toolkit is a self-directed resource that offices can use to reduce waste, conserve natural resources and save money. The toolkit was also designed to be a stepping-stone for commercial businesses to join the new PAD Partnership Program.
The toolkit guides users through a seven-step process that, when successfully followed, will help ensure a lasting and effective environmental program. The users of the toolkit are also encouraged to create a holistic program that includes components from waste reduction to "green" building to transit alternatives.
Online materials, including progress forms, document samples and templates, were designed to make the toolkit as user-friendly as possible.
Contact to order copies susan_hooper@p2ad.org (404) 657-7438

Winter 2005

Page 3

Fieldstone Inn serves as green leader in lodging industry

by Suzanne Burnes, Pollution Prevention Specialist

Installing water saving shower heads in all rooms

Instituting a towel reuse program

Creating a comprehensive recycling program

Switching to Green Seal-certified, environmen-

tally preferable cleaning chemicals

Switching to Green Seal-certified, environmen-

tally preferable paper products in restaurants

Eliminating the use of all plastic utensils

Eliminating the use of petroleum-based

fertilizers.

In addition to the Fieldstone's efforts to green its

View from the Fieldstone Resort at Lake Chatuge.

lodging operations, the property is registered with the

If you recycle, turn off lights when you leave a

Atlanta Audubon Society as a wildlife sanctuary, with

room, and don't change your towels and bed linens

62 different bird species catalogued on the property.

everyday, you may wonder why you have to abandon

Undeveloped wetlands adjacent to the lodge provide

these habits when traveling for business or

excellent wildlife viewing opportunities for

pleasure. You're not alone--87 percent of Americans would be more likely to stay at `green' properties if given the choice (and other factors were equal), according to the Travel Industry Association of America.
Now, a number of Georgia lodging properties like the Fieldstone Resort in Hiawassee are making it possible for you to take your conservation ethic on the road. Certified by Green Seal as a Georgia Green

87 percent of Americans would be more likely to stay at `green' properties if given the choice
TIA of America

guests. The resort is also pursuing certification
of its 400-slip marina as a Tennessee Valley Authority Clean Marina. This program requires marinas to meet stringent criteria for everything from proper handling of boat sewage to safe fuel management to public education--in addition to meeting all federal, state and local regulations related to marina management.

Hotel, the Fieldstone is demonstrating that

Fieldstone's commitment to being a good

you don't have to sacrifice amenities in order to be

steward doesn't end at its property line. This March, it

green.

is organizing the third annual Lake Chatuge Clean Up, an

Conserving natural resources is just a part of doing

event that has previously been responsible for removing

business for the Fieldstone Resort. Located in Towns

more than 28,000 pounds of trash from the lake. The

County in the northeast Georgia mountains on pictur-

resort will provide its fleet of boats for use by the

esque Lake Chatuge, the resort offers state of the art

anticipated 200 volunteer participants in this year's

conference center facilities, family entertainment activities event, and will feed volunteers lunch afterward.

and high quality lodging (66 guestrooms and 26 rental

For your next getaway or meeting, consider putting

condos), while minimizing its consumption of water,

your money where your values are and visiting this

energy and chemicals, and protecting area wildlife.

exemplary Georgia Green Hotel.

Specific environmental efforts include

Installing an electrical surge suppression system that cut electrical costs 12-17%
Replacing all toilets with water efficient models Smoke-testing all sewer lines for leaks

More Info Fieldstone's Green Program: (706) 896-2440 Fieldstone Sales: (888) 834-4409 Lake Chatuge Clean Up: (706) 896-2440

Page 4

From the Source

Chuck's Corner: Finding homes for mattresses
by Chuck Boelkins, Ph.D., Resource Recovery Specialist

In mid-December, I received a call from Patterson Services in Mableton with a request to help them find a home for a valuable material usable mattresses. By connecting Patterson with the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, we found homes for these mattresses, and kept them from ending up in the landfill.
Patterson Services is a waste container rental company. It had rented several roll-off containers to Ra-Lin & Associates, which was managing the renovation of the Hampton Inn in Norcross. Karen Hutchinson, Ra-Lin's project manager, was concerned that the waste from the renovation included more than 100 queen size mattress sets. She asked Patterson's Cynthia Poselezny if there was a way to "rescue" the mattresses and Poselezny knew that if there was an answer, P2AD would have it.
I contacted the executive director of the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta and asked if he could use the mattresses. When he replied "absolutely," I put him in touch with Ra-Lin's Hutchinson. The Furniture Bank

picked up 116 queen size mattress sets, at no cost to RaLin, Patterson Services or the Hampton Inn.
The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta provides household furnishings to people in need in the community. Its clients include formerly homeless families and individuals, and people living with HIV/AIDS. The mattress sets salvaged from the Hampton Inn will allow at least 200 people, who may have lost everything in a fire, to sleep in beds rather than on the floor.
Not only did this "waste" match help people in need, it saved the Hampton Inn more than $3,000 in disposal costs and prevented a usable material from taking up Georgia's valuable landfill space. Let me know how I can help you find homes for your "wastes." Remember my mantra...
Waste is a Resource in the Wrong Place!
More Info Chuck Boelkins (404) 651-5585 chuck_boelkins@p2ad.org

Georgia student wins national radon poster contest

A Loganville fourth-grader took first place in a national poster contest designed to help raise awareness of the dangers of radon gas and promote radon testing around the country.
Abbi Calvert, who attends Youth Elementary School in Walton County, won the 2005 Radon Action Month Poster Contest with a computer-generated image depicting a wheel of chance with the phrase "Don't Play Games with Radon."
Abbi was recognized in December along with Georgia's first-place winner in the hand-drawn category, Jeneka Avery of Monroe, and other state level winners during a ceremony at the University of Georgia.
Other state winners included: Marki Calvert, Youth Middle School, 2nd place computer generated; Adrian Avery, Carver Middle School, 3rd place computer generated; Freddy Beinke, Youth Middle School, 3rd place, computer generated; Christin Brown, Youth Middle School, 2nd place hand-drawn; Kevin Clotfelter,

Youth Elementary School, 3rd place hand-drawn. The Radon Poster Contest, jointly sponsored by
EPA and USDA, is intended to raise awareness of radon and the importance of testing homes and fixing elevated levels.
Abbi Calvert's winning poster

Winter 2005

Page 5

P2AD Partnership Program
Partner Spotlights
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Georgia Section
www.asce.org
The Georgia Section of ASCE was founded in 1912, and its 2,600 members have played a major role in many of the engineering achievements that have taken place in the state. Its mission is to be a leader in the Georgia engineering societies and provide new opportunities in engineering for its members and alliances through promoting the profession, developing leadership, advancing technology, advocating lifelong learning, and improving operating systems.
ASCE strives to foster alliances with other engineering and technical societies and be part of current technologies and issues related to civil engineering. By joining P2AD as a White Ribbon Partner, ASCE's Environmental Technical Group is addressing its mission of providing leadership in the field of environmental engineering and water resources, and providing outreach and education on environmental issues.

U.S. Army Infantry Center Fort Benning
www.benning.army.mil/fbhome
Fort Benning is the initial training area for the U.S. Army Infantry and the home of the U.S. Army Infantry School and Center. It is a 184,000-acre installation bisected by the Chattahoochee River at the Alabama-Georgia state line. It is composed of more than 50,000 military employees, 6,000 civilian employees and 50,000 civilian dependents.
The primary military activities at Fort Benning include training entry-level soldiers, providing the U.S. Army's premier facility for training the Infantry, conducting Airborne and Ranger training, hosting the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation and the Army's Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and providing a power projection platform for rapid deployment. Fort Benning provides training facilities for several Army Forces Command units, and is home to 11 units and tenants that conduct training on the installation.
One of Fort Benning's core goals is to be the most efficient and effective steward of resources in the Army. To support this goal, it maintains an environmental program which is managed by the Environmental Management Division of the Directorate of Public Works. The Environmental Programs Management Branch of the division includes compliance staff and pollution prevention personnel working to reduce waste generation through recycling and pollution prevention programs. One of the current initiatives of this branch is the implementation of an Environmental Management System. These efforts are a perfect fit with the P2AD Partnership Program.
Other branches of the installation's Environmental Management Division include Natural Resources Management, which is responsible for red cockaded woodpecker monitoring and habitat improvement, and the Land Management Branch, which is responsible for timber management and prescribed burning.

Page 6

From the Source

ifPeople
Innovation for People
www.ifpeople.net
ifPeople delivers world-class solutions to responsible enterprises by enabling them to manage business processes, foster effective teamwork, and improve efficiency and productivity. ifPeople creates and implements appropriate information technology solutions and consulting services in collaboration, marketing, and sustainability strategy. ifPeople is headquartered in Atlanta and also has an office in Cordoba, Argentina.
Core to ifPeople's business is information technology (IT) services. Facing a lack of models for sustainable and responsible IT companies, and service companies in general, ifPeople developed specific initiatives to strengthen the sustainability of its business model. The ResponsibleIT guidelines are a set of principles that incorporate ethical and environmental considerations into the services.
ifPeople seeks to be a fully sustainable company that restores communities and ecosystems where it is active by understanding its impacts, measuring them, communicating with stakeholders, and continuously improving impacts. ifPeople is a carbon neutral business, monitoring its impact in the production of greenhouse gases and offsetting those impacts through planting of native tree species and restoration of ecosystems. It seeks to minimize its use of all resources and gives purchasing preference to diverted waste streams, recycled materials, and recyclable materials (when no other option exists).

Board of Regents of the University System
of Georgia
www.usg.edu
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia was created in 1931 as the unified governing and management authority for public higher education in Georgia. Today it is composed of 18 members, five of whom are appointed from the state at large, and one from each of the 13 congressional districts. The Board oversees 34 institutions: four research universities, two regional universities, 13 state universities, two state colleges, and 13 two-year colleges. These institutions enroll more than 233,000 students and employ more than 9,000 faculty and 35,000 employees to provide teaching and related services to students and the communities in which they are located.
As a White Ribbon Partner, the Board of Regents is committed to helping advocate environmental stewardship, safety and health at all University System institutions. Some specific recent initiatives in support of the goals of the P2AD Partnership Program include
publishing an article on the P2AD Partnership Program in its quarterly environmental and safety newsletter distributing P2AD Partnership Program materials and information to the institution environmental and safety staff encouraging participation in a teleconference series on sustainable issues relevant to higher education, and coordinating pilot programs which resulted in the removal of over 2,700 mercury thermometers from teaching
and science laboratories at five institutions.

Winter 2005

Page 7

Dalton, from page 1
Utility and industries
both win
Shaw plants. The utility has the capacity to treat increases in BOD/ COD, and has modified its permit with the state to give it more flexibility in regulating BOD/COD limits on local generators.
The phosphorus reduction project has been a great benefit for the participating industries. Addressing the phosphorus levels through utility capital improvements would have resulted in rate and fee increases; addressing them through severe discharge limits would have forced local carpet manufacturers to install expensive pretreatment equipment. Instead, the voluntary reductions on the part of industry should avoid the need for those expensive alternatives.
According to Don Cope, Dalton Utilities President and CEO, "The P2AD assistance made the program work because of the various customers that were involved and the different approaches that they take to managing the operations of their business. P2AD was able to bring everybody to the table with the end result in mind and work back through the process with competitors and allow numerous methods to be utilized."
This project demonstrates that voluntary efforts by industry and local regulators to address environmental issues can succeed. The effort is currently being expanded to include other manufacturers and sectors.
Page 8

Three local governments raise radon

awareness through P2AD grants

by Marci DeSart, Pollution Prevention Specialist
Radon gas exposure is a serious ment was eligible to apply in this

health hazard in Georgia, resulting grant cycle.

in treatment and prevention costs

DeKalb County has a long-

for communities and their local

standing commitment to providing

governments. P2AD established the radon information and testing to its

Radon Grant Program, funded by citizens. In 1993, the county devel-

the U.S. Environmental Protection oped and implemented a radon testing

Agency, to aid local governments in program, which has served approxi-

meeting these needs.

mately 4,000 residents. The program

continues to be a valuable, commu-

Quick Radon Web Links nity-wide environmental health

www.p2ad.org/radon

resource, educating DeKalb citizens

www.southface.org www.epa.gov/radon www.fcs.uga.edu/radon

about the dangers of radon gas. A first-time radon grant recipi-
ent, Atlanta Fire-Rescue is using

The City of Atlanta Fire-Rescue its grant funding to purchase ap-

Department, the DeKalb County

proximately 1,800 radon test kits,

Board of Health/Division of Envi- which are being distributed through

ronmental Health and the Rockdale the City of Atlanta Radon Elimina-

County Extension Service are

tion (CARE) program. This pro-

current recipients of grants through gram piggybacks on the current

this program.

Atlanta Smoke Alarm Program

The Radon Grant Program helps (ASAP), in which firefighters and

local governments and community- volunteers canvass neighborhoods

based organizations establish and to test and maintain smoke alarms.

maintain local outreach initiatives In addition to this once-a-month

addressing radon. P2AD encourages radon test kit distribution, commu-

radon testing and efforts to increase nity members can also pick up a test

Georgia citizens' awareness and

kit at one of the 30 fire stations

understanding of the potential

within the City of Atlanta.

health threats associated with radon

Another first time grantee, the

exposure, and rewards these efforts Rockdale County Extension

through $7,500 one-to-one match- Service is using the radon grant

ing grants each year.

funds to develop a 30-minute

Any local government entity, television program and educational

university, institution or nonprofit in brochure on radon. Radon test kits

Georgia that responds to inquiries, are also being sent home with each

engages in outreach/education

4-H participant and are being

activities and/or distributes materi- incorporated into the 4-H Golden

als to the public on matters relating Clover award system. The Exten-

to public health and/or the environ-

See Grants, page 9

From the Source

Cover crops prevent pollution year round for Georgia farmers
by Gary L. Hawkins, Ph.D., Crop Production Pollution Prevention Specialist

The cotton has been to the gin and sent on to the textile mill. The peanuts have been shelled and taken to the processing plants. The corn has been harvested. Last summer's crops have been harvested, yet even in the dead of winter, some of the fields are still green with growth. Most likely this is a winter cover crop on the same field that just a few months ago was growing a cotton, peanut, corn plant or other commodity.
Winter cover crops are planted for a variety of reasons. They benefit farmers and the citizens of Georgia by
slowing erosion increasing water infiltration improving soil quality recycling nutrients reducing pests reducing costs on the farm creating a potentially new
crop smothering weeds (both
winter and summer) enhancing nutrient and
moisture availability reducing nutrient and
pesticide runoff

provid-

ing a

mulch in

the

summer

months.

The

cover crop

in itself can

only do so

much good.

The real

trick is to use it as one tool in a

Winter cover crops provide a host of benefits for the farmer as well as other citizens of Georgia. Photo by Jimmy Dean, GA-NRCS

total farm management plan. The cover crop provides a means to reduce erosion, but if the farmer tills it under, the soil is unprotected and erosion has only been delayed.
The cover crop can provide nutrient recycling, but if the farmer does not do a soil test, too many additional nutrients may be added at the time of planting and the excess nutrients can leach or run off.
The cover crop can help improve water infiltration if it is allowed to remain on the soil surface, but if it is tilled in it can actually form a crust on the soil

surface and increase runoff. As part of a total farm manage-
ment plan, this green winter crop will be useful in reducing erosion and recycling nutrients, but will be just as useful in the summer when it is brown and providing a mulch layer that will reduce erosion, increase water infiltration and provide a habitat for bacteria, small field animals, birds and maybe even small woodland animals.
So when you see the green, think of the beauty of the winter field, and how you are seeing pollution prevention in action.

Grants, from page 8
sion Service is also creating an educational display board to exhibit at various events and locations in Rockdale County. "We have a likelihood for radon in this county with our high levels of granite, and this will be a way to educate kids, but also educate

adults through their kids," said Jule-Lynn Macie, Rockdale County extension agent.
More Info Marci De Sart marci_desart@p2ad.org (404) 657-5204

More Info Gary Hawkins, UGA AgP2 www.agp2.com
(229) 386-3377

Winter 2005

Page 9

EMCs make green power a reality for millions of Georgians

Reprinted in part from www.greenpoweremc.org

If you live in an area served by one of the 16 electric cooperatives (see box below) partnering in Green Power EMC, you can be among the first Georgia consumers to have an opportunity to purchase "green power."
Green power is electricity produced from renewable sources such as solar, wind and biomass, which includes landfill gas and agricultural wastes. Power generated from these resources creates less waste and pollution than energy produced from most conventional sources, such as coal. However, the technology used to generate green power is more expensive than that used to operate traditional power plants.
Green Power EMC Member Cooperatives
Carroll EMC, Carrollton Cobb EMC, Marietta Coastal Electric Cooperative, Midway Coweta-Fayette EMC,Newnan Flint Energies, Reynolds GreyStone Power, Douglasville Habersham EMC, Clarkesville Irwin EMC, Ocilla Jackson EMC, Jefferson Jefferson Energy Cooperative, Wrens Southern Rivers EMC, Barnesville Ocmulgee EMC, Eastman Sawnee EMC, Cumming Snapping Shoals EMC, Covington Tri-County EMC, Gray Walton EMC, Monroe
How it works in Georgia Green Power EMC is working,
with input from the environmental community, to bring electricity produced from cleaner, greener

Source: www.greenpoweremc.org
sources to Georgia consumers. The partnership's initial project uses methane gas from four north and middle Georgia landfills to generate electricity. With this type of project, the gas that is naturally created when waste in a landfill decomposes is captured so that it can be converted and used as an energy source. Gas from the landfill is collected in wells and piped to a processor to remove moisture and other contaminants. The gas is then used to run a turbine that turns an electric generator.
Customers of the Green Power EMC partners can sign up to purchase one to four blocks of 150 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month, typically at an additional cost of $44.50 per block. The green power that is purchased becomes part of the mix on the electric system, where it replaces an equivalent amount of power from traditional sources.
EMCs are consumer-owned utilities that provide energy and

other services to their members at cost. The 16 Green Power EMC members represent more than three million Georgia homes, businesses, factories and farms.
Environmental benefits Converting landfill gas to energy
offsets the need for non-renewable resources such as coal and oil, and reduces emissions of air pollutants that contribute to local smog and acid rain. In addition, Green Power EMC landfill gas (LFG) projects help curtail global climate change, because they reduce emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. These LFG projects go hand-in-hand with community commitments to cleaner air and reductions in greenhouse gases that cause global climate change.
By purchasing green energy from a LFG project, customers are being innovative and responsible with local resources, and can even enhance their community's image as
See Green Power, page 11

Page 10

From the Source

Green Power, from page 10
an environmental leader. Reducing landfill gas emissions by converting them to energy reduces local ozone levels and smog formation, diminishes explosion threats and unpleasant odors created by the landfill, and improves overall landfill management. A community that uses its landfill gas is both a steward of the environment and a leader in ensuring the well-being of its citizens.
Not just "green washing" In an effort to provide consum-
ers with valid information about green power claims, environmentalists, consumer advocates, and Green Power EMC recognized the need for product certification. Various organizations have devised certification programs, which evaluate offers based on the percentage of renewable content, quantities of associated air emissions, and other related criteria.
Green Power EMC has selected the Green-e Renewable Electricity Certification Program, administered by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions based in the Presidio, San Francisco, California. Green-e provides an easy way for consumers to quickly identify environmentally superior electricity products.
Through a green power subscription, you will be helping to reduce waste and pollution in the state of Georgia.
More Info www.greenpoweremc.org www.epa.gov/lmop/ www.green-e.org

Did you know?
Fast facts on green power
1 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) in a landfill typically generate enough methane gas to generate 7 million kWh enough energy to power 700 homes for a year
The 9 megawatts of power to be distributed annually by Green Power EMC can meet the energy needs of 5,600 homes and will have the same environmental benefit as taking 84,000 cars off the road or planting 114,000 acres of forest or displacing the use of 226,800 tons of coal or avoiding the use of 900,000 barrels of oil.
More than 80 utilities in the United States now offer green power resource programs
Of the estimated 2,000 or so MSW landfills currently operating in the United States, approximately 340 have LFG utilization projects
Source: EPA Landfill Outreach Methane Program

P2AD staff practice
what they preach
P2AD's Chuck Boelkins and Marci DeSart are fortunate enough to live in areas served by a Green Power EMC member, and have personally committed to reducing their environmental footprints by buying green.
Chuck and Marci both live in Rockdale County and purchase their power from Snapping Shoals EMC. Their two households are purchasing a total of three 150 KwH blocks of green power, at an extra cost of $12 per month.
By making this monthly purchase, Chuck and Marci are saving an environmental equivalent of 6,000 pounds of coal or planting nine acres of trees annually.

GWWC Call for Nominations
The Georgia Water Wise Council is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the 2005 Phil Karr Water Wise Award.
This award will recognize an individual who has made a substantial contribution to water conservation in Georgia. The nomination form is posted at www.gwwc.org.
The deadline for nominations is May 1, 2005.

Winter 2005

Page 11

2005

Calendar of Events

Mar. 11-13 Mar. 13-17 Mar. 16 Mar. 16-17 Mar. 21-22
Mar. 30
Apr. 4-5 Apr. 6-8
Apr. 6-8
Apr. 11-14 Apr. 19-21 Apr. 25-27 May 16-17

Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia's Annual Conference: Keys for Successful Partnerships at Unicoi State Park and Lodge, Helen. Info: www.eealliance.org/conference.htm.
2005 Conference on Environmental Engineering of the Food Industry Environmental Council, at the Hyatt Regency, Savannah. Info: http://www.affi.com/fiec/events.asp.
"The Dollars and Sense of LEED and Green Buildings," webcast at 2:00 EDT. Info: b2b.pentoncustommedia.com/t?ctl=251B:20E245.
Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association's 2005 Industrial Conference and Expo in College Park. Info: www.gwpca.org/05IndConf/indconf.html.
Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Performance Spring meetings in Sante Fe, NM, focusing on "How Can We Use Biofuels to Create Value out of Biomass Waste streams?" Info: www.mswg.org/ calendar/.
5th Massachusetts Organics Recycling Summit "Getting to Yes: Strategies for Organics Recycling Success" at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, MA. Info: www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/ compost.htm#organics.
"Changing Behavior When There is No Crisis:The Daily Challenge of Solid Waste and other Environmental Professionals" in Nashville,TN. Info: www.cis.tennessee.edu/training/social_marketing.shtml.
Georgia Recycling Coalition's Semi-Annual Membership and Training Meeting at Callaway Gardens. Includes a tour of Callaway Gardens and Interface Carpet's West Point, GA facility. Info: www.georgiarecycles.org.
SWANA 2005 Spring Conference at the Southern Pine Conference Center & Cottages at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain. Mar. 14 deadline for room reservations, Mar. 31 deadline for registration. Info: www.swana.org, hubb92@bellsouth.net, or (770) 822-9308.
National Environmental Partnership 2005 Summit in Chicago, IL, Info: www.environmentalsummit.org/index.cfm.
16th Global Warming International Conference in New York, NY. Info: www.globalwarming.net.
Georgia Water Resources Conference at the Georgia Center, UGA,Athens. Info: ga.water.usgs.gov/ gwrc/.
Compliance Through Prevention Workshop taught by Dr. Robert Pojasek, internationally recognized authority on helping organizations eliminate costly wastes from their operations, at the Wyndham Midtown Atlanta. Info: www.govinst.com/PDFFiles/2005/6sigma_Comp_5_05_E20.pdf.

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