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EPA Region 2 Administrator Jane M. Kenny Honors Environmental Achievements in Puerto Rico

Release Date: 05/28/2002
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(#02050) San Juan, Puerto Rico -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 Administrator Jane M. Kenny today presented EPA’s Environmental Quality Awards to individuals and organizations from Puerto Rico for their outstanding contributions to a better environment and the protection of human health. Administrator Kenny, who presented the awards at a ceremony held today at the Muñiz Suffront Amphitheater at Metropolitan University on Ana G. Mendez Avenue, also recognized ten facilities in Puerto Rico that are voluntarily performing at a level beyond that required by existing environmental laws and regulations. The facilities are participants in EPA’s national Performance Track program. “When you get right down to it, protecting the environment is a job for everybody. Today’s winners exemplify that commitment to the environment,” said EPA Region 2 Administrator Jane M. Kenny. “Whether it is recycling paper or taking public transit or properly disposing of used motor oil, each of us makes decisions every day that have a direct impact on our environment.” The Environmental Quality Awards are EPA’s way of taking its hat off to those who work the hardest to preserve and protect our environment and public health. EPA Region 2 presents the Environmental Quality Awards annually to individuals, nonprofit groups, educators, business representatives, government officials and media representatives from New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that have made significant contributions to improving the quality of the environment in the region. Winners are chosen by a panel of EPA employees who review nominations submitted from inside and outside the Agency. The national Environmental Performance Track program was launched by EPA in June 2000 to recognize and provide incentives to facilities voluntarily performing at a level beyond that required by existing environmental laws and regulations. To qualify, Performance Track facilities must have a record of sustained compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements, a working environmental management system (EMS), a commitment to public outreach and reporting, and have demonstrated environmental achievements and a commitment to continued improvement. As part of the Performance Track application, facilities commit to four specific environmental improvements based on the needs and individual characteristics of the facility. “These facilities are actively working to achieve environmental improvements through voluntary approaches,” Ms. Kenny noted. “The Performance Track program is designed to encourage companies to see environmental regulations as a starting point, not a finish line.” Performance Track is intended for top performing facilities of all types, sizes and complexity – public or private, manufacturing or service-oriented. There are 280 members nationwide. Thirty-eight member facilities are located within EPA Region 2 with ten in Puerto Rico. Once accepted, facilities remain in the program for three years and may then reapply. The Winners of the 2002 Environmental Quality Awards in Puerto Rico are: INDIVIDUALS Ignacio Barsottelli Santurce, Puerto Rico Recognizing the seriousness of Puerto Rico’s solid waste problems, Mr. Barsottelli founded the nonprofit Yo Limpio A Puerto Rico (I Clean Puerto Rico). He created environmental education programs and activities that provide solutions for waste management, bolstering public awareness about the importance of recycling. He worked with thousands of volunteers to clean areas and created conservation plans for these areas. He also created public awareness campaigns to remind people of their responsibility to take care of the natural systems in which they live. NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, ENVIRONMENTAL OR COMMUNITY GROUP Troop 42, Boy Scouts of America Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Over the past ten years, the members of this troop in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, saw the disappearance of natural areas for them to conduct their outdoor, nature-based activities. They decided to take on the role of stewards and make an ongoing commitment to take care of the surrounding green areas. Their first project was to plant trees along a newly constructed large avenue. They have participated in an annual Tree Day organized by the Fideicomiso de Conservacion de Puerto Rico, working to establish new forested areas and improve other green spaces along roads and in parks. In all, they have planted about one thousand trees. In the past two years, the scouts completed 14 Eagle Scout projects – representing about 1,400 hours of work – which include completing an educational trail map for Isla de Mona, planting 200 native trees, creating a garden at a halfway house and identifying tree species in the urban forest of Colegio San Ignacio. BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY Hix Island House Vieques, Puerto Rico An architect by training, John Hix designed his hotel on Vieques, Puerto Rico, to be as environmentally benign as possible. The hotel uses solar energy to power its refrigerators, lights, ceiling fans, pumps, stereos and computers. Each room is designed with oversized windows to take advantage of the island’s trade winds and has energy-efficient appliances. The hotel has a backup cistern to collect rainwater and uses solar panels to heat it. In addition, the “grey water” from the showers and sinks flow into the hotel’s gardens to help nourish fruit trees and flowers. Even kitchen scraps are reused, composted for use on the hotel’s gardens. This hotel allows visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of the island without overly burdening the ecological systems that support it. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Fajardo, Puerto Rico At its facility in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Pfizer initiated a Water Conservation and Waste Minimization Program with a goal of reusing 100 percent of its wastewater. After many efforts at reinventing how it operates, the facility now reuses about 20,500 gallons per day of treated water in three cooling towers. This means that there is zero discharge from the facility’s wastewater treatment plant, whereas before wastewater was sent to the local public treatment plant and then to the Fajardo River. New ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis units are being installed this year to further improve the quality of the water. In addition, boilers were improved so that they could recover water from the steam they created. PRESS & MEDIA Maricelis Rivera-Santos San Juan, Puerto Rico Since 1998, Ms. Rivera-Santos has covered environmental issues in Puerto Rico for the San Juan-based newspapers El Vocero and El Mundo. As part of that beat, she has covered the controversy over the U.S. Navy’s training exercises on the island of Vieques. She has also written about an array of environmental topics, including: turtles, manatees, the endangered Puerto Rican parrot, inadequate waste disposal, industrial pollution and the environmental damage caused by construction projects. Because of her dedication and thoroughness, many of her stories have been featured on the front page of the paper, which helps bring these important issues to the forefront of public consciousness. Winners of National Performance Track Certificates in Puerto Rico EPA Regional Administrator Kenny presented the following ten facilities in Puerto Rico with Certificates of Excellence in Environmental Management: Baxter Caribe Incorporated-Guayama Baxter Caribe is a major producer of inhalation anesthetics. Recent accomplishments include a 30% reduction in the amount of hazardous waste generated in the last year through solvent reduction and reuse; 4% reduction in energy use through conservation and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) utilization optimization; and decrease in total solid waste sent to landfill through the implementation of a non-hazardous waste recycling program. Baxter Healthcare Corporation of Puerto Rico-Aibonito Baxter-Aibonito manufactures medical devices used for the administration of fluids, drugs, blood and irrigating solutions and other ancillary products. Recent accomplishments include the recycling of 100% of PVC scrap generated in its manufacturing process. The facility sold 50.7% of its PVC scrap to a sister-facility for reuse. This effort diverted 531,076 pounds of waste from going to landfill. In 2001, non-hazardous waste generation was reduced by 9% from 200 levels or 300,000 pounds and this during a period of increased production. Energy consumption was reduced 2.4% per hour of production. Johnson & Johnson J&J is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products for the consumer, pharmaceutical and professional markets. J&J Corporate Headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey submitted one Performance Track application covering 50 J&J facilities located in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. There are eight J&J members in Puerto Rico. The following environmental performance commitments apply to all Johnson & Johnson facilities in the program: By 2003, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 2%, increase the efficiency of raw materials use by 5%, reduce total water use by 5%, and reduce total solid waste by 5% from 1999 levels. Since becoming a Charter Member in December 2000, J&J facilities have realized environmental improvements in each area. For example, Ethicon-San Lorenzo reduced its use of water needed for cooling tower blowdowns from 17,500 gallons per day to 150 gallons per day. This facility also reduced the amount of nonhazardous waste going to landfill by more than 28% in 2001. J&J Performance Track Members: DePuy Orthotech-Las Piedras DePuy provides products for reconstructing damaged or diseased joints, facilitating fusion of elements of the spine and repairing bone fractures. Ethicon LLC-San Lorenzo Ethicon is a global leader in developing and marketing products for surgery in the areas of wound care and management, women's health, surgical sports medicine and cardiovascular surgery. Janssen-Ortho LLC-Gurabo A research-based pharmaceutical company with a broad range of medicines used in the treatment of epilepsy, anemia, infectious disease, psychiatry, neurology, pain management, oncology, nephrology and women’s health. LifeScan LLC-Cabo Rojo LifeScan, Inc., develops, manufactures and markets self blood glucose monitoring products for people with diabetes. McNeil Consumer Healthcare-Las Piedras Markets a range of over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals, including complete lines of TYLENOL® and MOTRIN® for adults and children. OMJ Pharmaceuticals-San German Provides the medical profession with prescription drugs in several therapeutic categories including infectious diseases, pain management, central nervous system disorders, wound healing and women's health. Ortho Pharmaceuticals-Manati OP manufactures dermatological creams, oral contraceptives, and women's gynecological products. Ortho Biologics-Manati OB is committed to leading the fight against serious illnesses, including kidney disease and cancer. OB- Manati manufactures a human therapeutical protein used to stimulate red blood cell production and mostly indicated for the treatment of anemia.