Fort Smith, Northwest Arkansas operations are ‘ENVY’ award finalists

Operations in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas are among the six finalists for the 2015 Arkansas Environmental Stewardship Award. The winner will announced later this month as part of Earth Week activities at the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).

The list of finalists includes two entrants who have previously been finalists in multiple years.

Dubbed the “ENVY Award,” the annual presentation was established in 2005 by ADEQ to recognize a major contribution by an individual or organization for efforts to enhance and protect Arkansas’ natural resources. Last year’s winner was the Pratt and Whitney aircraft engine manufacturing facility at Springdale for its comprehensive pollution prevention program.

The finalists for this year’s award are:
• Camfil Air Pollution Control of Jonesboro, which operates the world’s largest air filter manufacturing facility, for its overall sustainability program involving a wide range of activities. Components of the program include new office construction incorporating several “green” elements; retrofitting of equipment on the factory’s paint line ovens resulting in reducing natural gas usage by nearly 29,000 cubic feet and recouping the project costs in less than a year; conversion of much of the facility to LED lighting; adoption of manufacturing processes that significantly reduced materials used and waste produced; and a pallet recycling program.

• The City of Fayetteville, now a finalist for three consecutive years, in addition to being a finalist in 2008 and 2009, for its “Recycle Something” educational and marketing program designed to increase recycling by city residents and commercial interests. The effort, promoted through local advertisements and public presentations and displays, includes financial incentives for the use of smaller trash receptacles and encourages more recycling. In 2014 the city saved more than $213,000 in landfill costs, while earning more than $598,000 through the sale of compost generated from yard waste collections.

• Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, also a finalist for the third straight year, for a comprehensive sustainability program involving such elements as energy and waste reduction; recycling and salvage efforts; use of green building principles in construction and remodeling of office facilities; fleet management techniques to reduce fuel and operating costs; and purchase of green products whenever possible. Goodwill also collected nearly 19.5 million pounds of electronic waste, household goods, and clothing for recycling in 2014 and has set a goal of achieving zero waste within five years.

• Kraft Foods Group Inc. for its sustainability and recycling efforts at its Fort Smith facility, which processes various nut products under the Planters label. In 2011 the plant was the first of Kraft’s 37 plants to be certified as being zero waste for landfill material and today is one of only five such Kraft plants. The Fort Smith facility has recycled more than 5,000 tons of materials since 2011, including just over 1,600 tons last year. Waste materials are either recycled or burned to produce energy at the plant. Food scraps are sold for use in animal feed production.

• The Lake Fayetteville Environmental Science Center for its environmental educational and outreach programs and conservation activities. The center, formerly known as the Aquatic Center, has been a cooperative effort between the Fayetteville and Springdale School Districts since 1974. In addition to offering numerous environmental educational programs for students in both school districts, the center offers hands-on activities in both laboratory and field settings for the students to study various aspects of different ecosystems. The center partners with numerous other environmental organizations in the northwest Arkansas area and participates in a variety of projects, including periodic cleanups of Lake Fayetteville and the surrounding area.

• The Saline County Regional Solid Waste District for its “YEA! Team” (Youth Environmental Ambassadors) educational program to teach Saline County students about environmental issues and provide them with assistance for recycling efforts. The district provides recycling collection at all 25 public schools in the county, and students at each school are given assistance on setting up and operating their own recycling programs to collect recyclable materials. During a recent 11-month period, the program collected a little more than 114 tons of paper and cardboard for recycling from all schools. In addition, two schools conducted individual electronic waste collection drives that resulted in diverting 4,800 pounds of e-waste from landfills.

The six finalists have been invited to attend the April 24, 2015, meeting of the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, where this year’s ENVY Award winner will be announced as the final event in the ADEQ’s annual Earth Week observance. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the ADEQ Headquarters Building, 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock.