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RE: Industry environmental initiative waning?

Todd:
 
 
No, they are not smoke and mirrors. Regulatory alone by its very nature is defining the performance that the average or at best median can achieve. Voluntary alone is the sound of one hand clapping. Together, when voluntary and regulatory are in alignment there is far more power and better penetration and results than either working alone. And in my experience, there are no facilities that can be said to be completely in compliance with all laws, regulations, policies etc (ie. health, safety, environment), so benefits of P2, are a mixture of better compliance and better performance.
 
 

Fred Granek
Vice President Toronto Region Sustainability Program
Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA)
63 Polson Street, 2nd floor,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5A 1A4

T: (416) 778-5324; Cell: (416) 723- 4873; F: (416) 778-5624; fgranek@oceta.on.ca

 
-----Original Message-----
From: Todd MacFadden [mailto:Todd_MacFadden@uml.edu]
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 4:01 PM
To: NPPR@great-lakes.net; P2Tech@great-lakes.net
Subject: Industry environmental initiative waning?

Hey all,

It's a bit dated now (Nov 23), but I just came across the following NY Times article in which the late Bill Bilkovich is acknowledged for his work to advance pollution prevention efforts at Dow.

Dialogue on Pollution Is Allowed to Trail Off
By BARNABY J. FEDER

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/23/business/23CHEM.html?tntemail1

The article suggests a disturbing trend that industry is increasingly moving away from voluntary and collaborative approaches to P2 - and the concomitant gains in environmental protection - abetted by a more permissive adminstration. (It was, case in point, published the day after Bush hobbled the New Source Review rules).

I am curious to know what people think about the fate and future of voluntary environmental initiatives as a tool to protect the environment. For years, industry has pressed EPA and states for flexibility in standards and more non-regulatory approaches to reduce pollutants. And the approach seems to work - but (it would appear) only to the extent that more stringent standards are imminent. Does your experience with voluntary programs support this view? Are they just smoke and mirrors?

Todd MacFadden
*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:*:-.,_,.-:*'*:-.,_
Todd MacFadden
Training Specialist
Toxics Use Reduction Institute
One University Ave
Lowell, MA 01854

978.934.3391
978.934.3050 (fax)

todd_macfadden@uml.edu
www.turi.org

Because not everyone can live upstream.
,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:*:-.,_,.-:*'*:-.,_,.-:*'