Partnership Workshop & Awards Event Oct. 2 (note date change)

Our fall event is coming! In our last newsletter we asked you to hold Oct. 4 on your calendars, but due to last minute contract negotiations, we had to change the date to Oct. 2. The time and location remain the same, 9 am to 2 pm at the Emory Conference Center Hotel. This date is now final, and we’re planning a great event to recognize you and provide you with an opportunity to learn from your fellow Partners. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.

As this is your time to shine, we’d like to know who you would like to have in the audience — whether it’s a county commissioner, a manager from your corporate office, or some of your clients or customers. Please send us the names, titles, organization names, email addresses, and mailing addresses (if you know them) of three people you would like us to invite. We’d like to have this information by July 31 to be able to give them sufficient notice.

Last week, our Advisory Panel voted to award eight Partners for their outstanding achievements in 2005. Your special guests will be invited to attend the event’s awards luncheon where they will hear about the great progress being made by our award winners and by all of our Partners.

During the morning sessions, we want you to be inspired by new ideas that you can take back to your programs. In the next couple of weeks, we will be asking if you have stories to share on some specific topics that we think will interest your fellow Partners. Please give some thought to how you can participate and help other Partners move forward with their environmental goals. With your help, this event will be the best yet. — Suzanne Burnes

Matching Grants Available

Red and Blue Level Partners are invited to apply for a matching grant to fund projects to evaluate or implement pollution prevention practices at their facilities. The deadline to apply for the P2 Adoption Funds is Aug. 1. Because the grants are made possible by the U.S. EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grants program, federal facilities are not eligible. Limited funds (up to $15,000 per project) are available on a competitive basis and require a one-to-one match. The amount awarded per project will depend on the number of proposals accepted and the amount of funding received from EPA. For more information about eligible projects and how to apply, go to the Partnership benefits Web page.

Georgia Tech Engineering Students Offer Free Industrial System Design Services

All senior industrial and systems engineering students at Georgia Tech cap off their coursework with a group design project. Past projects have included designing maintenance schedules, routing and delivery systems, warehouse layouts and materials handling systems, waste control programs, and requirements and specifications for information systems. The students can apply operations research, simulation, statistics, and other technical tools to a wide variety of problems, and can back up their design choices with thorough economic analysis. Each team (usually five or six students) will devote approximately 900 hours to the project over the course of a semester. Because the students have limited ability to travel, their sponsors are usually within an hour’s drive of the campus. Project submissions are now being accepted for fall semester (which begins in late August) and for spring 2007 (which begins in January). To learn more about the role of a sponsor, specific project examples, and how to submit a proposal, visit the senior design project Web site.

Nominations Being Accepted for A&WMA Environmental Awards

The Georgia Chapter of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is now accepting nominations for its annual Environmental Awards. The awards recognize Georgia facilities and organizations whose programs go beyond compliance to yield true environmental improvements. The best of these also provide a cost savings to their facility and the communities they serve. Nominations must be received by Aug. 4. Facilities may self-nominate. Winners will be recognized at the A&WMA’s Annual Environmental Conference Oct. 3 at the Georgia Tech Global Learning & Conference Center in Atlanta. For the nomination form and more information, visit the Georgia Chapter A&WMA Web site.

Fulton County Seeks Nominations for Environmental Awards

The Fulton County Citizens Commission on the Environment is now accepting nominations of development projects, community organizations, and individuals in Fulton County that advocate and exemplify environmentally-sound practices. Entries must be postmarked by July 31. Winners will be announced at the commission’s Environmental Awards Program Sept. 20. Click here to get more information about the award categories and a nomination form (will open as a PDF).

July Is Smart Irrigation Month

The key to efficient outdoor irrigation is applying just enough water and only when necessary. Water-wise habits will result in a healthier lawn and landscape, in addition to conserving water. Plus, reducing your consumption will help reduce your water bill. While this campaign is targeted to homeowners, businesses with a lawn to manage also can benefit from these tips and best practices. Click here to learn more from The Irrigation Association.

Baseline and Gap Assessments Available

As a Partner, you have access to many benefits including free, on-site technical assistance. Yellow Level Partners qualify for a baseline assessment. If you need help documenting your resource use, waste streams or emissions, this assessment will be invaluable. You will use the findings of the baseline as a starting point against which you will measure your progress. Yellow and Red Level Partners qualify for a gap assessment. This assessment will help you compare your current environmental management practices with the requirements of the Partnership Program or with an environmental management system (EMS). This exercise will help you find ways to develop or enhance your EMS. Learn more about the services available to you by visiting the benefits page on the Partnership Web site.

Calendar

Teleconference on Purchasing Environmentally and Socially Responsible Computers. July 25, 1-2:30 pm. Sponsored by the Responsible Purchasing Network of the Center for a New American Dream. Speakers will discuss a new procurement tool to help institutions identify green computers, offer advice on how to incorporate environmental concerns into procurement specifications, and address social justice concerns and offer sample contract language. To register for the call, send your name, organization name, position, mailing address, phone and email to rpen@newdream.org. Contact keally@newdream.org with any questions.

Georgia Association of Water Professionals Annual Conference & Expo. July 31-Aug. 2. Georgia International Convention Center, Atlanta, GA. Sessions include compliance, wastewater, odor control, regional water planning, energy efficiency, financing.

Drive Clean and Green Across Georgia. July 31. Sponsored by the Middle Georgia Clean Cities Coalition. A caravan of hybrids and electric vehicles will parade from Atlanta to Tifton. The caravan will assemble at 9 am in Atlanta at the State Capitol, stop at noon in Macon at the Terminal Station, and end at 3 pm in Tifton at the Agriculture Innovation Center. The public is invited to each location to see the vehicles; prizes and refreshments will be available. To sponsor or volunteer, contact Charise Stephens, (478) 165-9178.

Georgia BioEnergy Conference. Aug. 1-3. Topics will include research and commercialization initiatives on alternative fuels, regulatory issues and incentives, transportation and marketing of raw and finished products, and waste management issues. The conference will also feature a roundtable discussion with state and federal legislators on energy policies, proposed legislation, and the scientific and business aspects of the extraction and storage of bioenergy.

Georgia Sales Tax Holiday for Energy Efficiency. Aug. 3-6. Consumers can purchase qualified energy efficient products with no state and local sales tax. Qualified products must be for personal use, cost no more than $1,500, and display the Energy Star logo. Specific products include dishwashers, clothes washers, room air conditioners, ceiling fans, compact fluorescent light bulbs, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostats, refrigerators, doors and windows.

Georgia Environmental Conference. Aug. 16-18. Savannah, GA. Topics to be covered include air quality, water treatment, transportation, and endangered species.

Celebrating Rural Georgia Conference. Aug. 21-23. Augusta, GA. Sessions on innovative agriculture, environmental stewardship, economic development, quality growth, and fostering public-private partnerships.

Understanding Environmental Compliance Conference. Sept. 7. Dalton, GA. Presented by Georgia Tech. Examine the environmental issues associated with specific regulations, learn the steps to complying with permits, plans and other requirements, and discuss the technologies used to meet permit limits. Register online (keyword search ENV 140) or by phone at 404-385-3501 or 404-385-3500.

Environmental Compliance Assistance Workshop for Georgia Colleges & Universities. Sept. 20-21. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. Sponsored by U.S. EPA Region 4, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Topics will include hazardous waste management and best practices, reducing waste generation, lab safety and compliance, Clean Water Act and stormwater management, and Clean Air regulations.

Georgia Chapter Air & Waste Management Association Annual Environmental Conference. Oct. 3. Georgia Tech Global Learning & Conference Center, Atlanta, GA. The morning session will be, “Environmental Compliance: Agency Enforcement Priorities and How You Can Be Prepared.” Other topics will include air quality, waste management and remediation, water issues, waste minimization and resource conservation, compliance and enforcement, environmental due diligence, redevelopment and brownfields, environmental management systems and more.

2006 PACE Awards. Oct. 5. The Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA. Sponsored by the Clean Air Campaign. Entries must be received by Aug. 21.

25th Annual National Recycling Coalition Congress & Expo. Oct. 22-25. Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA.