IEPA’s Pollution Prevention Internship Program

1. IEPA’s Pollution Prevention Internship Program Kevin Greene Illinois EPA GGCC Green Universities and Colleges Subcommittee Monthly Meeting August 17, 2011

2. Presentation Objectives • Provide background information on the program • Describe the components • Highlight intern projects at higher education institutions • Share “lessons learned” P2 Intern Program

3. Background • Pollution Prevention (P2) Internship Program launched in1989 • Evolved from discussions between IEPA and State Chamber of Commerce • Improve relations between IEPA and business community • Provide a non-regulatory approach to help facilities reduce environmental impacts • Encourage environmental innovation and leadership-type projects • Purpose: help facilities improve environmental performance, while providing practical work experience for college students • P2 Focus: • Avoid generation of waste and emissions • Decrease use of toxic substances • Use materials, equipment, energy and water more efficiently P2 Intern Program

4. Key Components • Place student interns at 15-20 facilities each year, primarily in the manufacturing sector • Recruit students from public and private universities in the state • Junior/senior undergrad and graduate level college students • Background in engineering, chemistry or environmental management • Train students on energy efficiency, waste auditing, processing mapping and other process improvement techniques • Students work for 12 weeks in the summer (includes 11 weeks in the field and one week of training) • Provide a salary of $2,500 a month • Depending on funding availability, IEPA will pay entire student salary or negotiate a cost-sharing agreement with the host facility P2 Intern Program

5. What are the benefits for host facilities? • Technical resource provided at a relatively modest cost • Fresh perspective with a focus on process improvement • Reduced waste, emissions, energy losses and potential environmental liabilities • Cost savings related to materials, operations, treatment and disposal P2 Intern Program

6. Student Benefits • Gain “hands-on” experience in industrial and other workplace settings • Opportunity to make a difference in protecting the environment • Gain project management skills • Improve communication and presentation skills • Earn a salary • Build resume and professional contacts P2 Intern Program

7. Which state universities have provided intern students? Illinois Institute of Technology University of Illinois at Chicago University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Bradley University Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Southern Illinois University Carbondale Northern Illinois University Northwestern University P2 Intern Program

8. IEPA’s role in the intern program • Recruit qualified students • Review facility project proposals • Match interns with host facilities • Establish contracts with students • Train interns on P2 technologies and practices • Conduct initial on-site visit with student • Review intern progress reports and periodically consult with the facility supervisor • Provide project support (technical advice, resource leads, problem-solving, etc.) • Publicize the project results P2 Intern Program

9. Intern Responsibilities • Attend one-week training class in Springfield • Adhere to a work schedule (typically a 40-hr. work week) • Follow company policies and regulations (e.g., safety, personal protection, operating procedures and confidentiality) • Work with management and staff • Submit bi-weekly progress reports • Reports are reviewed by facility supervisor before submittal to IEPA • Present project results at half-day seminar • Deliver a final report at end of project P2 Intern Program

10. Facilities Must Provide: • Well-defined project • Student supervision • Work space • Safety training • Employee cooperation • Workers’ compensation • Cost-sharing fee and misc. expenses, where appropriate P2 Intern Program

11. Program Timeline • September & October–attend job fairs and work with career service offices to recruit students • November–review student applications and interview qualified candidates (intern application deadline is October 25 for following summer) • November & December –review project proposals (project application deadline is October 25) • January – select host facilities and student interns • May – conduct one-week training class (typically the week before Memorial Day weekend) • June to August– place students in the field for 11 weeks • August – host two seminars for students to present project results (typically second week of the month) • October – post a summary of the student projects on agency web site P2 Intern Program

12. A sampling of facilities that have participated in the program • Industry • Caterpillar • Motorola • Abbott Laboratories • Nalco Company • Honeywell • Case New Holland (Goodfield) • Illinois & Midland RR (Springfield) • Harris Corp. (Quincy) • Innertech (Nashville) • Carlisle SynTec (Greenville) • Rhodia Inc. (Blue Island) • Prairie Farms Dairy (Carbondale) • J & M Plating (Rockford) • Roe Machining (Johnston City) • Local Government • City of Du Quoin • Wilmette Water Plant • Village of Algonquin Public Works • Tazewell County Health Department • Institutions • University of Illinois at Chicago • Southern Illinois University - Carbondale • Rock Island Arsenal • St. Mary’s Hospital (East St. Louis) • U.S. Penitentiary Marion • Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago • Joliet Public Schools District 86 P2 Intern Program

13. What type of projects have past interns implemented or recommended? • Lighting/motor upgrades • Air compressor usage • Solid waste reduction • Process efficiency • Material substitution • Equipment cleanup • Waste segregation • Heat recovery • Boiler replacement • Improved inventory control • Container reuse/recycling • Laboratory chemicals/solvents • Training/awareness building • Environmental management systems P2 Intern Program

14. 2009 Intern Project: University of Illinois at Chicago • Project Focus: identify opportunities for decreasing laboratory wastes and make recommendations for improving the management of medical and pharmaceutical wastes at the medical center • Results: The intern made the following recommendations: • Establish a program to recycle acetone and hexane solvents from the organic chemistry labs and xylene from hospital pathology . Recommended that the university evaluate the use of on an on-site fractional distillation unit, which has the potential to save $14,000 a year in disposal costs • Determined that a large percentage of hazardous waste could be reduced through source reduction or in-house recycling. The intern developed a reusable container program for sharps disposal that will be introduced in early 2011. This program has the potential to reduce the amount of plastic waste by one ton a year. The sharps can also be treated as medical waste • The reusable sharps container program and reclassification of the waste stream have the potential to save $485,000 a year in disposal costs • Improve inventory methods and redistribute expired, unused flush medications (e.g., saline and dextrose) to university labs for use in research projects. This project has the potential to reduce disposal costs by up to $15,000 a year P2 Intern Program

15. 2009 Intern Project: Illinois Central College • Project Focus: investigate opportunities to reduce energy use in campus buildings • Results: The student made the following recommendations: • Install occupancy sensors in 62 bathrooms. This project could save $2,800 annually, with a payback period of 1.5 to 2 years • Apply a reflective coating to extend the life of roof at two buildings. This project could save the college $900,000 in avoided replacement costs and reduced energy usage • Replace existing boilers with high efficiency units. This project has the potential to save $100,000 in reduced natural gas usage, with a payback period of less than 4 years • Replace the windows in the Academic Building with double-pane Energy Star windows and improve insulation around all metal panels • Install energy controls on beverage and snack machines. This project could save $10,000 annually, with a payback period of 11 months • Power down computers at night and during weekends. This project could save $80,000 annually • Install day-lighting controls on the library skylight. This project could save over $2,800 annually, with a payback period of less than 1 year P2 Intern Program

16. 2008 Intern Project: Southern Illinois University -Carbondale • Project Focus: Identify energy efficiency opportunities in the university laboratories and research buildings • Results: the student completed the following tasks: • Collected data on over 300 separate chemical fume hoods, including electrical usage for the exhaust fan motors. A baseline energy consumption profile was calculated for each system • Identified several strategies to reduce energy use, including occupancy-based, variable air volume exhaust and automatic sash positioning systems • Recommended a decommissioning program for unused hoods based on air change requirements • Calculated that four buildings could save over $67,000 by reducing supply and exhaust air volumes with variable speed fans and new controls based on occupancy and sash position P2 Intern Program

17. 1999 Intern Project: John A. Logan College • Project Focus: Provide on-site technical assistance to small businesses in the region • Results: The student completed the following tasks: • Conducted waste reduction assessments and follow-up consultation at six facilities, including a screen-printer, sandblaster, metal welder, fiberglass fabricator, manufacturer of connectors and drill manufacturer • Identified several projects for the screen printer, including a screen reclamation system using high-pressure washers without volatile solvents, cleaner bath reuse, silver recovery and prolonged ink shelf-life practices • Recommended that the sandblasting facility use a solidification/vitrification process to convert waste bottom ash into a marketable product. This process is expensive and would require a large investment • Proposed that the fiberglass fabricator consider an industrial chopper or grinding machine to reuse waste fiberglass and also convert to an alternative cleaning solvent. A list of possible contacts for the industrial grinders and potential solvent alternatives were given to the facility P2 Intern Program

18. 2009 Program Results P2 Intern Program

19. Lessons Learned • Primary driving force for implementing P2 opportunities is reduced operating costs • Over the last several years, energy use has been the major focus of intern projects • With the down economy, facilities are seeking shorter payback periods (e.g., less than 1 year) in selecting P2 projects for implementation • Plenty of “low-hanging fruit” is still available for improving environmental performance (e.g., lighting upgrades, waste heat reuse and tag/repair leaks in compressed air systems) • Host facilities are interested in having interns calculate reductions in carbon emissions from energy efficiency projects • Facilities that have multiple departments/staff involved in the intern project tend to produce the greatest results P2 Intern Program

20. For more information: • Rick Reese, P2 Intern Program Coordinator • richard.reese@illinois.gov • (217) 557-8671 • Illinois EPA Office of Pollution Prevention (#34) 1021 N Grand Ave. East P.O. Box 19276Springfield, IL 62794-9276 • www.epa.state.il.us\p2\internships P2 Intern Program

21. Questions P2 Intern Program