The applicants and nominees listed below were recognized by the Governor in 1997 for their efforts to protect and enhance the environmental quality of Vermont by conserving natural resources and preventing pollution before it is generated. Where there are multiple award recipients in a single category, the panel of judges did not make a distinction between first, second, and third place winners. Thus, the award recipients are listed alphabetically.

Business/Industry/Trade/Professional Organizations

Large Businesses:

Tivoly, Incorporated (Derby Line, VT) - Tivoly, with 160 full time employees, is recognized with a Governor’s Award this year as the first Vermont company to be ISO 14001 registered — and the first cutting tool manufacturer receiving ISO 14001 certification in North America. ISO 14000 is a series of international standards developed to prevent, reduce, and manage the environmental impact of industrial activities. The ISO 14000 series of standards contain requirements and guidelines for establishing and maintaining a company’s environmental management system. In the spring of 1996, even before the standard was officially approved, Tivoly’s management team committed itself to seek this registration and started to work toward the development of required documentation. Tivoly’s environmental policy explicitly states that "TIVOLY employees are committed to prevention of pollution, continual improvement and compliance to relevant environmental regulations." Their environmental slogan, "ISO 14001 -- A Crystal Clear Policy: PosiTIVOLY Committed to Environmental Excellence" helped build employee solidarity with the notion that environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility. With such a commitment to environmental excellence, to quality, and to environmental performance it is likewise crystal clear why we now recognize Tivoly with a Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Pollution Prevention.

International Business Machines (IBM Chemical/ Environmental Programs) (Essex Jct., VT) - IBM manufactures semiconductor memory and logic components for computers. A fifth-time award recipient, IBM is recognized this year for its efforts to prevent pollution through modification of a standard semiconductor industry spin-solvent tool used to remove contaminants from computer wafer surfaces. Through innovative parts placement, modification of the solvent application technique, and reengineering of the filter system an IBM engineering team was able to double processing capacity of the tool and to reduce solvent use and waste by 1,860 metric tons. This toxics use reduction represents a 93% reduction in one chemical, an 85% reduction in another, and a 72% reduction in a third toxic chemical. Two of these chemicals represented the largest hazardous waste streams generated at IBM Burlington. Besides the significant environmental benefits of this project, the process and tooling changes resulted in a significant improvement in product yield and reliability and have generated 5.7 million dollars in annual site chemical and production cost savings. Once again, IBM reminds us of what it means to achieve prosperity without pollution.

Small Businesses:

Hubbardton Forge (Castleton, VT) - Hubbardton Forge, formerly Glennbrook Manufacturing Corp., employs 42 people to manufacture fine quality hand-forged wrought iron lighting and home accessories. As a third-time recipient of a Governor’s Award Hubbardton Forge is recognized this year for building on its success at converting from liquid coatings to electrostatic powder coatings. Hubbardton Forge uses a proprietary two-coat powder-coating finish on 70% of its product. This requires two applications of powder and two passes through what was determined to be a state-of-the-art -- but energy inefficient -- conveyorized convection oven. Faced with greater than a 40% growth in sales, the management team decided to focus on ways to accomplish the finish in a single pass, to gain back 35% of system capacity, and to reduce energy consumption by one-quarter if they could. After months of research the Hubbardton Forge management team opted to invest in a catalytic-long wave infrared oven which uses propane. Infrared energy heats the surface of parts without a transfer of heat to the surrounding air, it is quieter, safer, cures in one-third the time of a convection oven, and takes up one-quarter the floor space of a convection oven. Although the powder coating formula itself needed to be altered, Hubbardton Forge achieved the goals it set for itself. Using reformulated powder coatings in conjunction with the new catalytic-long wave infrared oven the company is able to use infrared "tacking" to provide a stable base for a second coating before curing both coats at once. Besides the immediate savings in gas and electric consumption, eliminating the extra curing pass through the oven achieved a 23% reduction in energy consumption and eliminates air pollution from incomplete combustion that would have occurred during those extra passes. Several hours of oven run time are eliminated each day now. As the oldest contemporary commercial forge, Hubbardton Forge is clearly committed to quality, to honest simplicity, and to environmental excellence — pollution prevention again proves to be an important strategy for achieving both economic and environmental goals.

Individual Citizens

Steve Prouty - Steve Prouty took over the family septage hauling and management business in 1992. Prouty and Sons Septic Service provides septage pumping and management services to both residences and commercial businesses. Septage, the waste of our daily living is difficult, if not impossible, to prevent — but it need not be disposed of in a landfill or incinerated when beneficial uses exist. Steve transformed an old erosion-prone sand borrow pit in South Londonderry into a lush vegetated hay field. With little organic material in the borrow pit, Steve’s re-seeding and controlled application of septage resulted in a grass-covered field that is no longer subject to soil erosion. As a soil amendment, the septage amended soil pH, improved water holding capacity, and encouraged the lush growth of vegetation. Groundwater monitoring conducted on the site prior to and after Steve’s efforts show that groundwater quality has been protected, and vastly improved from when other septage management strategies were employed at this same site. The management of septage is not a livelihood that confers a great deal of social status or respect. Steve’s enthusiasm, commitment, and sense of social responsibility defy public perception and stereotypes of septage managers. It would, indeed, be easier for him to haul other, less stygmatized recyclables, because most Vermonters are knowledgeable and supportive of recycling. The same can not be said for Vermonters’ understanding of and support for septage management. Steve goes far to redefine the role and image of the septage manager in Vermont.

VTANR Award for Exemplary P2 Planning

Columbia Forest Products - Columbia Forest Products of Vermont, in Newport, is a manufacturing facility that produces rotary-cut hardwood veneers. Columbia has worked persistently to create a safe and clean environment for its employees and its neighbors. This ethic is readily apparent in Columbia’s 1996 Pollution Prevention Plan. The plan describes initiatives to reduce toxics use and hazardous waste generation implemented over the past decade as well as those initiatives currently being implemented and those targeted for the future. Projects completed since 1987 include process changes in splicing operations and glue mixing to minimize waste and toxicity. In 1990, Columbia replaced seven single-walled underground storage tanks with double-walled tanks as a pro-active measure to prevent groundwater contamination. In 1992, the company went beyond compliance with environmental regulations to reduce air-borne dust and particulates. The exemplary pollution prevention planning being done at Columbia Forest Products helped to establish benchmarks with which continuous improvement has been effectively guaged. At Columbia, they have utilized the planning process to affect positive change for employees, for neighbors, and for the environment in exactly the way it was envisioned in 1991 when Vermont’s Pollution Prevention Planning statute was signed into law.