2009 PEP Environmental
Stewardship Awards
Community Partner
Awards
Neil C. Johnston
and
Alabama Coastal
Foundation
Neil C. Johnston
Neil Johnston has dedicated his professional and
personal endeavors to protecting and enhancing the
environment. Neil’s commitment to community education,
particularly, the next generation is evidenced by his
work in the development of the Alabama Coastal
Foundation’s Coastal Kidz Quiz and Project CATE’s
educational CD-rom series. Neil inspires and activates
students of all ages to learn about conservation and the
environment.
As a partner in the law firm, Hand Arendall, LLC, Mr.
Johnston is the Chairman of the firm’s Land Use and
Environmental Practice Group. Mr. Johnston frequently
writes and speaks on environmental and land use topics
concerning forestry, wetlands, endangered species,
coastal issues, conservation easements, and construction
storm water issues.
Among his numerous awards for his work in the fields of
conservation, environmental law and education, are the
2003 National Wetlands Award from the Environmental Law
Institute in Washington, D.C., the Gulf Guardian Award
2002 – first place conservation education (Ribbit’s
Big Splash), the 2003 Governor’s Conservation
Achievement Award ("Conservation Educator of the Year"
for The Project CATE Foundation) from the Alabama
Wildlife Federation, and the 2002 Best Environmental
Education Award for development of Ribbit’s Big
Splash from the Environment Education Association of
Alabama. He serves on a number of professional and civic
associations, including the Nature Conservancy of
Alabama (Board of Trustees, 1990-1996), The Project CATE
Foundation, Inc. (President and General Counsel,
1997-present), and Alabama Coastal Foundation
(President, 2003-2004).
Alabama
Coastal Foundation
Since its founding in 1993, the Alabama Coastal
Foundation (ACF) has worked to create a healthy balance
between the conservation needs of our priceless
resources and the inevitable pressures of economic
growth placed upon them. To accomplish its mission ACF
uses an education-based approach to conservation by
understanding the problem before a solution is sought.
ACF pursues practical solutions to conservation
challenges in a non-adversarial manner. And they are
dedicated to partnering with business, local government
and other non-profits to maximize their efforts.
ACF
informs and engages the community through a number of
community programs. In particular, the habitat
preservation efforts of the Osprey platforms and tree
plantings, and the Coastal Kidz Quiz, a fun and
informative method of educating 5th graders, motivates
people of all ages to take personal action to make a
positive impact on the environment.
The Kids Quiz, which PEP has supported for several
years, was recently named “the Best Environmental
Education Program” in Alabama by the Environmental
Education Association of Alabama.
2009 PEP MEMBER AWARDS
AARON Oil Company
Aaron
Oil Company,
a full service used oil and petroleum reclamation facility,
set a corporate goal to reduce overall energy usage by 6
percent in 2008.
This
was not only achieved, but surpassed, saving a total of 8
percent
by
reducing the amount of energy purchased from the grid and by
creating a fuel source that could be used within the plant
rather than purchasing fuel from an outside vendor. Instead
of the usual landfilling practice, AOC recycles or reclaims
all of the absorbent materials (910 tons) and used oil metal
filters (601 tons) it picks up. In doing so, AOC helps
companies reach their waste minimization goals.
E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, Mobile
Site
DuPont, Mobile Site
implemented significant
new
activities and recycling efforts to reduce environmental
impact. In early 2008, after careful testing, DuPont
replaced an ammonia compressor with a safer cooling method
and removed approximately 13,000 lbs of toxic ammonia from
the plant. DuPont also began using recycled toluene in all
applicable processes eliminating the need to purchase fresh
toluene and its disposal as a waste. Through shipping
830,500 lbs of the recycled solvent to an off-site user, a
transportation synergy was found that allowed the Mobile
site to reduce by half the number of trucks on the highway
and to never transport an empty container.
Holcim
(US) Inc, Theodore Plant
Holcim,
Theodore Plant
demonstrated its commitment to sustainable environmental
performance through the Theodore Plant’s StormWater
Conservation Project. In prior years, the plant has
discharged as many as 88 million gallons of treated storm
water. By finding new ways to utilize captured storm water
in the cooling process, in 2008, only three million gallons
of storm water was discharged. This also reduced the plant’s
use of and reliance on local municipality water. Through
this project, Holcim not only saved thousands of dollars,
but benefited the environment by significantly reducing
reliance on local municipality water and the volume of water
discharged to the ship channel.
Shell
Chemical, Mobile Site
Shell
Chemical, Mobile Site,
in a synergy partnership with Oil Recovery Company, took the
opportunity provided by recent changes in EPA’s RCRA
hazardous waste regulations to reduce the environmental
impact of the Mobile Site. Shell implemented new recycling
methods for Dissolved Air Floatation (DAF) material
collected from the treatment of petroleum process wastewater
at the onsite industrial wastewater treatment facility.
Since the inception of this recycling process, the Mobile
Site has recycled more than ten (10) million pounds (three
million in 2008 alone) of material that otherwise would
undergo a dewatering process and be disposed in a hazardous
waste landfill. Subsequently, the Mobile site has reduced
its annual Toxic Release Information for hazardous material.
ThyssenKrupp
Steel and Stainless USA, LLC
ThyssenKrupp Steel and Stainless
and
Team Alabama undertook extraordinary efforts in protecting
and improving the environment while developing the 4,000
acre site for the new steel and stainless mill in Calvert,
Alabama. TK and their site selection consultants performed
initial environmental screenings of all the finalist sites,
so that they could be ready to immediately break ground.
Following the ThyssenKrupp Environmental Master Plan, Team
Alabama, under the leadership of Linda Swann of the
Alabama Development Office, hired local professionals to
conduct Cultural Resource Assessments, Wetlands Mitigation
Plans, and an extensive Stream Mitigation Plan. These plans
called for the largest purchase of wetland mitigation
credits in the history of the State, the improvement of
hundreds of acres of on-site wetland buffer areas, the
perpetual protection of preserved on-site wetlands, and the
construction of an improved stream bed on the north edge of
the property.
In addition to the steps required by permits, ThyssenKrupp
also constructed a tall earthen berm to mitigate the
disturbance of neighboring property owners.ThyssenKrupp
Steel and Stainless and Team Alabama paid close attention to
and made positive contributions to our area’s triple bottom
line - representing environmental, social, and economic
benefits.
As part of this Award, PEP extends special recognition to
the Alabama Development Office for its strong leadership of
Team Alabama.
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