Colorado counties were front and center April 1-4 at the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable's spring conference in Denver.
Pollution prevention practitioners; federal, state and local government officials; industry representatives; students; and international delegations met at the conference to share perspectives on a range of current pollution prevention topics.
As the host state, Colorado provided tips for strengthening pollution prevention programs.
With local government agencies complementing the activities of state agencies, Colorado is broadening its initiatives despite limited financial resources.
Colorado counties have greatly assisted state voluntary compliance programs by providing free technical assistance to numerous small and medium-sized businesses. State agencies provide assistance to the larger businesses as well as to county-level practitioners.
Leading this effort are six Colorado counties that have formed a regional coalition - represented by their health departments - to address pollution prevention and provide technical assistance to businesses in the area.
The counties of Pueblo, Mesa, Boulder, Larimer, Jefferson and Tri-County (Adams, Douglas and Arapahoe counties) have created a forum for information-sharing and deliver needed technical assistance to the state's jurisdictions.
Funded through Preventative Health Block Grants from the National Center for Disease Control and state funding acquired through the state Pollution Prevention Act, the six-county coalition was able to expand pollution prevention assistance to surrounding counties, provide outreach to businesses and train county officials.
Colorado is increasingly looking toward its counties to put a personal face on pollution prevention.
"If you have someone in the community who can reach out to local businesses and promote pollution prevention, that is a really effective way to get businesses to adopt pollution improvements," said Neil Kolwey of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Judy Heiderscheidt, of the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, agreed. "Making personal contact with businesses is essential as far as getting them to look internally for 'P2' pollution prevention opportunities," she said.
County governments have used numerous methods to entice local companies to participate in pollution prevention activities. For example, with a $25,000 grant provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Boulder County created Business Partners for a Clean Environment.
In conjunction with the City of Boulder Office of Environmental Affairs and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Boulder County constructed a working relationship between government and commerce to provide one-on-one pollution prevention assistance to local small businesses.
Businesses participating with the partnership have reduced their emissions by thousands of pounds and have realized substantial annual savings.
Incentive programs and recognition are important components of state and local pollution prevention efforts.
"Public recognition," says Kolwey, "is an extremely valuable and effective incentive to get businesses involved." In Boulder County's Business Partners for a Clean Environment, participating businesses that meet established criteria are entitled to free advertising in local publications twice a year, receive recognition at an annual awards ceremony, and receive an official Business Partners decal for their business. Pueblo and Larimer counties are establishing similar programs.
Local governments have also become a player in larger, state-level partnerships. The Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment, for example, has come on board the State Pollution Prevention Partnership, a nonprofit organization created to foster a more productive dialogue between its members and focus on promoting pollution prevention in Colorado.
The partners - including state government, industry, local government and public interest groups - come to the table to discuss strategies, (including industry-specific goals) and the assistance needed to achieve these goals. Jefferson County is partnering with these industries to form a mentor program with its smaller local businesses.
(For more information regarding Colorado's efforts or about other pollution prevention topics, contact Naomi Friedman at 202/942-4262; e-mail: nfriedman@naco.org or Tony Hayes at 202/942-4247; e-mail: thayes@naco.org.)