USA’s ‘Green’ Initiatives Gain Momentum

USA’s Environmental Safety and Health (ES&H) professionals are continuing to find innovative and meaningful ways to improve USA’s environmental performance since attaining third-party certification of the Environmental Management System (EMS) in July 2007.

During 2008, USA implemented a variety of programs that aim to reduce the amount of materials sent to landfills. The company has found ways to increase recycling capabilities, reduce the amount of hazardous waste generated in operations and recognize employees who make a positive impact on the environment.

Employee involvement was a key focus last year in developing new and sustainable initiatives. One approach was to develop and launch the enterprise-wide Environmental Suggestion Box, a tool allowing employees to make suggestions on how USA, as a company or individual employees, can have a positive impact on the environment. More than 100 suggestions have been submitted and reviewed so far, including some that have resulted in specific initiatives being implemented. Other suggestions are being evaluated for applicability, sustainability and feasibility.

Recently, USA launched the Taking Charge of the Environment (TCOE) employee recognition program, which is modeled after USA’s highly successful Taking Charge of Safety program. The TCOE program is, however, focused on recognizing individuals or groups who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to protect the environment, preserve natural resources or promote environmental stewardship within the community. Employees are encouraged to nominate those whose efforts at work and/or home involve positive contributions to environmental causes.

“Our hope is to recognize employees who enrich our community through their efforts,” said David Teixeira, USA Environmental Specialist. “We want employees to realize how easy it can be to make a big difference.”

Company-wide, USA has found several innovative ways to improve environmental performance in Florida and in Texas.

USA’s Environmental Management Department and Construction Management/Corrosion Control team in Florida initiated a six-month biodiesel pilot program in April 2008 in honor of Earth Day. The team used B20 biodiesel blend (a clean-burning, renewable substitute for petroleum diesel) in selected construction equipment, such as compressors and high reaches, to determine the suitability for future use in this type of equipment. USA’s corrosion control subcontractor, Met-Con, their equipment supplier, Pinnacle Central Supply, and fuel provider, Watkins Oil Company, all supported the program.

“The pilot program was so successful that the original six-month duration was extended indefinitely,” said Tim Kozusko, USA Florida Environmental Management.

In another example of innovative environmentally conscious solutions, the ES&H team worked on a plan that would allow JSC to reuse unwanted wooden pallets and crates from USA’s Shipping and Receiving operations in Houston.

“We noticed a significant number of wooden pallets and crates in the dumpsters, especially at our Logistics Support Facility in Houston,” Teixeira said. “While we reused what we could, the dumpsters were filling up quickly, and we were paying a company to dispose of what we couldn’t use.”

Knowing that the material could be recycled, Teixeira proposed a plan that would save money and divert this material from the landfill. They offered the pallets and crates to JSC for their use and sent any unusable items to a wood recycling facility. This program has diverted approximately 225 pallets and 100 crates annually from USA dumpsters.

USA’s environmental specialists in Texas and Florida addressed the issue of excessive cardboard and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), or Styrofoam, which frequently filled dedicated dumpsters. This material was primarily generated following receipt of computer equipment such as servers, PCs, monitors, etc. While a limited amount of this packaging material was able to be reused by USA’s shipping and receiving departments, a large quantity wound up in dumpsters. USA team members researched and identified a viable and cost-effective disposal alternative by offering nearly all the unwanted material for reuse by local UPS Store owners. ES&H is continuing to evaluate new technologies for a sustainable solution that includes environmentally friendly methods of recycling EPS.

Further measures are currently in work company-wide to expand recycling capabilities at all offsite facilities to include cardboard, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, mixed paper and data tapes. USA environmental specialists are also hoping to initiate recycling of Tyvek clothing as well as inorganic zinc solids from paints.

All these efforts not only demonstrate improved efficiencies, cost reductions and compliance with ISO certification requirements, but, more importantly, they help define USA’s environmental philosophy of sustainability.

“USA has been focused on environmental responsibility for many years, but not because we wanted recognition of our Environmental Management System,” said Craig Lovell, Vice President Safety Quality and Mission Assurance. “We’ve maintained this focus because it is our responsibility to keep the planet safe. We are committed to implementing sustainable programs in order to further this goal.”

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USA’s ‘Green’ Initiatives Gain Momentum

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