ing other nations to promote energy efficiency. In Thailand, public utilities have developed a Golden Mango program to bring high-efficiency refrigerators to its market.

NICE3. Short for National Industrial Competitiveness through Efficiency: Energy, Environment, and Economics, NICE3 is a state grant program jointly administered by EPA, and the departments of Commerce and Energy. Grants support innovative technologies in waste reduction and energy efficiency that can improve industrial competitiveness. In 1991 the following grants helped save energy, reduce hazardous wastes, and generate cost savings.

• Methanol Recovery. A grant helped the Peroxygen Chemical Division of FMC Corporation in Texas develop a method to use steam distillation to recover spent methanol from its hydrogen peroxide purification process, thus reducing the facility's energy consumption by 300 billion BTU, its hazardous waste generation by 14.6 million pounds, and its operating costs by $11.9 million per year. • Reclaimed Cleaning Water. A grant helped a PPG Industries facility in Ohio design and install a combined ultrafiltration/reverse osmosis unit to reclaim cleaning water used in the production of water-based

primers. The unit will save the com-
pany $205,000 per year while reduc-
ing hazardous wastes by 3.1 million
pounds and cutting energy consump-
tion by 190 billion BTU.

• Reduced Emissions of Volatile
Organic Compounds. A grant to
the Niagara Mohawk Power Corpora-
tion and Carrier Corporation in New
York helped demonstrate how reduc-
ing the emission of volatile organic
compounds can lead to energy effi-

ciency improvements. If adopted nationwide, the program has the potential to save 30 trillion BTU and avoid the generation of 126 million pounds of hazardous waste each year.

33/50 Program. The EPA 33/50 program derives its name from its goals a reduction of 33 percent by 1992 and of 50 percent by 1995 in environmental releases and off-site transfers of 17 priority pollutants. The baseline year for reductions is 1988, when releases and transfers of these chemicals totaled 1.4 billion pounds, as measured by the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). By October 1992 a total of 937 companies had volunteered to reduce their releases and transfers by 347 million pounds 25 percent below the 1988 baseline. See following page.

National Science Foundation Research Grants. In 1992 NSF and the Council for Chemical Research, Inc., initiated a program to fund research aimed at reducing manufacturing pollution at its source by designing new chemical synthesis and processing methods. In 1992 the program funded ten joint university-industry research programs and anticipates rapid expansion in 1993. Research projects seek feedstock substitutions, alternative synthetic and separation procedures, better catalysts, and process modifications to reduce resource and energy consumption and minimize the production of byproducts and wastes. Industrial participation in the design and evaluation of the projects ensures the applicability of research to real-world manufacturing problems and speeds technology transfer from the laboratory to the manufacturing plant.

Dye Industry Initiative. EPA and the Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyestuffs Manufacturers

(ETAD) have developed a pollution prevention program for the dye industry. In October 1991 a task force, with representatives from ETAD, individual companies, and EPA, issued a pollution prevention manual for the dye industry. The manual identifies opportunities for pollution prevention and recycling for all operations related to dye manufacturing, from purchasing materials to packaging the product. To monitor progress, ETAD is using a survey that collects information on waste reduction activities in the industry.

Design for the Environment. In 1992 EPA launched Design for the Environment (DFE) to apply pollution prevention principles to the design of chemical processes and products. By disseminating information on the comparative risk and performance of chemicals, DFE helps industries make informed, environmentally responsible design choices. The program includes the following components:

• Chemical Design Grants Pro-
gram. DFE is funding research at
six universities to minimize or elimi-
nate toxic substances in the synthesis
of chemicals.

• National Center for Pollution
Prevention. This consortium, locat-
ed at the University of Michigan, is
developing academic curricula on
chemical design for use in business,
engineering, and natural resources
programs.

• Demonstration Projects. In the Printing Industry Pilot Project, EPA is bringing together printers, printing trade associations, and chemical and equipment suppliers to investigate alternative chemicals and processes to prevent pollution.

• Insurance Incentive. This pilot project is designed to work with the

insurance industry to investigate whether rates can be adjusted to reflect the reductions in environmen

tal liability associated with pollution prevention projects.

• Full Cost Accounting. As part of the program, EPA is preparing a workshop on how companies can account more accurately for the costs of their polluting activities.

Recycled Products Trade Fair. In June 1992 the Council on Federal Recycling and Procurement Policy hosted a trade fair to increase the use of recycled-content products by the federal government. The theme, "Closing the Loop," stressed that unless materials recovered from the waste stream are turned into products that someone can use, they have not really been recycled. The fair brought together the makers of recycled-content products with one of the country's largest consumers-the federal government. Recycled content product manufacturers demonstrated the availability and quality of their products, while government officials explained the process of selling those products to the government.

Department of Defense Purchasing. As major purchasers and users of hazardous materials, the armed services have the potential to reduce pollution in their operations. In 1992 the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines recorded pollution prevention accomplishments in systems acquisition, material substitution, process improvement, and improved material management. For more information, see the Department of Defense section.

Postal Service Initiatives. The pollution prevention program of the U.S. Postal Service includes source reduction and recycling. For a discus

sion of recycling efforts, see the Federal Facilities Management section.

Source Reduction. Efforts include
the replacement of wooden pallets by
longer-life, more cost-effective plas-
tic pallets. The cost per trip for plas-
tic pallets is about half that of the
wooden models. Changing to a thin-
ner, yet equally strong cardboard for
Express Mail packaging has reduced
bulk by 15 percent, while also reduc-
ing shipping costs, warehousing, and
post-consumer costs of disposal. A
lighter, more economical Express
Mail envelope, with no loss in ser-
vice, security, or customer confi-
dence, saves 170 tons per year-a
15-percent reduction in bulk. A
change to Priority Mail flat-rate
envelopes made of a lighter weight,
100-percent recycled (25 percent
post-consumer waste) stock saves
251 tons of cardboard annually.

• Third Class Mail Study. A 1990
study indicated that 8.2 percent of
third-class mail was undeliverable
and thrown away. In response, the
Postal Service has worked with mail-
ers to improve the quality of their
address lists through National
Change of Address (NCOA),
Address Change Service (ACS),
Operation MAIL, and Address List
Correction. As a result, bulk busi-
ness mail has been reduced by 1.4
billion pieces in the last two years.
• Global Mailstream Study. The
Universal Postal Union accepted a

proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to study how postal services worldwide can be leaders in preventing pollution. A workgroup, composed of postal administrations from Sweden, Japan, China, the United States, and the former Soviet Union will survey 175 postal administrations on ways to prevent pollution from materials entering the global mailstream.

Voluntary Initiatives

Through awards programs, the federal government recognizes outstanding voluntary initiatives to prevent pollution. In May 1992 the EPA Administrator's Awards recognized 17 organizations for outstanding achievements in pollution prevention. Winners were selected from 840 applicants, and awards were made in the following categories: environmental, nonprofit, and community organization; small and large business; local governments; state government; federal government; and educational institution. Recipients included the following:

• A Chemical Hazards Prevention
Program by Inform, Inc.;

• Green Star Program by the Alaska
Center for the Environment;
• A Volatile Organic Compound
Reduction Program by Mead Packag-
ing;

• A new single-coat paint developed
by the Navy; and

• A pollution prevention planning
model developed by the Air Force.

Private Sector Initiatives

environmental protection can be good for the bottom line.

Environmental initiatives can benefit businesses in the following ways: • Cost Savings. Companies can prevent pollution and save money by improving efficiency, conserving costly materials, and reducing pollution control costs.

• Greater Flexibility. Proactive environmental initiatives allow companies to define problems, set priorities, and undertake solutions. Voluntary initiatives allow companies to reduce future liability risks and influence the development of more practical, efficient, and effective regulations.

• Competitive Advantage. Companies are finding that environmental leadership keeps them ahead of firms that merely respond to or comply with current regulations.

• New Markets. Environmentally sound products, services, and technologies are spurring consumer demand and commercial opportuni