Contribution to EPA Goals

EPA’s 2006-2011 Strategic Plan sets goals for the following areas (click on the links to see Performance Track members' relevant achievements):

• Clean Air and Global Climate Change
• Clean and Safe Water
• Land Preservation and Restoration
• Healthy Communities and Ecosystems
• Compliance and Environmental Stewardship

While Performance Track itself fits under the Compliance and Environmental Stewardship goal, the environmental improvements that Performance Track members make contribute to all goals under the plan. For example:

Goal 1: Clean Air and Global Climate Change

Objective 1.1: Healthier Outdoor Air

In support of this objective, Performance Track members have:

• Reduced air toxics emissions by 722 tons.
• Reduced SOx emissions by 43,083 tons.
• Reduced NOx emissions by 12,826 tons.
• Reduced VOCs by 3,004 tons.

Performance Track has also established several regional challenge goals to improve air quality.

Objective 1.5: Reduce Greenhouse Gases

In support of this objective, Performance Track members have:

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 309,780 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Performance Track has also established regional challenge goals for greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Goal 2: Clean and Safe Water

Objective 2.1: Protect Human Health

In support of this objective, Performance Track members have:

• Reduced toxic discharges to water by 2,995 tons.

Objective 2.2: Protect Water Quality

In support of this objective, Performance Track members have:

• Used pollution prevention and restoration approaches to protect the quality of rivers, lakes, and streams.
• Reduced non-toxic discharges to water of 33,286 tons, including reduction of Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), nutrients, and sediments to water.

In addition, Performance Track encourages member facilities in impaired watersheds to set goals for improving discharges to water and restoring habitat that is vital to the health of the watershed.

Objective 2.3: Enhance Science and Research

In support of this objective, the Performance Track program and its members have:

• Worked collaboratively with local governments to collect water quality data as a first step in the restoration process.
• In support of EPA’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative, Performance Track worked with the Agency's Office of Water to encourage municipal wastewater treatment facilities and water treatment utilities to implement Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and join Performance Track or similar state programs.

Goal 3: Land Preservation and Restoration

Objective 3.1 : Preserve Land

This objective includes the sub-objective of reducing adverse effects to land by reducing waste generation, increasing recycling, and ensuring proper management of waste and petroleum products at facilities in ways that prevent releases. In support of this objective, Performance Track members have:

• Increased the area of land and habitat conserved by 16,809 acres.
• Reduced nonhazardous waste by 1,211,766 tons.
• Reduced hazardous waste by 52,266 tons.
• Increased procurement of materials with recycled content by 493 tons.
• Increased use of reused/recycled materials by 559,991 tons.

Objective 3.2: Restore Land

In support of this objective, a number of Performance Track members have restored land for use as wildlife habitat and other land conservation projects.

• Performance Track established a National Habitat Challenge Goal in 2007. A Performance Track member that wishes to set a Habitat Challenge Goal must commit to restore or enhance at least 10 acres of land over a three-year period. In addition to addressing these areas, a habitat improvement plan must be developed and receive written third-party assessment and on-site review by a qualified person, such as a wildlife biologist or organization.

Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems

Objective 4.1: Chemical and Pesticides Risks

In support of this objective, Performance Track has undertaken several initiatives to reduce chemical and pesticide risks:

• Through a partnership with EPA's Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign, Performance Track members are encouraged to engage their community schools in reducing risks associated with the accumulation of chemicals whether for classroom or maintenance uses. Performance Track member facilities with chemical management expertise may choose to set alternate goals to work with community schools, developing systems for inventory, safety, and proper storage and disposal.
• EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response has established a Priority Chemical reduction challenge goal for Performance Track members.
  

Objective 4.2: Communities

Facilities applying to Performance Track commit to remain involved and active in their community, sharing their accomplishments with the public and addressing any community concerns. Many Performance Track members work in their community to improve environmental and public health.

Dozens of Performance Track members have hosted Earth Day programs on-site or in the community.

• For example, TDK Components USA in Peachtree City, Georgia, gave an Earth Day presentation to a local elementary school on environmental issues involving water.
• Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, hosted an Environmental Fair during the week of Earth Day, including an environmental workshop for teachers from the local school district. The facility also held a community cleanup campaign.

Other Performance Track facilities have encouraged staff to volunteer at community environmental education workshops.

Goal 5: Compliance and Environmental Stewardship

Objective 5.2: Improve Environmental Performance Through Pollution Prevention and Other Stewardship Practices

EPA uses the term "environmental stewardship" to describe the sense of responsibility and ownership that goes along with not only meeting, but exceeding, existing regulatory requirements.  Stewards of the environment recycle and reduce waste to the greatest extent possible, minimize or eliminate pollution at its source, conserve natural resources, and use energy efficiently to prevent harm to the environment or human health.

Performance Track members exemplify this concept of stewardship.

• Each member demonstrates a commitment to continuous environmental improvement and sets beyond-compliance goals to make performance improvements in up to four environmental areas.
• The results of members' work toward those goals are reported in this section of the Performance Track website.

Objective 5.4: Enhance Society’s Capacity for Sustainability Through Science and Research

By its innovative nature and dedication to continuous improvement, Performance Track encourages creativity, innovation, and experimentation by its members.

In working toward their Performance Track goals, many members have developed new approaches that are helping to advance best practices and the state of the art in environmental protection.

• For example, between 2003 and 2006, Novozymes, Inc., of Franklinton, North Carolina, reduced the amount of filter pad waste sent to the landfill by more than 80% by implementing alternative filtration technology and developing recycling systems for the filter pads that still must be used. The facility implemented other solid waste reduction and recycling projects that reduced the site's total landfilled solid waste by 61% compared with the baseline year. These improvements resulted in annual savings of approximately $25,000.