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Environmental Excellence Awards 12/2/92 [OA 7583]
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Environmental Excellence Awards 12/2/92 [OA 7583]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Backup Chronological Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Backup Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13841
Folder ID Number:
13841-002
Folder Title:
Environmental Excellence Awards 12/2/92 [OA 7583]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
23
2
3
(Grossman)
November 23, 1992
Draft One
ENVIRO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
THE EAST ROOM
DECEMBER 2, 1992
Welcome everyone to the White House. [Acknowledgments]. And
a special welcome to the nine awards winners and thirteen
citation recipients, congratulations.
[[One of our recipients here today is called "Keep Texas
Beautiful. " I want them to know that we'll soon be making a
contribution to the state's wildlife preserves
Now where's
Millie? I guess I frightened her off. ]]
I'm not going to make a long-winded speech today. \ I take
the Clean Air Act very seriously. \\ But I've had a lot of time
to think, over the past two weeks, and I'd like to share some of
my reflections.
It's a strange time now: a twilight between the dusk of one
administration and the dawn of another. Over the next few years
I reckon I'll be spending a lot of time under what Teddy
Roosevelt called "the great cathedral of the outdoors;" and I'll
remember what we've done to conserve it, and preserve it
and
I'll be proud.
The environmental presidency was born out of the concerns of
a President, an outdoorsman, and a grandfather. Our approach
relied on sound policies over soundbites. We resisted the "green
fringe" of environmental extremism: holding fast to the principle
2
that only a growing economy can provide the resources needed to
protect the environment.
We combined a pragmatism about human nature with an idealism
about Mother Nature: an ambitious agenda that sought to harness
the energy of capitalism in the service of conservation.
Here are the accomplishments I am proud to pass on to a new
generation: The Clean Air Act -- we broke ten years of
congressional gridlock by proposing and signing the world's most
protective and cost-effective clean air legislation.
We
won
major funding shifts to environmental programs -- increasing the
EPA's budget by almost a half, and increasing funding for clean
energy R&D by 66%.
On the law enforcement fronts we broke new ground and old
records: filing more cases, collecting more penalties, and
putting more polluters behind bars than in all of EPA's 18 year
history.
We helped make America's Great Outdoors even greater:
securing over $750 million to expand parks, wildlife refuges,
campgrounds, and scenic rivers. \ We ended the standard practice
of clear-cutting on federal land. And to make sure no one would
miss the forest for the trees, we planted over two million new
trees all across this great land.
\
We ensured that America's seas would still be "shining":
ending ocean dumping of sewage sludge \ signing a tough oil
pollution bill \ and imposing a 10-year moratorium on oil and gas
leasing.
3
We've made real progress in conserving energy -- by
redefining how we use it, and re-refining what we use. We
increased funding for energy conservation and renewables by 66%
in FY '92. We launched more than a dozen international
partnerships to spur clean technology development and exports.
And we proposed comprehensive national energy legislation --
legislation I invite our new president to use as his guide.
In terms of federal leadership, we've tripled funding for
federal facility cleanups secured over a hundred enforceable
cleanup agreements for federal facilities and signed executive
orders spurring the federal government to take the lead in
increasing energy efficiency, recycling, and waste reduction.
\
And finally, we've insisted that a new world order include a
cleaner world environment. We reached over twenty new
international environmental agreements. We made America first
in the world to accelerate the phaseout of CFCs. We weaved
environmental cooperation into trade negotiations with our
neighbors; expanded debt-for-nature swaps with Latin America; and
proposed, signed, and submitted to Congress a comprehensive,
action-oriented global climate treaty.
This awards program itself was established to honor those
who've honored the environment. Some here have forged innovative
partnerships -- environmental alliances that are protecting our
wetlands, preserving our resources, and preparing a new
generation of environmental leadership.
4
Others here have taken the lead in combining sound business
with a safer environment -- a smart, new merger between
profitability and preservation.
Still others are pioneers on the frontier of environmental
technology: finding ways to remove CFC production from
manufacturing; or reduce pollution while recycling metal scrap.
Finally we've got recipients here who are cultivating our
human resources to conserve our natural ones. Leaders, like
Hazel Johnson, who realize that the greening of America is a
truly a grassroots operation. or the Environmental Education
Program, teaching our children how to care for the great land
they will inherit.
I remember back in July I was out west visiting Sequoia
National Park. There was a camp there for inner-city youngsters,
Pyles Boys Camp I think it was called. I remember quoting Teddy
Roosevelt talking about the "beautiful gifts" we receive from
nature -- gifts we "ought to hand on as a precious heritage to
[our] children and [our] children's children."
That heritage is the family legacy that all Americans share,
and share responsibility for. Each of you understands President
Roosevelt's challenge. Each of you has acted on it. For that
you have my admiration, my respect, and my gratitude. Now, Mike,
if you'd hand out those awards.
#
#
#
initiative, the 1990 Clean Air Act, would be an incredi-
ble blunder. Reilly prevailed, the act became a sweeping
Bush's green screwup.
reform, and Darman lost several notches of corridor
reputation around Washington.
As the economic slump has progressed, Darman is
said to have told Bush with increasing conviction that
BLACK THUMBS
environmental strictures are a primary cause of the
recession. This view, too, is not shared by any important
economist. For example, although Darman and his
allies go on and on about how the Endangered Species
Act is strangling economic development, no major aca-
By Gregg Easterbrook
demic theorist has supported this notion with research.
asn't anyone noticed that George Bush's poll
ut Darman is the president's chief economic
H
numbers began to dive in late May, during the
B
adviser. He evidently hoped that if he could
buildup to the Earth Summit? That was when
persuade Bush to turn anti-environmental, he
he began a calculated attempt to sneer at envi-
would both divert blame from his own eco-
ronmental regulation: snapping and snarling about
nomic advice and set Reilly up as the fall guy. Through
global warming, the Endangered Species Act, fuel effi-
1991 most Bush advisers ignored Darman's analysis. But
ciency, and other matters. Of course Bush's sudden
by winter 1992, with the November lock unlocking, the
anti-green attitude was not the primary factor in his
White House became susceptible. Darman's ideas
declining popularity; the economy weighs much more
began to catch on.
heavily on the public mind. But the unveiling of an
Darman began pushing the president to back
unvironmental president seems to have supported one
Quayle's bid to rewrite wetland regulations in a way that
of voters' worst fears about Bush-that he is out of
would open millions of protected acres to development.
touch with common American concerns.
The "no net loss of wetlands" assertion was among
The anti-environmental presidency was orchestrated
Bush's few specific campaign promises of 1988. "That
by administration insiders who have specialized in
was just in a speech, it doesn't really count as a
being out of touch-Vice President Dan Quayle, the
promise," Darman said at one meeting. Pointing to OMB
short-lived domestic policy "czar" Clayton Yeutter,
deputy director Robert Grady, Darman added, "He put
domestic Council of Economic Advisers chairman
it in there, he got us into this mess."
Michael Boskin, and most of all OMB chief Richard Dar-
Grady has been the green world's White House mole,
man. Pundits may one day cite the White House self-
protecting environmental initiatives even as he has
destruct on the environment as the perfect metaphor
managed to stay on as Darman's No. 2 (by virtue of
for Bush's administration: afraid of its genuine accom-
being a deficit hawk). Grady's political education came
plishments, perversely pandering to the lowest com-
as an assistant to Republican Governor Thomas Kean of
mon denominator of the right wing, satisfying no one.
New Jersey, at a time when New Jersey could not attract
"Remember, there has never been an environmental
business investment without environmental cleanup.
regulation that has not hurt the economy," Darman is
This taught Grady that pollution control is good for
said to have told Bush during final preparations for the
business, a view now accepted by many top CEOS, who
1991 G7 summit in London, at which several Western
see good environmental records as relatively cheap ways
leaders wanted to talk green talk. Few if any creden-
to earn a competitive advantage in the global market-
tialed economists endorse this view. But Darman has a
place. Grady also understands that almost everyone
deep personal investment in anti-environmental
from the boomer age group approves of conservation.
rhetoric, which he has advanced with increasing insis-
He was horrified by the idea of an anti-environmental
tence within the White House. Darman detests ecologi-
campaign transformation but, lacking Darman's regular
cal thinking generally. He considers professional envi-
contact with the president, was unable to get his objec-
ros to be con artists interested mainly in publicity and
tions to register.
fund-raising, and those Republican leaders who make
Around May, according to administration officials,
green guilt gestures to be squish-heads incapable of
Darman persuaded Bush that an offensive against
maintaining their convictions. A key squish-head in Dar-
greenery would win the president new support. This
man's universe is rival James Baker, a moderate convert
reveals breathtaking detachment from public opinion.
to environmental protection partly because other gov-
Polls consistently show that 70 percent to 80 percent of
ernments have been bending his ear about the issue for
Americans now call themselves "environmentalists," and
four years.
though some of that sentiment is shallow, polls show
From early in the administration, Darman has been
strong across-the-board negative reactions to anti-
animated with antipathy toward EPA administrator
environmental snarling. This is true if only for self-
William Reilly. Reilly has Bush's personal affection and
centered reasons-at most a tiny percentage of voters
protected status with the media; Darman has neither.
have had their jobs affected by environmental regula-
Darman repeatedly told Bush that Reilly's first major
tion, but nearly all have encountered pollution and
26 THE NEW REPUBLIC NOVEMBER 16, 1992
been disgusted by it. The strategy was bound to make
Waivers from Republican appointees to Republican gov-
the president seem an idiot, and did.
ernors were then automatic. Deland carried much of
In the weeks leading up to Rio, Darman became
the fight against Quayle's wetlands proposal. He repeat-
almost maniacal about environmentalist influence.
edly offered to defend Bush's Rio positions, but was
"Darman thought the global warming treaty was the
never accorded a White House forum sufficient to give
Clean Air Act for the world; the biodiversity treaty was
his explanations force. A measure of Darman's retro-
the Endangered Species Act for the world. He was so
grade influence in this area is that he stopped Bush
bent out of shape about the biodiversity treaty he
from making Deland an effective point man on Rio.
couldn't see straight," said an informed observer (not
Then there is Quayle's Council on Competitiveness,
Grady). There were valid reasons for White House trep-
which has regulatory review powers. Many Washington
idation about these treaties in their original forms (see
reporters have suggested there is something nefarious
"Rio-Con," TNR, July 6). Darman, however, saw Rio as a
about the very existence of the council. There isn't.
chance not to fix flawed treaties, but to deliver a sting-
Watching for silly or overly costly regulations is a good
ing setback to the green movement. Thus when it
idea, and other presidents, including Jimmy Carter,
turned out that U.S. negotiators pulled a coup by mak-
have had committees with this assignment. The prob-
ing the final global warming agreement better than the
lem is not so much what the council does, but what it
original U.N. version, Darman was angry. Offended by
pretends to do. Its two directors, Allan Hubbard and
the idea that any greenhouse restrictions could be a
David McIntosh, are anti-green fanatics who delight in
good development, the Darman faction endlessly talked
talk of exposing the enviro con artists. This boasting
down this breakthrough. Similarly, Bush's actions on
ends up being treated by the press as a fact, since few
the biodiversity treaty-which forced renewed negotia-
reporters do more than glance at the actual output of
tions-may prevent it from becoming an ineffective
the EPA regulatory machine. For instance the Competi-
muddle like its antecedent, the Convention on Interna-
tiveness Council has not succeeded, as Al Gore has
tional Trade in Endangered Species. But the Darman
charged, in "gutting" the Clean Air Act. But Hubbard
faction hated the notion of biodiversity progress so
and McIntosh would have you believe it has.
much that it created the false impression that Bush
killed the treaty, a perception that now harms the presi-
ush can take credit for a number of environ-
dent politically.
B
mental achievements, including the Clean Air
Act, which will nearly eliminate smog and toxic
eedless to say, Darman could not have undone
air emissions while halving acid rain; the aboli-
N
Bush's environmental image without accom-
tion of CFCS by the year 1995; moratoriums on most off-
plices. One was CEA head Boskin. Boskin has the
shore oil exploration; the end of ocean dumping of
same blame-shifting incentive as Darman-any-
sludge; an import ban on tuna caught in the type of
thing to divert attention from his own economic advice.
nets that kill dolphins; measures to create markets for
As the recession has lingered, Boskin has had increasing
alternative fuels and renewable power; new drinking
difficulty getting the president's attention. This year he
water quality standards; acceleration of the Superfund
became an anti-environmentalist if only to keep open a
program; the start of the nuclear weapons complex
channel to the Oval Office, through Darman.
cleanup; the Exxon Valdez cleanup, which worked; the
Another culprit is Yeutter. He behaved as though his
Rio global warming treaty; an agreement that stops
portfolio called not for charting a new domestic policy
most First World exports of toxic waste to the Third
vision, but for settling scores for various factions and
World; the closing of hundreds of unsafe landfills; and
parceling handouts to the favored-which is how the
many lesser, technical milestones. This is easily the most
Agriculture Department, whence Yeutter came, con-
impressive record of any president since the birth of the
ducts its business. Yeutter was USDA chief during negoti-
environmental movement with the 1962 publication of
ations over the 1990 farm bill, to which environmental-
Silent Spring, and certainly more than Carter accom-
ists attached a few mild conservation provisions. These
plished in the four years of his presidency.
inflamed farmers, who are accustomed to doing as they
But though Bush will someday be judged on the right
please both with their land and public payments. They
side of history regarding environmentalism, he is on
blamed Yeutter. Yeutter, who never objected to Dar-
the wrong side of the present. When I vote for Clinton
man's anti-environmental strategy, seemed to feel his
on November 3, one reason will be that although Bush
chance had come to take revenge on the enviros.
did well by the environment in his first four years, he
While Darman, Boskin, Quayle, and Yeutter were
seems determined to convince the nation he will do
doing their best to isolate Reilly, they even intrigued
poorly in his second. As in so many areas, he lacks the
against the high-minded Michael Deland, head of
conviction to defend his genuine achievements and
Bush's Council on Environmental Quality. Deland is a
feels it is politically expedient to denigrate them now.
lifelong Republican and a true believer in conservation.
Of course, it may really be Darman, not Bush, who is
As the EPA regional administrator for New England in
speaking. But that's even worse.
the 1980s, he made John Sununu hopping mad by
enforcing wetlands regulations when Sununu wanted
GREGG EASTERBROOK is a contributing editor of The
waivers for New Hampshire development projects.
Atlantic and Newsweek.
NOVEMBER 16, 1992 THE NEW REPUBLIC 27
TALKING POINTS
PRESIDENT'S ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION CHALLENGE AWARDS
Welcome to the White House.
It is with great pleasure that today we salute in the Rose Garden
a group of distinguished Americans dedicated to caring for our
Earth.
We are presenting the Presidential Medal for Environmental
Excellence -- the nation's highest environmental honor -- to nine
individuals and organizations who have distinguished themselves
as advocates for the environment. In addition, 13 groups are
receiving Citations for their outstanding environmental
achievements.
But first, let me say that to orchestrate a program of this
magnitude is no small feat. It requires a team of people who
give their time and expertise throughout the year that makes
these national environmental awards possible and I want to say
thank you. The team has many participants starting with our
captains:
Gil Grosvenor of the National Geographic Society;
Frank Bennack of the Hearst Corporation;
John Ong of the Business Roundtable; and
Russell Train of the World Wildlife Fund.
These individuals and their staffs have worked with the staff of
the Council on Environmental Quality over the past two years to
develop and implement this environmental initiative. Thank you
very much for your ongoing support. I appreciate the commitment
you have put into this project.
1
The scouters of our Awards team are the members of the Selection
Committee and the Technical Advisors. These some 50
professionals -- representing the environmental, academic and
corporate fields -- have diligently reviewed the award
applications and recommended the distinguished group we are
recognizing today.
Now, our team players are the recipients. Individually and
collectively each of the award recipients is part of the
development of a new generation of environmental entrepreneurs --
all dedicated to conserving our environment as one of our top
national priorities.
The overall objectives of the Challenge Awards program are to
build cooperative partnerships among groups to solve a variety of
issues, to create new products and processes that better care for
our lands, to incorporate environmental thinking into everyday
business decision-making, and to promote a conservative ethic
throughout the United States and other countries. And the groups
we are recognizing today have succeeded in these goals.
With us today are people who have worked to save some of our
nation's most precious ecological systems -- ranging from the
Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Everglades to grassland plateaus
and wetlands areas across the country.
Others are working to develop a region-wide closed loop recycling
infrastructure throughout the Great Lakes states. Another is
promoting the use of natural gas as a clean-burning fuel, and yet
another is utilizing source reduction techniques to address waste
in the first place.
One group is working to "Keep Texas Beautiful" -- and I
especially thank you for that effort. Others have become
2
partners in an effort to implement energy conservation programs
in the northeast.
Other individuals have worked to educate our youth and the
general public about a variety of environmental problems. These
efforts have range from the classroom, to field studies, to inner
city housing projects. One group is accomplishing its goals
through self-reliance and self-education, and is fighting for
environmental justice for all individuals in our country.
We include award recipients who have pioneered the use of
creative technologies that are innovative, yet economically
sound. Some have taken steps to reduce the volume of emissions
entering our atmosphere. One company eliminated the use of CFCs
entirely from their production processes; another provided
incentives to remove highly polluting pre-1971 automobiles from
our roadways.
Some organizations have made "quality environmental management" a
trademark of their efforts. A hotel instituted, within its
management and operations, more than 85 environmental initiatives
and now holds environmental conferences to teach others about
their efforts. Other companies have institutionalize their
environmental practices throughout their entire organization.
Another company incorporated these techniques into a new
automobile factory line, while at the same time, recycled a
blighted urban area of Detroit.
Each of the individuals we are recognizing today are working to
preserve a safe and healthy environment for future generations to
enjoy. For that, you have my admiration and thanks, and the
gratitude of the entire nation. And now, let's hand out the
awards.
3
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 29, 1992
The President announced today that nine U.S. individuals and
organizations will receive the nation's highest environmental honor
-- the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Award.
These innovative and effective leaders have distinguished
themselves as pioneers in protecting and conserving our
environment. They will receive the Presidential medal for
environmental excellence at a White House ceremony later this fall.
In addition to the medal recipients, Presidential citations are
also being awarded to 13 finalists who demonstrated notable
environmental achievements.
The Presidential medal and citation recipients are representative
of the new generation of environmental entrepreneurs and activists.
They are doers, not takers. They are building cooperative problem-
solving partnerships, creating new products and processes that are
sensitive to the ecology, incorporating environmental thinking into
business decision-making, and promoting a conservation ethic
throughout the United States and other countries.
Medal Recipients
Citation Recipients
Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers
300M Corporation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chrysler Corporation
Florida Save Our Everglades
Council of Great Lakes Governors
IBM Corporation
Georgia Office of Energy
New England Electric System &
Resources
the Conservation Law Foundation
Hannaford Brothers Co.
Northern Telecom, Inc.
Keep Texas Beautiful
People for Community Recovery
Maryland Chesapeake Bay License
Think Earth Environmental
Plate
Education Program
New Mexico Department of
Unocal Corporation
Energy, Minerals and Natural
Resources, & the Gas Company
of New Mexico
Partnership for Wetlands
Conservation
Procter & Gamble Company
Santa Rosa Plateau Agreement
Save Our Streams
Tennessee Conservation League
-more-
-2-
The President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards are
administered by the Council on Environmental Quality, in
partnership with The National Geographic Society, The Hearst
Corporation, The Business Roundtable, and the World Wildlife Fund.
The Awards program was established by Executive Order in 1991. An
independent selection committee of notable leaders in the academic,
business, environmental, and professional fields judged the
nominations. Presidential medals and citations are awarded in four
categories: Partnership, Environmental Quality Management,
Innovation, and Education and Communications.
# # #
Editor's note: A description of medal and citation recipients is
attached.
MASSACHUSETTS GREICE OF THE EXESIDENT CHANGE ФОМЕТТ THE UNITED
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
RECIPIENTS OF 1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS
Medals are presented to individuals and organizations whose
efforts epitomize the ideals of the Challenge Awards
PARTNERSHIP: Awarded for fostering cooperative approaches to
environmental needs at the local, regional, or national level.
Florida Save Our Everglades Program
State of Florida and partners, Tallahassee, FL
The Save Our Everglades program was created to preserve and restore Florida's unique
wetlands ecosystem. Objectives included the restoration of the Kissimmee River and protection
of Lake Okeechobee, Water Conservation Areas, Big Cypress Swamp, the Florida panther and
other endangered wildlife. Since its initiation, 290,000 acres of land have been acquired;
landmark federal and state legislation has been passed; and 36 wildlife highway crossings and
bridges have been constructed to protect endangered species and improve hydrology. Partners
include the State of Florida, 22 conservation groups forming the Everglades Coalition, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact: Estus Whitfield, Office of Planning and Budget, (904) 488-5551
Think Earth Environmental Education Program
Southern California "Think Earth" Environmental Education Consortium, Lakewood, CA
This consortium of 13 California organizations developed and distributed "Think Earth," an
elementary school environmental education curriculum. The curriculum teaches children to
conserve natural resources, reduce waste, and minimize pollution. "Think Earth" has reached
approximately one million students nationwide. Partners include the Atlantic Richfield Company,
City of Los Angeles, Education Development Specialists, GTE California, Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Orange
County Sanitation Districts, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, South Coast Air Quality
Management District, Southern California Edison, The Gas Company, Ventura County Air
Pollution Control District, and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District.
Contact: Anne Crafton, Director of Marketing, (310) 420-6814
Energy Conservation Collaborative Effort
New England Electric System, Westboro, MA, and the Conservation Law Foundation of New
England, Boston, MA
The unlikely union of an electric utility and an environmental group has resulted in two major
achievements: the development of one of the nation's most successful energy conservation
programs and regulatory approval for a utility earnings incentive. The "power plant that
conservation built" significantly reduced the utility's air pollutants and the need for new capacity,
while saving consumers and stockholders money.
Contacts:
Mary Smith, Coordinator, NEES, (508) 366-9011
Armond Cohen, CLF, (617) 742-2540
1
Recycled Paper
- 1992 Presidential Medals —
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT: Awarded for demonstrating that
environmental values can be integrated into sound management
decisions and practices.
Environmental Management and Conservation Programs
IBM Corporation, Stamford, CT
IBM demonstrated that a large company can institutionalize and practice environmental
protection and conservation through sound policy practices, executive leadership, and employee
commitment. IBM's record of accomplishments results from meeting or exceeding government
regulations and, where none exist, from setting and adhering to its own stringent standards.
Contact: Wayne Balta, Director of Corporate Environmental Programs, (203) 973-7750
Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers Environmental Action Program
Saunders Hotels Group, Inc., Boston, MA
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers has created an environmental campaign which
encompasses more than 85 initiatives throughout all departments of the hotel. This program has
shown clearly that the competitive hospitality service industry can make dramatic changes and
maintain a high quality of service and standards. This family-owned and -operated landmark
property has successfully aligned business with environmental action.
Contact: Tedd Saunders, Environmental Program Director, (617) 457-2413
INNOVATION: Awarded for developing creative technologies,
programs, or services that are environmentally sound and
economically sensible.
CFC Solvent Phase Out
Northern Telecom, Inc., Nashville, TN
In 1988, Northern Telecom, Inc., pledged the complete phase out of CFC-113 solvents from all of
its 42 manufacturing and research operations worldwide within three years. Northern Telecom
was the first global telecommunications company to make such a pledge. At the end of 1991, all
42 Northern Telecom operations had totally eliminated these solvents from their operations.
CFC solvent emissions to the atmosphere were reduced from greater than 1,000 tons per year to
zero in three years.
Contact: Gary Minck, Senior Manager of Environmental Affairs, (615) 734-4057
South Coast Recycled Auto Project (SCRAP)
Unocal Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Unocal's SCRAP Project was an unprecedented effort to improve air quality in the Los Angeles
Basin by scrapping heavily polluting, pre-1971 cars. In four months, 8,376 old cars were
purchased and crushed for recycling. The SCRAP project reduced air pollutants by nearly 13
million pounds per year for a cost of approximately 50 cents per pound.
Contact: James Bray, Public Relations Representative, (213) 977-5390
2
- 1992 Presidential Medals - -
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: Awarded for developing
informational programs that inspire respect for the environment
and raise the public's environmental awareness.
People for Community Recovery
People for Community Recovery, Inc., Chicago, IL
People for Community Recovery (PCR) is a grassroots environmental education and advocacy
organization serving a predominantly low-income, African-American community. PCR assesses
the level of environmental hazards in the community and mobilizes its constituents to alleviate
these hazards. Hazel Johnson, the group's executive director and founder, is recognized as a
national leader in the grassroots environmental movement.
Contact: Cheryl Johnson, Administrative Assistant, (312) 468-1645
Environmental Education Program
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis, MD
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) Outdoor Environmental Education Program provides
over 35,000 student-days per year of field instruction in estuarine issues to students, teachers,
and adults throughout the Bay watershed. The goal is to create a constituency that not only
values and understands the Bay, but also works actively to restore it. Individuals and groups
participate in hands-on water activities through the use of canoes, rowboats, skipjacks,
powerboats, and even work on a model low-input farm operated by CBF.
Contact: Donald Baugh, Director of Education Program, (410) 268-8816
# # #
3
RECIPIENTS OF 1992 PRESIDENTIAL CITATIONS
Citations are presented to finalists whose efforts demonstrate
noteworthy achievements in the four Award categories
FOR PARTNERSHIP
Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion Projects
New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources, Santa Fe, NM, and the Gas
Company of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
The New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources and the Gas Company
of New Mexico joined forces to introduce compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to the area's
diverse transportation sectors. The objective was to increase public acceptance of
energy-saving, cost effective and environmentally compatible alternatives to petroleum fuels.
The program introduced CNG technology to school districts, government agencies,
municipalities and non-profit groups.
Contact: Dianne Caron, Director of Conservation and Management, (505) 827-5917
Santa Rosa Plateau Agreement
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and partners, Los Angeles, CA
The Santa Rosa Plateau Management Committee saved the unique resources of this natural
grasslands ecosystem. By creating a model for cooperation in regional environmental planning,
the partnership brought regulatory agencies and responsible developers together in a program
which simultaneously benefited wildlife and people. Partners include: the Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California, The Nature Conservancy, Riverside County, California Department
of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact: Gregory Taylor, Executive Assistant to General Manager, (213) 250-6115
Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc., Austin, TX
The mission of Keep Texas Beautiful is to preserve the natural beauty and environment of the
Lone Star State. The group forges partnerships between grassroots volunteer organizations and
the public and private sectors to improve the quality of life, enhance economic development and
tourism, and conserve public and natural resources through education and public awareness
activities which emphasize proper solid waste management and responsible behavior by all
Texans and visitors to Texas.
Contact: Leann Garms, Media and Marketing Coordinator, (1-800-CLEAN-TX)
Partnership for Wetlands Conservation
Dow Chemical Company and partners, Midland, MI
The Partnership for Wetlands Conservation is a public/private partnership supporting the goals
of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1990. Partners include the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and the Dow Chemical
Company. The partnership commits conservation expertise and $6 million to preserve
endangered wetlands acres. Dow employees also volunteer to coordinate habitat projects on
and near Dow properties.
Contact: Sarah Opperman, Group Manager, Science & Environmental Communications, (517)
636-3270
4
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Corporate Environmental Policies
3COM Corporation, Santa Clara, CA
3COM, a leading supplier of data networking products, believes that pollution prevention and
conservation practices ensure its success. 3COM was a pioneer in CFC replacement and the
use of organic packaging. Conservation efforts include recycling 89% of all office paper, 98% of
toner cartridges, and 4 tons of cardboard annually. Employees voluntarily recycle, rideshare,
and work in a smokefree environment.
Contact: David Abramson, Corporate Public Relations, (408) 764-6621
FOR INNOVATION
Georgia No-Tillage Assistance Program
Georgia Office of Energy Resources, Atlanta, GA
The No-Tillage Assistance Program, funded by the state Office of Energy Resources and
administered by the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission, provides small farmers
access to costly conservation tillage equipment at a minimal per acre fee. No-Tillage methods
prevent water pollution, soil erosion, and save non-renewable fossil fuels. To date, more than
6,000 acres on 2,200 farms have been converted to no-till systems, saving more than 200,000
tons of soil and 225,000 gallons of fuel over conventional tilling methods.
Contact: Paul Burks, Director, (404) 656-5176
Jefferson North Project
Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, MI
Chrysler's objective was to build an environmentally-sound, world-class manufacturing facility to
produce an automobile production line. The company reclaimed an urban site to construct the
Jefferson North Assembly Plant. Pollution prevention was factored into decisions about plant
design, raw materials, manufacturing processes, and the vehicle built at the new facility.
Contact: Lee Sechler, Public Affairs, (313) 252-8802
"Great Lakes Recycle" Program
Council of Great Lakes Governors, Chicago, IL
"Great Lakes Recycle" stimulates market development for recycled products through a joint
purchase approach, which is unprecedented in size. The program contributes to the emergence
of an ecologically sound economy in the region by creating common specifications and
stimulating investment in environmentally sound technologies. States involved include Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Contact: Tim McNuity, Executive Director, (312) 407-0177
Innovative Source Reduction
Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH
Innovation in reducing the volume of material going to solid waste is a hallmark of Procter &
Gamble's environmental programs. Through the largest source reduction program ever, the
company has eliminated .5% of the volume of the total U.S. waste stream. In partnership with
retailers and consumers, P&G has applied this innovation and high technology to use less
material in its products and packages while at the same time delivering quality products.
Contact: Edward Fox, Associate Director of Corporate Packaging, (513) 634-2376
5
FOR EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
Save Our Streams
Save Our Streams, Glen Burnie, MD
Save Our Streams is a volunteer advocacy group that identifies and corrects problems on
Maryland's waterways through hands-on water quality testing and local activism. Save Our
Stream's 7,000 volunteers strive to educate and build partnerships between citizens, businesses,
industries, and government agencies. The group provides a range of educational materials,
tools and techniques for stream monitoring, and organizes communities to develop and
strengthen leadership focused on a common conservation goal.
Contact: Barbara Taylor, Director, (410) 969-0084
Earth Matters
Hannaford Brothers Co., Scarborough, ME
The "Earth Matters" program works in partnership with customers, associates, and suppliers.
Through this program, the Hannaford Brothers supermarket chain raises awareness of
environmental issues, increases community involvement in conservation programs, and
encourages others to reduce, reuse, and recycle resources. Local communities recognize and
value the company's high recycling rates and its effective programs.
Contact: Ted Brown, Environmental Affairs Manager, (207) 883-2911
Chesapeake Bay License Plate Program
State of Maryland, Annapolis, MD
The State of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay commemorative license plate program has raised more
than $3.5 million for Bay education and restoration projects while increasing public awareness of
the Bay among the 4.5 million citizens of Maryland and throughout the Bay region.
Contact: Barbara Knisely, Chesapeake Bay Communications Office, (410) 974-5300
Project CENTS
Tennessee Conservation League, Nashville, TN
Project CENTS is an interdisciplinary program for students in grades K-12, using basic skills in
reading and math to teach natural resource concepts. The program provides students with the
knowledge to understand and evaluate their actions in relation to the environment. Since 1983,
more than 19,000 teachers and 300,000 Tennessee students have benefitted from this program.
Contact: Anthony Campbell, Executive Director, (615) 353-1133
For further information about the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards, contact
Heather Beldon or Dale Curtis at the Council on Environmental Quality, 722 Jackson Place, Washington,
DC, 20503. Telephone: (202) 395-5750.
# # #
6
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
/991
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20503
THE
For Immediate Release
October 31, 1991
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN PRESENTATION OF PRESIDENT'S ENVIRONMENT
AND CONSERVATION CHALLENGE AWARDS
The Rose Garden
11:29 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Some beautiful day here in the Rose
Garden. And may I salute Secretary Lujan and Secretary Jim Watkins
here and Bill Reilly, EPA Administrator. of course, Chairman Mike
Deland and Dick Austin of GSA: Welcome to the White House, and happy
Halloween to all. (Applause.)
I saw something on TV last night that I'd like to
respond to before we begin here. Despite what happens to Linus every
year in the pumpkin patch, I do believe in the Great Pumpkin.
(Applause.) Now you old guys wouldn't get it; but I'll tell you --
(Applause.)
It is a real pleasure to have our Presidential Award
winners -- the Challenge Award, it's called -- here on such a
beautiful late October day. And I'd especially like to thank the
Awards Partners who made this first-time awards ceremony possible.
Gil Grosvenor behind me here of the National Geographic; Frank
Bennack here of the Hearst Corporation; Mr. Addison is here today
representing Drew Lewis of the Business Roundtable; and Russell Train
of the World Wildlife Fund. Let me also àdd a note of thanks to the
Awards Selection Committee and the technical advisors.
Last month, I had the chance to visit the Grand Canyon,
a magnificent, almost miraculous sight on a spectacular day. And the
scale of all that actually staggers the senses. And that day in
September, I spoke about the power of innovation and the strength of
cooperation as the foundation for a new generation of environmental
action.
Today, we are honoring nine medalists and 23 citation
winners who embody the new generation of environmental entrepreneurs.
As President, I've had the -distinction of honoring Americans for
their achievement in the arts, humanities, sciences, and this time
now has come for the country to honor achievement in the
understanding and conservation of our environment.
We have with us today people who have formed
partnerships to protect natural wildlife -- from the Great Lakes in
the North to the Playa Lakes in the Great Southwest, and from the
Sacramento River to the Barrier Islands off the Atlantic Seaboard.
We are also recognizing companies that have integrated
environmental values into virtually every single business decision --
whether they are involved in fast food or financial services,
newspapers, utilities, household products or furniture.
And we honor other winners because they pioneered new
technologies that save both money and the environment -- with
creative solutions to challenges like agricultural pollution and
MORE
- 2 -
2 ozone depletion, and state-of-the-art techniques for recycling paper,
metal and plastics.
PM
And finally, we recognize groups who have inspired a new
respect for the environment in millions of Americans: newspaper and
magazine groups, book publishers, teaching institutions, media
advisors to TV and film industries -- even the Girl Scouts. And
these outstanding Americans have given us cleaner technologies and
products, better ways to manage natural areas, and a greater capacity
for environmental problem-solving. They are working to improve the
quality of life for all Americans through a safe and healthy
environment.
Earlier in this century, a man I deeply admire also
visited the Grand Canyon -- and likewise shared his thoughts with the
crowd assembled. Looking out over what he called a vista of "great
loneliness and beauty," President Theodore Roosevelt said: "The ages
have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. We have gotten
past the stage when we are to be pardoned if we treat any part of our
country as something to be skinned for two or three years for the use
of the present generation, whether it is the forest, the water, the
scenery. Whatever it is, handle it so that your children's children
will get the benefit of it."
Each of you understands President Roosevelt's challenge.
Each of you has acted on it -- taken it upon yourselves to ensure
that future generations will inherit a safe and healthy environment.
And for that, you have my admiration, my gratitude. And please keep
up the good fight. And now let's, if we could, Mike, hand out these
well-earned awards.
MR. STRUHS:* In the Partnership category, awarded for
fostering cooperative approaches to environmental concerns, we have
the Virginia Coast Reserve for working with dozens of government
agencies, citizens groups and local residents to protect 40,000 acres
of undeveloped barrier islands on the Atlantic Coast. Representing
the Virginia Coast Reserve is John C. Sawhill, President of the
Nature Conservancy. (Applause.)
The next award is being presented to the McDonald's
Corporation and the Environmental Defense Fund for their task force
aimed at dramatically reducing solid waste at McDonald's 8,500
restaurants, represented by two members of that task force, Keith
Magnuson of McDonald's Directors of Operations and Development, and
Jackie Prince, Staff Scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund.
(Applause.)
Next is the Marine Resources Council for working with
governments, businesses and civic groups to manage both the economic
and environmental values of the Indian River Lagoon in Eastern
Florida. Today they are represented by Diane Barile, Executive
Director. (Applause.)
In the next category of Environmental Quality
Management, these awards are for integrating environmental values
into sound business management decisions and practices. We first
recognize the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for its programs to
increase energy efficiency, develop environmentally preferred
technologies, and promote the use of clean fuels, represented by
their Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard A. Clarke.
(Applause.)
Next is The Los Angeles Times for its recycling and
conservation efforts as one of the nation's largest consumers of
recycled newsprint, represented by EuGene L. Falk, Executive Vice
President. (Applause.)
In the Innovation category, awarded for developing
creative technologies in programs that are environmentally sound and
economically sensible we recognize the American Farmland Trust for
*
CEQ Chief of Staff David Struhs
- 3 -
its more than 200 sustainable agriculture farming programs in the
Midwest, represented by Ralph Grossi, President. (Applause.)
The next category is the Education and Communications
category awarded for developing programs that inspire respect for the
environment and raise the public's environmental awareness. We
recognize Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute, the first education
program that integrates environmental values into undergraduate,
graduate and professional school curricula, represented by its
founders Dr. Jean Mayer, President of Tufts University and Edward
Callahan, Vice President of Allied Signal. (Applause.)
Next is the Environmental Media Association for
encouraging the entertainment industry to incorporate environmental
messages into television programs, movies and feature films,
represented by its President, Andrew Spahn. (Applause.)
And finally, Project Wild and the wildlife agencies in
this country that have help support it for its conservation programs
that have educated more than 20 million young people nationwide in
less than a decade, represented by Dr. Cheryl Charles, Executive
Director. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: While you all are here, I have a special
announcement to make. We talk a lot about recycling. Well, today
we're going to save a few trees by giving two speeches at the same
time -- (laughter) -- piloting a new program in recycling audiences,
too. So here goes. (Laughter.)
But seriously, we are taking a major step in placing the
federal government in its proper role of leadership by example by
increasing all federal recycling and use of recycled materials. By
signing this Executive Order today, we will establish a Federal
Recycling Coordinator and individual recycling coordinators at each
federal agency. And we are directing, where possible, products made
from recycled materials are procured for government use. Simply put,
we are requiring all federal agencies to strengthen their recycling
efforts, hopefully thus setting an example for others around our
country.
And so, with that said, I am very pleased to sign this
Executive Order. (Applause.)
(The Executive Order is signed.)
Thank you all. Such a beautiful day. Thank you for
being with us.
END
11:40 A.M. EST
COPY
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT STATES UNITED
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20500
Michael R. Deland
(202) 395-5080
Chairman
SCHEDULE PROPOSAL
NOVEMBER 10, 1992
TO:
KATHERINE L. SUPER
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
FOR APPOINTMENTS AND SCHEDULING
FROM:
MICHAEL R. DELAND
CHAIRMAN
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
REQUEST:
For the President to present the Presidential
Medals for Environmental Excellence -- the
Nation's highest environmental honor -- to the
1992 recipients of the President's Environment and
Conservation Challenge Awards.
BACKGROUND:
In 1991, the President signed an Executive Order
establishing the President's Environment and
Conservation Challenge Awards program. These
national environmental awards recognize
outstanding U.S. environmental achievements and
raise the Nation's conservation awareness.
This event will recognize the nine organizations
who are receiving 1992 Medals. I will have
presented certificates to the 13 Presidential
Citation recipients (finalists in the program) at
a ceremony earlier in the day.
DATE:
TBD, November or December
WEDNESDAY, DEC. Z
LOCATION:
East Room, the White House.
at 2:30 PM
PARTICIPANTS: The President
Michael Deland, Chairman, CEQ
Award Partners:
Gilbert Grosvenor -- National Geographic
Frank Bennack -- Hearst Corporation
Russell Train -- World Wildlife Fund
John Ong -- The Business Roundtable
(Chairman of B.F. Goodrich)
225 guests in the East Room
-more-
Recycled Paper
-2-
Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan
Secretary of Energy James Watkins
EPA Administrator William Reilly
Members of President's Commission on
Environmental Quality
Nine "Medal" Recipients
13 "Citation" Recipients
Awards' Selection Committee and Technical
Evaluators
Members of national business, trade and
environmental community
Members of legislative and executive branches
EVENT OUTLINE:
East Room ceremony.
Presidential remarks.
Presentation of Presidential Medals.
Special Citations to the Award
Partners in recognition of their two
years of support of the Challenge
Awards.
Upon departure, Presidential
handshakes with the 13 Citation
recipients who will be seated in the
first row.
Reception will immediately follow in the
State Dining Room.
MEDIA COVERAGE:
Open Photo, Writing Pool Coverage.
# # #
PRESIDENT
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
QUALITY
CENTA
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
SERVICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL RECIPIENTS
The following environmental program summaries are based on the original applications submitted to the
President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards program.
FLORIDA SAVE OUR EVERGLADES PROGRAM
c/o State of Florida
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
904-488-5551
The Florida Everglades and its interrelated lakes, rivers, marshes, freshwater swamps, mangrove
forests and coastal estuaries stretch from Orlando to Florida Bay, and from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale,
covering an area approximately 9,000 square miles on the Florida peninsula. A sub-tropical climate, flat
terrain, and some 60 inches of annual rainfall created a water-dependent ecological system in South
Florida with a rich and productive species diversity, unique to the continental United States.
The interrelated hydrological system, characterized by an overland sheet flow of freshwater, is the
only source of drinking water for Southeast Florida. More than 100 years of drainage and development
have severely damaged the Everglades ecological system. Dredging, filling, and draining for agriculture,
urban development, and flood control destroyed large portions of the historic Kissimmee River
floodplain, the Everglades, and Big Cypress Swamp, with negative effects on water quality and supplies,
fish and wildlife habitat, and the quality of human life.
The Save Our Everglades program was initiated in August 1983. Partners include the State of
Florida, 21 conservation groups forming the Everglades Coalition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The program's goal is to restore and
preserve the Everglades so that by the year 2000 it will look and function more as it did in the year 1900.
It is a strategic program with six primary objectives, which are:
1. Re-establish the natural values of the Kissimmee River;
2. Protect Lake Okeechobee;
3. Protect the Water Conservation Areas;
4. Protect the Big Cypress Swamp;
5. Restore Everglades National Park; and,
6. Protect the Florida Panther and other endangered wildlife.
The Save Our Everglades Program has achieved remarkable success. A $420 million, expansive
restoration of the Kissimmee River has begun, with the support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Legislation has been enacted by Congress adding 146,000 acres to the Big Cypress National Preserve
and 107,600 acres to Everglades National Park. Two new National Wildlife Refuges have been created.
To improve the quality of water in Lake Okeechobee, pollution control measures are being installed
on all dairies north of the Lake's watershed. In converting State Road 84 to I-75 across the Everglades,
hydrological improvements and wildlife underpasses have been constructed. Some 290,000 acres of
land have been acquired for preservation and protection of the Everglades ecosystem. National, State
and local environmental organizations, and the general public support the program. The environmental
organizations have been instrumental in working with government agencies, the Congress and the
Florida Legislature to enact programs and legislation to further the goals of the program.
Recycled Paper
THINK EARTH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Southern California "Think Earth" Environmental Consortium
5505 East Carson Street, Suite 250
Lakewood, CA 90713
310-420-6814
The Think Earth Environmental Education Program began in 1989 when several public and private
organizations met with environmental groups and educators to address the need for a comprehensive
environmental education program. The group agreed that individually the task would be intense, but a
consortium of development sponsors could pool their resources to produce the curriculum.
The consortium is unique in that its partners represent a broad environmental spectrum: ARCO, City
of Los Angeles Clean Water Program, Educational Development Specialists, GTE California, Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Orange County
Sanitation District, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, South Coast Air Quality Management
District, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, Ventura County Air Pollution
Control District, and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District. The diversity of this group has helped
produce a comprehensive, unbiased program.
Educational Development Specialists (EDS), a curriculum development firm, developed Think Earth.
The program consists of seven complete educational units for kindergarten through sixth grade. The
goal of the program is to teach children to "Think Earth" -- to conserve natural resources, to reduce
waste, and to minimize pollution. The program also promotes an environmental ethic by which students
balance human and environmental needs. Children learn important environmental concepts, with
emphasis on behaviors to empower children with practical life skills that will make a difference.
The curriculum is innovative in that it is comprehensive, yet brief. It interrelates all elements of the
environment in an integrated instructional program. Most importantly, Think Earth is measurable; unit
tests allow teachers to assess student learning of objectives and behaviors.
The consortium has provided free Think Earth K-3 instructional units to approximately 70% of the
3,500 public and private elementary schools in Southern California. To date, more than 10,000 teachers
have taught the units to nearly 500,000 students in Southern California. The units for grades 4-6 have
been field tested and will be distributed beginning in 1993. The program is also available throughout the
nation. So far, companies and agencies in all 50 states have provided Think Earth to an estimated 1
million students.
Results of field tests show high levels of student achievement. In addition, student and teacher
attitudes were positive. All of the teachers felt the program helped students develop an understanding of
environmental problems and a commitment to solving them.
The Think Earth program is a successful example of a public/private collaborative alliance. It serves
not only as a case study of a quality environmental program for Southern California, but also as a model
of how similar programs can be implemented throughout the country.
2
NEW ENGLAND ELECTRIC SYSTEM/CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION
Collaborative Efforts
New England Electric System
Conservation Law Foundation
25 Research Drive
of New England
Westboro, MA 01582
3 Joy Street
508-366-9011
Boston, MA 02108
617-742-2540
In 1988, the New England Electric System Companies (NEES) and the Conservation Law Foundation
(CLF) embarked on an unlikely joint venture the union of an electric utility and environmental group.
At a time when utilities were finding it difficult to build new power plants, groups such as CLF were
arguing that energy conservation, not new power plants, should provide the needed capacity. Formed
as an alternative to working out differences within the regulatory arena, the partnership implemented the
largest, most comprehensive, cost-effective conservation program in the nation in proportion to the
utility's size.
Hoping to bridge their differences, NEES and CLF officials originally met for lunch, sketching out a
proposed collaborative plan on a paper napkin. Challenged with the joint goal of lessening
environmental impacts through conservation, NEES and the CLF developed an agreement which
committed the utility to a substantial increase in conservation spending (up to $40 million that first year).
NEES, in cooperation with the CLF, developed a comprehensive series of cost-effective new energy
conservation programs for its commercial, industrial and residential customers. The partnership heralded
a new era in utility-sponsored energy-efficiency efforts. A primary concern of NEES was its ability to
maintain funding for its conservation programs without jeopardizing the company's overall financial
stability. Options involved either slowing the development of its conservation and load management
(C&LM) program to an average utility level, or gambling that a truly first-class level would yield a sound
regulatory response allowing the utility to profit from its efforts.
In 1989, NEES and CLF filed proposals in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire for a
new C&LM program. NEES proposed to spend $65 million on its efforts in 1990 and asked regulatory
agencies to allow NEES to share in its customers' savings. All three states approved variations of the
incentive proposal. For the first time in the region's history, an electric utility earned a return on its
conservation expenses at the state level. The action assured the continuation of utility-sponsored
conservation programs and increased investment on NEES' part. In 1991, despite flat electricity demand
and a recession, NEES spent $92 million and proposed to spend $108 million in 1992.
Clearly, the NEES/CLF partnership has been a positive situation for all concerned - for NEES, its
customers, the CLF, and the environment. More than 550 gigawatthours (GWH), or enough power to
supply 80,000 households for one year, was saved. The "power plant that conservation built" has
already displaced the need to burn fossil fuels saving approximately 320 million pounds of carbon
dioxide emissions. By 2000, NEES expects its efforts to supplant the need for 800 megawatts (MW) of
generation and to contribute to an overall 45% reduction in net weighted air emissions. Without their
partnership, NEES and the CLF could not have achieved the same results.
3
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
IBM Corporation
208 Harbor Dr.
Stamford, CT 06904
203-973-7750
IBM has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection. In 1967, 1971, and 1974, the
company issued worldwide policies on safety, the environment and conservation. These policies, and
subsequent actions, often were initiated before government regulations were issued. IBM's 1990
corporate policy statement on environmental affairs is the latest affirmation of objectives that have been
woven into IBM's business fabric for decades.
A corporate vice president oversees worldwide environmental affairs. Daily operations are guided by
written instructions and practices concerning environmental protection. Compliance responsibilities are
well-defined. Environmental considerations are integral to research, development and in relationships
with customers and are applied equally wherever IBM does business.
IBM's long-standing waste management hierarchy calls for reducing, reusing, recycling, and as a last
resort, safely treating and disposing. Over the past decade, IBM has invested more than $1 billion in
upgrading facilities and implementing approaches, such as secondary containment with leak detection
and above-ground tanks and piping. All new construction incorporates state-of-the-art environmental
protection. In 1978, IBM established a safe PCB incineration program, and in the same year, initiated a
worldwide groundwater monitoring program.
IBM has a comprehensive assessment program, including corporate audits. Environmental Impact
Assessments are prepared for every product and process. All sites annually submit Environmental
Master Plans, which are consolidated and used by management to assess performance and identify
areas for improvement.
All plants are prepared to handle potential environmental emergencies, with trained employees,
proper equipment and community coordination. A worldwide computer network is used to provide
immediate notification of problems, alert other locations to exposures and prevent potential recurrences.
IBM's goal to eliminate CFCs from processes and products by 1993 is six years ahead of the Clean
Air Act targets. IBM has established a similar goal to stop using methyl chloroform by 1995. IBM's
programs have produced results, including the following: reduced CFC emissions worldwide by 83%
from 1987 through 1991; reduced generated hazardous materials worldwide by 44% from 1987 through
1991 and recycled 86% of them in 1991; achieved 61% recycling of solid waste; conserved 4.1 billion
kilowatt-hours of energy since 1986; reduced SARA releases by 66% from 1987-1991, including an 86%
reduction in air emissions; and achieved an exemplary OSHA record.
Over the years, IBM has extended its commitment to the environment -- from its daily operations to
philanthropic efforts to facilitate knowledge growth and technology transfer. Examples include a $6.5
million donation to the United Nations to support the Global Resource Information Database and a $25
million grant program for environmental research at universities and research institutes.
In summary, through visionary policies, sound practices, employee leadership and commitment,
environmental protection and conservation are ingrained within IBM.
4
BOSTON PARK PLAZA HOTEL AND TOWERS
Saunders Hotels Group, Inc.
64 Arlington St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-457-2413
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel has created an environmental program whose magnitude clearly
outlines how a company can make dramatic ecological changes, while maintaining extremely high
standards of service and quality. Since 1990, 95 initiatives have been put into place encompassing all
major departments of the hotel. The hotel has learned that a long-term perspective, top management's
commitment, and an integrated approach can successfully balance economic viability with ecological
responsibility. This is merely good and efficient business practice in the 1990's. The hotel has continued
to operate a first-class operation and at the same time, make a commitment to preserve the planet.
The boldest innovation is the creation of new, elegant amenity pump-dispensers for all 1,100 guest-
room bathrooms. This eliminates nearly 2 million one-ounce plastic bottles annually from the waste
stream. The resulting cost savings from reduced packaging have been redirected to where it counts --
improving the product quality of the shampoo, conditioner, body gel and handsoap. The Boston Plaza
Hotel is the first hotel in the country to take this bold step.
Other major initiatives include the installation of 1,686 new thermopane windows in all guest rooms at
a cost of $1.2 million. Eleven recycling programs are now in place including: steel; #1 and #2 plastics;
clear and brown glass; white, computer and mixed paper; cardboard; telephone books; and aluminum.
Other steps include solid waste reduction, energy and water conservation, hazardous waste elimination,
education, and communications. Working at all levels of the company to integrate this program, a
"green team" of enthusiastic employees volunteered to work alongside management to implement
initiatives and help spread the word. All hotel managers now meet monthly for the sole purpose of
discussing environmental goals and accomplishments.
Some initiatives can be strictly categorized as efficient operations; others are creative efforts which
round out a truly comprehensive approach. In reality, there is much overlap between the two because
efficient business is environmentally sound business.
What distinguishes this program from many other "green efforts" is management's commitment to
incorporating environmental action into every facet of the hotel. Spearheading the program is Tedd
Saunders, the hotel's environmental program director. Tedd has made a personal and professional
commitment to establish his family's company as a model for integrating voluntary environmental
solutions into everyday business practice.
To date, the hotel has invested more than $1.8 million dollars in the program. In return, nearly three
quarters of a million dollars of new business can be directly attributable to customer support of the
hotel's environmental commitment.
The key to creating a successful environmental action plan is to formulate one that is initially
affordable and feasible to maintain long-term. Numerous benefits include a healthier bottom line from
improved efficiency and better use of resources, high morale and loyalty from employees, opportunities
to uniquely present a positive public image, and additional business from increasingly conscious
customers.
5
CFC SOLVENT PHASE OUT
Northern Telecom
200 Athens Way
Nashville, TN 37228
(615) 734-4057
Fulfilling a pledge made in 1988, Northern Telecom has become the first large electronics
company in the world to meet a public commitment to eliminate ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon
solvents (CFC-113) from its manufacturing operations nine years ahead of an international mandate set
by the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement now signed by 86 nations which calls for the
elimination of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances by the year 2000.
Chlorofluorocarbons are chemicals widely used as refrigerants, as propellants, for foam blowing
and as cleaning agents in various industrial applications. When emitted into the atmosphere, CFCs
break down the protective ozone layer which shields the Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
Northern Telecom, like most electronic manufacturing companies, used CFC-113 solvents to clean flux
residue from printed circuit boards.
Northern Telecom was the first company to commit to such an aggressive timetable when, in
1988, it publicly announced that it would eliminate CFC-113 solvents from its 42 worldwide
manufacturing operations by the end of 1991. The company achieved the goal by developing
alternatives to the CFC solvent cleaning processes. These alternatives involve the use of low-residue
fluxes and solder pastes that eliminate the need for cleaning after soldering.
The company estimates that the alternatives it has developed will prevent nearly 9,000 tons of
CFCs from being released by facilities into the atmosphere over the next eight years. The new process
will save the company in excess of $50 million during the same time period in direct CFC solvent
purchasing costs and other expenses.
Northern Telecom has built only CFC solvent-free facilities since 1988. The company has also
committed to eliminate CFC-113 solvents from purchased facilities within 15 months of acquisition. In
addition, Northern Telecom has pledged to eliminate methyl chloroform from its manufacturing process
in 1993. Furthermore, Northern Telecom is sharing its technology with the global community through
the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection (ICOLP), of which Northern Telecom was a
founding member, and through managing technology cooperation projects in Mexico and other
countries in collaboration with U.S. EPA and national environmental agencies.
6
SOUTH COAST RECYCLED AUTO PROJECT (SCRAP)
c/o Unocal Corporation
1201 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-977-5390
SCRAP showed that a market-based attack on major pollution sources could be cost-effective in
improving air quality. Despite decades of work by federal, state and local entities, the Los Angeles Basin
has the dirtiest air in the U.S. Progress has been made, but much remains to be done. Mobile sources
account for over 60% of all ozone-precursor emissions in the Basin, with a disproportionate share
coming from old cars. Oil refineries and power plants add 5%; the rest is from small businesses and
private homes, some of which are not yet regulated sources. Regulators have concentrated on
stationary sources despite studies calling for old-car buy backs; the question has always been, "who
would pay for the cars, and why?"
SCRAP answered this question. Unocal budgeted over $5 million to buy, test and scrap 7,000 pre-
1971 autos (which have little or no emission controls). The company paid $700 per car, and turned
them over to a scrap yard to be crushed, shredded and recycled. The goal was to gather data to show
regulators that a policy shift to market-based regulation and emissions credit "trading" could be faster
and more cost-effective than command-and-control measures. The Ford Motor Company, as well as
other companies, agencies, and individuals contributed another $1 million to SCRAP, and 1,400 more
vehicles were bought and destroyed.
SCRAP's economic incentives elicited the voluntary participation of old-car owners, and government
agencies provided great support. The South Coast Air Quality Management District donated $100,000,
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) tested vehicles to quantify emissions reductions, the
Department of Motor Vehicles did on-site records clearance, and the Bureau of Automotive Repair
researched mileage and smog-check histories of the SCRAP cars.
Unocal tested the tailpipe emissions of every SCRAP car, and (with CARB) ran Federal Test
Procedures on 74 of them. On average, the cars emitted 99 times more hydrocarbons per mile than a
new 1990 auto, 50 times more carbon monoxide, and "only" 11 times more nitrogen oxides. Thus
SCRAP eliminated twice the expected volume of air pollutants - nearly 13 million pounds -- for about $6
million (a fraction of the cost of an equivalent cleanup from stationary sources).
SCRAP-type programs can be replicated around the country depending on cost-effectiveness and
the willingness of the regulators to allow emissions credits for stationary sources based on mobile
source emissions cleanup. At least six programs are in progress or planning stages in the states of
Delaware, California, Illinois, and Virginia. The precedent has been set and the program will be repeated
in more and more places.
7
PEOPLE FOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY, INC.
13116 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60627
312-468-1645
People for Community Recovery is one of the nation's only environmental organizations whose
grassroots are based in a public housing project where the residents are predominantly low-income
African-Americans. The marked success that PCR has achieved in working with the State of Illinois, the
Water Reclamation District of Metropolitan Chicago, and others is due to the strength of its educational
program.
Environmental consciousness has been raised among the people of Altgeld Gardens, so that they can
take informed action in finding and changing the environmental causes of their health problems. As a
national leader in the grassroots environmental movement among people of color, PCR's executive
director and founder, Hazel Johnson, has been called the "black mother of the environmental
movement."
PCR's home is Altgeld Gardens, a 47-year-old Chicago Housing Authority project constructed on the
former garbage dump of the Pullman Company. Located in the heart of the Calumet Industrial District,
PCR's neighbors include at least fifty landfills and toxic waste sites, a sewage treatment plant, and a
range of industries, including coke ovens, blast furnaces, refineries, and chemical plants.
Many residents of this area have experienced higher than normal rates of cancer and other diseases.
Altgeld Gardens is the highest priority community to be conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substance
and Disease Registry (ATSDR). For the first time, an assessment by ATSDR will be conducted with the
collaboration of the community representatives.
PCR played a lead role in establishing a link between the environment and health issues by seeing
that environmental education is an ongoing process of self-knowledge and self-improvement. By
conducting its own extensive surveys of community health problems and convincing responsible
authorities to conduct their own, by communicating information clearly and frequently to residents, by
coordinating action programs to achieve do-able environmental goals, PCR has become a national
model for community based environmental education and action.
Membership in PCR has soared from 12 to 969 in just 10 years; 11,000 residents of Altgeld Gardens
are directly effected by PCR's programming. The 780,000 residents of Chicago's Far South Side and the
communities of Calumet City, Burnham, Harvey, Phoenix, and South Holland who reside within the
"Southeast Chicago" site as defined by the ATSDR, also receive direct benefit from PCR's programming.
The mere fact of PCR's ability to bring people of color together to address environmental issues -- in
spite of social and economic hard times is testimony to its fundamental dedication, commitment, and
perseverance, and is an inspiration to environmental advocates everywhere.
8
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
c/o Chesapeake Bay Foundation
162 Prince George Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-268-8816
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) outdoor environmental education program provides
instruction in estuarine ecology for 35,000 students a year at 17 centers from the Susquehanna River to
the Virginia Capes, east into the marshes of Maryland's Eastern Shore and west to the Piedmont and
beyond. Students, teachers, and other adult groups participate in hands-on activities through the use of
canoes, rowboats, skipjacks, diesel-powered Bay workboats, and even on a model low-input farm owned
and operated by CBF. (At the Clagett Farm the EPA, USDA, the University of Maryland Department of
Agriculture work cooperatively to monitor ground and surface water contamination as well as relative
yields from different farming practices.)
CBF's program was the first of its kind on the Bay, beginning in 1971 with a borrowed Boston
Whaler. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most sophisticated outdoor environmental
education programs in the country. It is looked to as a model for the development and operation of
other such programs nationwide. CBF's goal is to create a constituency who will value the Bay and its
watershed as a living, connected system and who will act to restore clean water and insure a high
quality of life for all inhabitants. Its objectives include the following: to create sensitivity to what is
needed to cleanse and restore the Chesapeake as an ecosystem; to develop a sense of "ownership" of
difference; and to impart the knowledge that must underlie any meaningful and effective action on the
Bay's behalf.
Teachers are required to complete a one-day workshop before bringing their classes on a field trip.
In addition, many teachers also complete a one-week training program for which in-service credit is
available. Because of this, the benefit to the students is far more than the short time spent on field trips.
Using CBF materials, teachers work extensively with students before the trip and after, often weaving the
concepts into their semester-long curricula.
Finally, CBF's Environmental Education Program is an integral component of the entire organization,
a characteristic that makes it a better program itself. Staff educators have full access to CBF's lawyers,
scientists, agricultural experts, land planners, etc. In this way, the education staff are kept up to date on
the latest science and policy of the overall Chesapeake Bay Program. They are able to work this
information into their daily teachings. It is this capacity for a holistic approach that puts CBF's education
program on the cutting edge.
# # # .
November 1992
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background material on The recipients
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 29, 1992
The President announced today that nine U.S. individuals and
organizations will receive the nation's highest environmental honor
-- the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Award.
These innovative and effective leaders have distinguished
themselves as pioneers in protecting and conserving our
environment. They will receive the Presidential medal for
environmental excellence at a White House ceremony later this fall.
In addition to the medal recipients, Presidential citations are
also being awarded to 13 finalists who demonstrated notable
environmental achievements.
The Presidential medal and citation recipients are representative
of the new generation of environmental entrepreneurs and activists.
They are doers, not takers. They are building cooperative problem-
solving partnerships, creating new products and processes that are
sensitive to the ecology, incorporating environmental thinking into
business decision-making, and promoting a conservation ethic
throughout the United States and other countries.
Medal Recipients
Citation Recipients
Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers
300M Corporation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chrysler Corporation
Florida Save Our Everglades
Council of Great Lakes Governors
IBM Corporation
Georgia Office of Energy
New England Electric System &
Resources
the Conservation Law Foundation
Hannaford Brothers Co.
Northern Telecom, Inc.
Keep Texas Beautiful
People for Community Recovery
Maryland Chesapeake Bay License
Think Earth Environmental
Plate
Education Program
New Mexico Department of
Unocal Corporation
Energy, Minerals and Natural
Resources, & the Gas Company
of New Mexico
Partnership for Wetlands
Conservation
Procter & Gamble Company
Santa Rosa Plateau Agreement
Save Our Streams
Tennessee Conservation League
-more-
-2-
The President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards are
administered by the Council on Environmental Quality, in
partnership with The National Geographic Society, The Hearst
Corporation, The Business Roundtable, and the World Wildlife Fund.
The Awards program was established by Executive Order in 1991. An
independent selection committee of notable leaders in the academic,
business, environmental, and professional fields judged the
nominations. Presidential medals and citations are awarded in four
categories: Partnership, Environmental Quality Management,
Innovation, and Education and Communications.
# # #
Editor's note: A description of medal and citation recipients is
attached.
DF THE
CHECK
THE
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
STATES
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
RECIPIENTS OF 1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS
Medals are presented to individuals and organizations whose
efforts epitomize the ideals of the Challenge Awards
PARTNERSHIP: Awarded for fostering cooperative approaches to
environmental needs at the local, regional, or national level.
Florida Save Our Everglades Program
State of Florida and partners, Tallahassee, FL
The Save Our Everglades program was created to preserve and restore Florida's unique
wetlands ecosystem. Objectives included the restoration of the Kissimmee River and protection
of Lake Okeechobee, Water Conservation Areas, Big Cypress Swamp, the Florida panther and
other endangered wildlife. Since its initiation, 290,000 acres of land have been acquired;
landmark federal and state legislation has been passed; and 36 wildlife highway crossings and
bridges have been constructed to protect endangered species and improve hydrology. Partners
include the State of Florida, 22 conservation groups forming the Everglades Coalition, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact: Estus Whitfield, Office of Planning and Budget, (904) 488-5551
Think Earth Environmental Education Program
Southern California "Think Earth" Environmental Education Consortium, Lakewood, CA
This consortium of 13 California organizations developed and distributed "Think Earth," an
elementary school environmental education curriculum. The curriculum teaches children to
conserve natural resources, reduce waste, and minimize pollution. "Think Earth" has reached
approximately one million students nationwide. Partners include the Atlantic Richfield Company,
City of Los Angeles, Education Development Specialists, GTE California, Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Orange
County Sanitation Districts, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, South Coast Air Quality
Management District, Southern California Edison, The Gas Company, Ventura County Air
Pollution Control District, and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District.
Contact: Anne Crafton, Director of Marketing, (310) 420-6814
Energy Conservation Collaborative Effort
New England Electric System, Westboro, MA, and the Conservation Law Foundation of New
England, Boston, MA
The unlikely union of an electric utility and an environmental group has resulted in two major
achievements: the development of one of the nation's most successful energy conservation
programs and regulatory approval for a utility earnings incentive. The "power plant that
conservation built" significantly reduced the utility's air pollutants and the need for new capacity,
while saving consumers and stockholders money.
Contacts:
Mary Smith, Coordinator, NEES, (508) 366-9011
Armond Cohen, CLF, (617) 742-2540
1
Recycled Paper
- 1992 Presidential Medals -
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT: Awarded for demonstrating that
environmental values can be integrated into sound management
decisions and practices.
Environmental Management and Conservation Programs
IBM Corporation, Stamford, CT
IBM demonstrated that a large company can institutionalize and practice environmental
protection and conservation through sound policy practices, executive leadership, and employee
commitment. IBM's record of accomplishments results from meeting or exceeding government
regulations and, where none exist, from setting and adhering to its own stringent standards.
Contact: Wayne Balta, Director of Corporate Environmental Programs, (203) 973-7750
Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers Environmental Action Program
Saunders Hotels Group, Inc., Boston, MA
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers has created an environmental campaign which
encompasses more than 85 initiatives throughout all departments of the hotel. This program has
shown clearly that the competitive hospitality service industry can make dramatic changes and
maintain a high quality of service and standards. This family-owned and -operated landmark
property has successfully aligned business with environmental action.
Contact: Tedd Saunders, Environmental Program Director, (617) 457-2413
INNOVATION: Awarded for developing creative technologies,
programs, or services that are environmentally sound and
economically sensible.
CFC Solvent Phase Out
Northern Telecom, Inc., Nashville, TN
In 1988, Northern Telecom, Inc., pledged the complete phase out of CFC-113 solvents from all of
its 42 manufacturing and research operations worldwide within three years. Northern Telecom
was the first global telecommunications company to make such a pledge. At the end of 1991, all
42 Northern Telecom operations had totally eliminated these solvents from their operations.
CFC solvent emissions to the atmosphere were reduced from greater than 1,000 tons per year to
zero in three years.
Contact: Gary Minck, Senior Manager of Environmental Affairs, (615) 734-4057
South Coast Recycled Auto Project (SCRAP)
Unocal Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Unocal's SCRAP Project was an unprecedented effort to improve air quality in the Los Angeles
Basin by scrapping heavily polluting, pre-1971 cars. In four months, 8,376 old cars were
purchased and crushed for recycling. The SCRAP project reduced air pollutants by nearly 13
million pounds per year for a cost of approximately 50 cents per pound.
Contact: James Bray, Public Relations Representative, (213) 977-5390
2
- 1992 Presidential Medals -
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: Awarded for developing
informational programs that inspire respect for the environment
and raise the public's environmental awareness.
People for Community Recovery
People for Community Recovery, Inc., Chicago, IL
People for Community Recovery (PCR) is a grassroots environmental education and advocacy
organization serving a predominantly low-income, African-American community. PCR assesses
the level of environmental hazards in the community and mobilizes its constituents to alleviate
these hazards. Hazel Johnson, the group's executive director and founder, is recognized as a
national leader in the grassroots environmental movement.
Contact: Cheryl Johnson, Administrative Assistant, (312) 468-1645
Environmental Education Program
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis, MD
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) Outdoor Environmental Education Program provides
over 35,000 student-days per year of field instruction in estuarine issues to students, teachers,
and adults throughout the Bay watershed. The goal is to create a constituency that not only
values and understands the Bay, but also works actively to restore it. Individuals and groups
participate in hands-on water activities through the use of canoes, rowboats, skipjacks,
powerboats, and even work on a model low-input farm operated by CBF.
Contact: Donald Baugh, Director of Education Program, (410) 268-8816
# # #
3
RECIPIENTS OF 1992 PRESIDENTIAL CITATIONS
Citations are presented to finalists whose efforts demonstrate
noteworthy achievements in the four Award categories
FOR PARTNERSHIP
Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion Projects
New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources, Santa Fe, NM, and the Gas
Company of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
The New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources and the Gas Company
of New Mexico joined forces to introduce compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to the area's
diverse transportation sectors. The objective was to increase public acceptance of
energy-saving, cost effective and environmentally compatible alternatives to petroleum fuels.
The program introduced CNG technology to school districts, government agencies,
municipalities and non-profit groups.
Contact: Dianne Caron, Director of Conservation and Management, (505) 827-5917
Santa Rosa Plateau Agreement
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and partners, Los Angeles, CA
The Santa Rosa Plateau Management Committee saved the unique resources of this natural
grasslands ecosystem. By creating a model for cooperation in regional environmental planning,
the partnership brought regulatory agencies and responsible developers together in a program
which simultaneously benefited wildlife and people. Partners include: the Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California, The Nature Conservancy, Riverside County, California Department
of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact: Gregory Taylor, Executive Assistant to General Manager, (213) 250-6115
Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc., Austin, TX
The mission of Keep Texas Beautiful is to preserve the natural beauty and environment of the
Lone Star State. The group forges partnerships between grassroots volunteer organizations and
the public and private sectors to improve the quality of life, enhance economic development and
tourism, and conserve public and natural resources through education and public awareness
activities which emphasize proper solid waste management and responsible behavior by all
Texans and visitors to Texas.
Contact: Leann Garms, Media and Marketing Coordinator, (1-800-CLEAN-TX)
Partnership for Wetlands Conservation
Dow Chemical Company and partners, Midland, MI
The Partnership for Wetlands Conservation is a public/private partnership supporting the goals
of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1990. Partners include the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and the Dow Chemical
Company. The partnership commits conservation expertise and $6 million to preserve
endangered wetlands acres. Dow employees also volunteer to coordinate habitat projects on
and near Dow properties.
Contact: Sarah Opperman, Group Manager, Science & Environmental Communications, (517)
636-3270
4
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Corporate Environmental Policies
3COM Corporation, Santa Clara, CA
3COM, a leading supplier of data networking products, believes that pollution prevention and
conservation practices ensure its success. 3COM was a pioneer in CFC replacement and the
use of organic packaging. Conservation efforts include recycling 89% of all office paper, 98% of
toner cartridges, and 4 tons of cardboard annually. Employees voluntarily recycle, rideshare,
and work in a smokefree environment.
Contact: David Abramson, Corporate Public Relations, (408) 764-6621
FOR INNOVATION
Georgia No-Tillage Assistance Program
Georgia Office of Energy Resources, Atlanta, GA
The No-Tillage Assistance Program, funded by the state Office of Energy Resources and
administered by the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission, provides-small farmers
access to costly conservation tillage equipment at a minimal per acre fee. No-Tillage methods
prevent water pollution, soil erosion, and save non-renewable fossil fuels. To date, more than \
6,000 acres on 2,200 farms have been converted to no-till systems, saving more than 200,000
tons of soil and 225,000 gallons of fuel over conventional tilling methods.
Contact: Paul Burks, Director, (404) 656-5176
Jefferson North Project
Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, MI
Chrysler's objective was to build an environmentally-sound, world-class manufacturing facility to
produce an automobile production line. The company reclaimed an urban site to construct the
Jefferson North Assembly Plant. Pollution prevention was factored into decisions about plant
design, raw materials, manufacturing processes, and the vehicle built at the new facility.
Contact: Lee Sechler, Public Affairs, (313) 252-8802
"Great Lakes Recycle" Program
Council of Great Lakes Governors, Chicago, IL
"Great Lakes Recycle" stimulates market development for recycled products through a joint
purchase approach, which is unprecedented in size. The program contributes to the emergence
of an ecologically sound economy in the region by creating common specifications and
stimulating investment in environmentally sound technologies. States involved include Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Contact: Tim McNulty, Executive Director, (312) 407-0177
Innovative Source Reduction
Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH
Innovation in reducing the volume of material going to solid waste is a hallmark of Procter &
Gamble's environmental programs. Through the largest source reduction program ever, the
company has eliminated .5% of the volume of the total U.S. waste stream. In partnership with
retailers and consumers, P&G has applied this innovation and high technology to use less
material in its products and packages while at the same time delivering quality products.
Contact: Edward Fox, Associate Director of Corporate Packaging, (513) 634-2376
5
FOR EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
Save Our Streams
Save Our Streams, Glen Burnie, MD
Save Our Streams is a volunteer advocacy group that identifies and corrects problems on
Maryland's waterways through hands-on water quality testing and local activism. Save Our
Stream's 7,000 volunteers strive to educate and build partnerships between citizens, businesses,
industries, and government agencies. The group provides a range of educational materials,
tools and techniques for stream monitoring, and organizes communities to develop and
strengthen leadership focused on a common conservation goal.
Contact: Barbara Taylor, Director, (410) 969-0084
Earth Matters
Hannaford Brothers Co., Scarborough, ME
The "Earth Matters" program works in partnership with customers, associates, and suppliers.
Through this program, the Hannaford Brothers supermarket chain raises awareness of
environmental issues, increases community involvement in conservation programs, and
encourages others to reduce, reuse, and recycle resources. Local communities recognize and
value the company's high recycling rates and its effective programs.
Contact: Ted Brown, Environmental Affairs Manager, (207) 883-2911
Chesapeake Bay License Plate Program
State of Maryland, Annapolis, MD
The State of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay commemorative license plate program has raised more
than $3.5 million for Bay education and restoration projects while increasing public awareness of
the Bay among the 4.5 million citizens of Maryland and throughout the Bay region.
Contact: Barbara Knisely, Chesapeake Bay Communications Office, (410) 974-5300
Project CENTS
Tennessee Conservation League, Nashville, TN
Project CENTS is an interdisciplinary program for students in grades K-12, using basic skills in
reading and math to teach natural resource concepts. The program provides students with the
knowledge to understand and evaluate their actions in relation to the environment. Since 1983,
more than 19,000 teachers and 300,000 Tennessee students have benefitted from this program.
Contact: Anthony Campbell, Executive Director, (615) 353-1133
For further information about the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards, contact
Heather Beldon or Dale Curtis at the Council on Environmental Quality, 722 Jackson Place, Washington,
DC, 20503. Telephone: (202) 395-5750.
# # #
6
W TRE
FRESIDENT
OFFICE
SERVICE
UNITED
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
STATES
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
November 23, 1992
OR BROADCAST
SUMMARY SCHEDULE FOR PRESIDENT'S
ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION CHALLENGE AWARDS
Presidential Challenge Awards at the White House. The President bestow
recipients of the President's Environment and Conservation the
On Wednesday, December 2, President Bush will honor 1992
In organizations for their outstanding environmental nine
Medals for environmental excellence to will
work addition, 13 groups are being cited for their environmental achievements.
as finalists in the Awards program.
Media should wishing access to cover either White House
Media contact Mia Kelly or Meg Offit, White House ceremonies Office of
Affairs, at (202) 456-7150.
Citation Ceremony
Time:
Site:
1:00 pm -- 2:00 pm
Format:
Remarks by CEQ Chairman Michael Deland.
Room 450 Old Executive Office Building
Presentation of Citation certificates.
Note:
Office Building.
Pennsylvania Avenue entrance of Old Executive pm
Press should arrive no later than 12:30 at
Medals Ceremony
Time:
Site:
2:30 pm -- 3:00 pm
Format:
White House East Room
President makes remarks and presents Medals.
Note:
Press should arrive no later than 1:45 at
Northwest Gate for access to White House pm Press
for Briefing Room. Award recipients will be available
interviews after the East Room ceremony.
Conservation For further information about the President's Environment
Curtis at Challenge Awards, contact Heather Beldon and
the Council on Environmental Quality, (202) 395-5750. or Dale
#
#
#
Recycled Paper
OF THE
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL RECIPIENTS
The following environmental program summaries are based on the original applications submitted to the
President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards program.
FLORIDA SAVE OUR EVERGLADES PROGRAM
c/o State of Florida
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
904-488-5551
The Florida Everglades and its interrelated lakes, rivers, marshes, freshwater swamps, mangrove
forests and coastal estuaries stretch from Orlando to Florida Bay, and from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale,
covering an area approximately 9,000 square miles on the Florida peninsula. A sub-tropical climate, flat
terrain, and some 60 inches of annual rainfall created a water-dependent ecological system in South
Florida with a rich and productive species diversity, unique to the continental United States.
The interrelated hydrological system, characterized by an overland sheet flow of freshwater, is the
only source of drinking water for Southeast Florida. More than 100 years of drainage and development
have severely damaged the Everglades ecological system. Dredging, filling, and draining for agriculture,
urban development, and flood control destroyed large portions of the historic Kissimmee River
floodplain, the Everglades, and Big Cypress Swamp, with negative effects on water quality and supplies,
fish and wildlife habitat, and the quality of human life.
The Save Our Everglades program was initiated in August 1983. Partners include the State of
Florida, 21 conservation groups forming the Everglades Coalition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The program's goal is to restore and
preserve the Everglades so that by the year 2000 it will look and function more as it did in the year 1900.
It is a strategic program with six primary objectives, which are:
1. Re-establish the natural values of the Kissimmee River;
2. Protect Lake Okeechobee;
3. Protect the Water Conservation Areas;
4. Protect the Big Cypress Swamp;
5. Restore Everglades National Park; and,
6. Protect the Florida Panther and other endangered wildlife.
The Save Our Everglades Program has achieved remarkable success. A $420 million, expansive
restoration of the Kissimmee River has begun, with the support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Legislation has been enacted by Congress adding 146,000 acres to the Big Cypress National Preserve
and 107,600 acres to Everglades National Park. Two new National Wildlife Refuges have been created.
To improve the quality of water in Lake Okeechobee, pollution control measures are being installed
on all dairies north of the Lake's watershed. In converting State Road 84 to I-75 across the Everglades,
hydrological improvements and wildlife underpasses have been constructed. Some 290,000 acres of
land have been acquired for preservation and protection of the Everglades ecosystem. National, State
and local environmental organizations, and the general public support the program. The environmental
organizations have been instrumental in working with government agencies, the Congress and the
Florida Legislature to enact programs and legislation to further the goals of the program.
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THINK EARTH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Southern California "Think Earth" Environmental Consortium
5505 East Carson Street, Suite 250
Lakewood, CA 90713
310-420-6814
The Think Earth Environmental Education Program began in 1989 when several public and private
organizations met with environmental groups and educators to address the need for a comprehensive
environmental education program. The group agreed that individually the task would be intense, but a
consortium of development sponsors could pool their resources to produce the curriculum.
The consortium is unique in that its partners represent a broad environmental spectrum: ARCO, City
of Los Angeles Clean Water Program, Educational Development Specialists, GTE California, Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Orange County
Sanitation District, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, South Coast Air Quality Management
District, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, Ventura County Air Pollution
Control District, and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District. The diversity of this group has helped
produce a comprehensive, unbiased program.
Educational Development Specialists (EDS), a curriculum development firm, developed Think Earth.
The program consists of seven complete educational units for kindergarten through sixth grade. The
goal of the program is to teach children to "Think Earth" -- to conserve natural resources, to reduce
waste, and to minimize pollution. The program also promotes an environmental ethic by which students
balance human and environmental needs. Children learn important environmental concepts, with
emphasis on behaviors to empower children with practical life skills that will make a difference.
The curriculum is innovative in that it is comprehensive, yet brief. It interrelates all elements of the
environment in an integrated instructional program. Most importantly, Think Earth is measurable; unit
tests allow teachers to assess student learning of objectives and behaviors.
The consortium has provided free Think Earth K-3 instructional units to approximately 70% of the
3,500 public and private elementary schools in Southern California. To date, more than 10,000 teachers
have taught the units to nearly 500,000 students in Southern California. The units for grades 4-6 have
been field tested and will be distributed beginning in 1993. The program is also available throughout the
nation. So far, companies and agencies in all 50 states have provided Think Earth to an estimated 1
million students.
Results of field tests show high levels of student achievement. In addition, student and teacher
attitudes were positive. All of the teachers felt the program helped students develop an understanding of
environmental problems and a commitment to solving them.
The Think Earth program is a successful example of a public/private collaborative alliance. It serves
not only as a case study of a quality environmental program for Southern California, but also as a model
of how similar programs can be implemented throughout the country.
2
NEW ENGLAND ELECTRIC SYSTEM/CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION
Collaborative Efforts
New England Electric System
Conservation Law Foundation
25 Research Drive
of New England
Westboro, MA 01582
3 Joy Street
508-366-9011
Boston, MA 02108
617-742-2540
In 1988, the New England Electric System Companies (NEES) and the Conservation Law Foundation
(CLF) embarked on an unlikely joint venture -- the union of an electric utility and environmental group.
At a time when utilities were finding it difficult to build new power plants, groups such as CLF were
arguing that energy conservation, not new power plants, should provide the needed capacity. Formed
as an alternative to working out differences within the regulatory arena, the partnership implemented the
largest, most comprehensive, cost-effective conservation program in the nation in proportion to the
utility's size.
Hoping to bridge their differences, NEES and CLF officials originally met for lunch, sketching out a
proposed collaborative plan on a paper napkin. Challenged with the joint goal of lessening
environmental impacts through conservation, NEES and the CLF developed an agreement which
committed the utility to a substantial increase in conservation spending (up to $40 million that first year).
NEES, in cooperation with the CLF, developed a comprehensive series of cost-effective new energy
conservation programs for its commercial, industrial and residential customers. The partnership heralded
a new era in utility-sponsored energy-efficiency efforts. A primary concern of NEES was its ability to
maintain funding for its conservation programs without jeopardizing the company's overall financial
stability. Options involved either slowing the development of its conservation and load management
(C&LM) program to an average utility level, or gambling that a truly first-class level would yield a sound
regulatory response allowing the utility to profit from its efforts.
In 1989, NEES and CLF filed proposals in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire for a
new C&LM program. NEES proposed to spend $65 million on its efforts in 1990 and asked regulatory
agencies to allow NEES to share in its customers' savings. All three states approved variations of the
incentive proposal. For the first time in the region's history, an electric utility earned a return on its
conservation expenses at the state level. The action assured the continuation of utility-sponsored
conservation programs and increased investment on NEES' part. In 1991, despite flat electricity demand
and a recession, NEES spent $92 million and proposed to spend $108 million in 1992.
Clearly, the NEES/CLF partnership has been a positive situation for all concerned -- for NEES, its
customers, the CLF, and the environment. More than 550 gigawatthours (GWH), or enough power to
supply 80,000 households for one year, was saved. The "power plant that conservation built" has
already displaced the need to burn fossil fuels saving approximately 320 million pounds of carbon
dioxide emissions. By 2000, NEES expects its efforts to supplant the need for 800 megawatts (MW) of
generation and to contribute to an overall 45% reduction in net weighted air emissions. Without their
partnership, NEES and the CLF could not have achieved the same results.
3
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
IBM Corporation
208 Harbor Dr.
Stamford, CT 06904
203-973-7750
IBM has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection. In 1967, 1971, and 1974, the
company issued worldwide policies on safety, the environment and conservation. These policies, and
subsequent actions, often were initiated before government regulations were issued. IBM's 1990
corporate policy statement on environmental affairs is the latest affirmation of objectives that have been
woven into IBM's business fabric for decades.
A corporate vice president oversees worldwide environmental affairs. Daily operations are guided by
written instructions and practices concerning environmental protection. Compliance responsibilities are
well-defined. Environmental considerations are integral to research, development and in relationships
with customers and are applied equally wherever IBM does business.
IBM's long-standing waste management hierarchy calls for reducing, reusing, recycling, and as a last
resort, safely treating and disposing. Over the past decade, IBM has invested more than $1 billion in
upgrading facilities and implementing approaches, such as secondary containment with leak detection
and above-ground tanks and piping. All new construction incorporates state-of-the-art environmental
protection. In 1978, IBM established a safe PCB incineration program, and in the same year, initiated a
worldwide groundwater monitoring program.
IBM has a comprehensive assessment program, including corporate audits. Environmental Impact
Assessments are prepared for every product and process. All sites annually submit Environmental
Master Plans, which are consolidated and used by management to assess performance and identify
areas for improvement.
All plants are prepared to handle potential environmental emergencies, with trained employees,
proper equipment and community coordination. A worldwide computer network is used to provide
immediate notification of problems, alert other locations to exposures and prevent potential recurrences.
IBM's goal to eliminate CFCs from processes and products by 1993 is six years ahead of the Clean
Air Act targets. IBM has established a similar goal to stop using methyl chloroform by 1995. IBM's
programs have produced results, including the following: reduced CFC emissions worldwide by 83%
from 1987 through 1991; reduced generated hazardous materials worldwide by 44% from 1987 through
1991 and recycled 86% of them in 1991; achieved 61% recycling of solid waste; conserved 4.1 billion
kilowatt-hours of energy since 1986; reduced SARA releases by 66% from 1987-1991, including an 86%
reduction in air emissions; and achieved an exemplary OSHA record.
Over the years, IBM has extended its commitment to the environment - from its daily operations to
philanthropic efforts to facilitate knowledge growth and technology transfer. Examples include a $6.5
million donation to the United Nations to support the Global Resource Information Database and a $25
million grant program for environmental research at universities and research institutes.
In summary, through visionary policies, sound practices, employee leadership and commitment,
environmental protection and conservation are ingrained within IBM.
4
BOSTON PARK PLAZA HOTEL AND TOWERS
Saunders Hotels Group, Inc.
64 Arlington St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-457-2413
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel has created an environmental program whose magnitude clearly
outlines how a company can make dramatic ecological changes, while maintaining extremely high
standards of service and quality. Since 1990, 95 initiatives have been put into place encompassing all
major departments of the hotel. The hotel has learned that a long-term perspective, top management's
commitment, and an integrated approach can successfully balance economic viability with ecological
responsibility. This is merely good and efficient business practice in the 1990's. The hotel has continued
to operate a first-class operation and at the same time, make a commitment to preserve the planet.
The boldest innovation is the creation of new, elegant amenity pump-dispensers for all 1,100 guest-
room bathrooms. This eliminates nearly 2 million one-ounce plastic bottles annually from the waste
stream. The resulting cost savings from reduced packaging have been redirected to where it counts --
improving the product quality of the shampoo, conditioner, body gel and handsoap. The Boston Plaza
Hotel is the first hotel in the country to take this bold step.
Other major initiatives include the installation of 1,686 new thermopane windows in all guest rooms at
a cost of $1.2 million. Eleven recycling programs are now in place including: steel; #1 and #2 plastics;
clear and brown glass; white, computer and mixed paper; cardboard; telephone books; and aluminum.
Other steps include solid waste reduction, energy and water conservation, hazardous waste elimination,
education, and communications. Working at all levels of the company to integrate this program, a
"green team" of enthusiastic employees volunteered to work alongside management to implement
initiatives and help spread the word. All hotel managers now meet monthly for the sole purpose of
discussing environmental goals and accomplishments.
Some initiatives can be strictly categorized as efficient operations; others are creative efforts which
round out a truly comprehensive approach. In reality, there is much overlap between the two because
efficient business is environmentally sound business.
What distinguishes this program from many other "green efforts" is management's commitment to
incorporating environmental action into every facet of the hotel. Spearheading the program is Tedd
Saunders, the hotel's environmental program director. Tedd has made a personal and professional
commitment to establish his family's company as a model for integrating voluntary environmental
solutions into everyday business practice.
To date, the hotel has invested more than $1.8 million dollars in the program. In return, nearly three
quarters of a million dollars of new business can be directly attributable to customer support of the
hotel's environmental commitment.
The key to creating a successful environmental action plan is to formulate one that is initially
affordable and feasible to maintain long-term. Numerous benefits include a healthier bottom line from
improved efficiency and better use of resources, high morale and loyalty from employees, opportunities
to uniquely present a positive public image, and additional business from increasingly conscious
customers.
5
CFC SOLVENT PHASE OUT
Northern Telecom
200 Athens Way
Nashville, TN 37228
(615) 734-4057
Fulfilling a pledge made in 1988, Northern Telecom has become the first large electronics
company in the world to meet a public commitment to eliminate ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon
solvents (CFC-113) from its manufacturing operations nine years ahead of an international mandate set
by the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement now signed by 86 nations which calls for the
elimination of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances by the year 2000.
Chlorofluorocarbons are chemicals widely used as refrigerants, as propellants, for foam blowing
and as cleaning agents in various industrial applications. When emitted into the atmosphere, CFCs
break down the protective ozone layer which shields the Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
Northern Telecom, like most electronic manufacturing companies, used CFC-113 solvents to clean flux
residue from printed circuit boards.
Northern Telecom was the first company to commit to such an aggressive timetable when, in
1988, it publicly announced that it would eliminate CFC-113 solvents from its 42 worldwide
manufacturing operations by the end of 1991. The company achieved the goal by developing
alternatives to the CFC solvent cleaning processes. These alternatives involve the use of low-residue
fluxes and solder pastes that eliminate the need for cleaning after soldering.
The company estimates that the alternatives it has developed will prevent nearly 9,000 tons of
CFCs from being released by facilities into the atmosphere over the next eight years. The new process
will save the company in excess of $50 million during the same time period in direct CFC solvent
purchasing costs and other expenses.
Northern Telecom has built only CFC solvent-free facilities since 1988. The company has also
committed to eliminate CFC-113 solvents from purchased facilities within 15 months of acquisition. In
addition, Northern Telecom has pledged to eliminate methyl chloroform from its manufacturing process
in 1993. Furthermore, Northern Telecom is sharing its technology with the global community through
the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection (ICOLP), of which Northern Telecom was a
founding member, and through managing technology cooperation projects in Mexico and other
countries in collaboration with U.S. EPA and national environmental agencies.
6
SOUTH COAST RECYCLED AUTO PROJECT (SCRAP)
c/o Unocal Corporation
1201 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-977-5390
SCRAP showed that a market-based attack on major pollution sources could be cost-effective in
improving air quality. Despite decades of work by federal, state and local entities, the Los Angeles Basin
has the dirtiest air in the U.S. Progress has been made, but much remains to be done. Mobile sources
account for over 60% of all ozone-precursor emissions in the Basin, with a disproportionate share
coming from old cars. Oil refineries and power plants add 5%; the rest is from small businesses and
private homes, some of which are not yet regulated sources. Regulators have concentrated on
stationary sources despite studies calling for old-car buy backs; the question has always been, "who
would pay for the cars, and why?"
SCRAP answered this question. Unocal budgeted over $5 million to buy, test and scrap 7,000 pre-
1971 autos (which have little or no emission controls). The company paid $700 per car, and turned
them over to a scrap yard to be crushed, shredded and recycled. The goal was to gather data to show
regulators that a policy shift to market-based regulation and emissions credit "trading" could be faster
and more cost-effective than command-and-control measures. The Ford Motor Company, as well as
other companies, agencies, and individuals contributed another $1 million to SCRAP, and 1,400 more
vehicles were bought and destroyed.
SCRAP's economic incentives elicited the voluntary participation of old-car owners, and government
agencies provided great support. The South Coast Air Quality Management District donated $100,000,
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) tested vehicles to quantify emissions reductions, the
Department of Motor Vehicles did on-site records clearance, and the Bureau of Automotive Repair
researched mileage and smog-check histories of the SCRAP cars.
Unocal tested the tailpipe emissions of every SCRAP car, and (with CARB) ran Federal Test
Procedures on 74 of them. On average, the cars emitted 99 times more hydrocarbons per mile than a
new 1990 auto, 50 times more carbon monoxide, and "only" 11 times more nitrogen oxides. Thus
SCRAP eliminated twice the expected volume of air pollutants - nearly 13 million pounds - for about $6
million (a fraction of the cost of an equivalent cleanup from stationary sources).
SCRAP-type programs can be replicated around the country depending on cost-effectiveness and
the willingness of the regulators to allow emissions credits for stationary sources based on mobile
source emissions cleanup. At least six programs are in progress or planning stages in the states of
Delaware, California, Illinois, and Virginia. The precedent has been set and the program will be repeated
in more and more places.
7
PEOPLE FOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY, INC.
13116 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60627
312-468-1645
People for Community Recovery is one of the nation's only environmental organizations whose
grassroots are based in a public housing project where the residents are predominantly low-income
African-Americans. The marked success that PCR has achieved in working with the State of Illinois, the
Water Reclamation District of Metropolitan Chicago, and others is due to the strength of its educational
program.
Environmental consciousness has been raised among the people of Altgeld Gardens, so that they can
take informed action in finding and changing the environmental causes of their health problems. As a
national leader in the grassroots environmental movement among people of color, PCR's executive
director and founder, Hazel Johnson, has been called the "black mother of the environmental
movement."
PCR's home is Altgeld Gardens, a 47-year-old Chicago Housing Authority project constructed on the
former garbage dump of the Pullman Company. Located in the heart of the Calumet Industrial District,
PCR's neighbors include at least fifty landfills and toxic waste sites, a sewage treatment plant, and a
range of industries, including coke ovens, blast furnaces, refineries, and chemical plants.
Many residents of this area have experienced higher than normal rates of cancer and other diseases.
Altgeld Gardens is the highest priority community to be conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substance
and Disease Registry (ATSDR). For the first time, an assessment by ATSDR will be conducted with the
collaboration of the community representatives.
PCR played a lead role in establishing a link between the environment and health issues by seeing
that environmental education is an ongoing process of self-knowledge and self-improvement. By
conducting its own extensive surveys of community health problems and convincing responsible
authorities to conduct their own, by communicating information clearly and frequently to residents, by
coordinating action programs to achieve do-able environmental goals, PCR has become a national
model for community based environmental education and action.
Membership in PCR has soared from 12 to 969 in just 10 years; 11,000 residents of Altgeld Gardens
are directly effected by PCR's programming. The 780,000 residents of Chicago's Far South Side and the
communities of Calumet City, Burnham, Harvey, Phoenix, and South Holland who reside within the
"Southeast Chicago" site as defined by the ATSDR, also receive direct benefit from PCR's programming.
The mere fact of PCR's ability to bring people of color together to address environmental issues in
spite of social and economic hard times - is testimony to its fundamental dedication, commitment, and
perseverance, and is an inspiration to environmental advocates everywhere.
8
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
c/o Chesapeake Bay Foundation
162 Prince George Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-268-8816
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) outdoor environmental education program provides
instruction in estuarine ecology for 35,000 students a year at 17 centers from the Susquehanna River to
the Virginia Capes, east into the marshes of Maryland's Eastern Shore and west to the Piedmont and
beyond. Students, teachers, and other adult groups participate in hands-on activities through the use of
canoes, rowboats, skipjacks, diesel-powered Bay workboats, and even on a model low-input farm owned
and operated by CBF. (At the Clagett Farm the EPA, USDA, the University of Maryland Department of
Agriculture work cooperatively to monitor ground and surface water contamination as well as relative
yields from different farming practices.)
CBF's program was the first of its kind on the Bay, beginning in 1971 with a borrowed Boston
Whaler. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most sophisticated outdoor environmental
education programs in the country. It is looked to as a model for the development and operation of
other such programs nationwide. CBF's goal is to create a constituency who will value the Bay and its
watershed as a living, connected system and who will act to restore clean water and insure a high
quality of life for all inhabitants. Its objectives include the following: to create sensitivity to what is
needed to cleanse and restore the Chesapeake as an ecosystem; to develop a sense of "ownership" of
difference; and to impart the knowledge that must underlie any meaningful and effective action on the
Bay's behalf.
Teachers are required to complete a one-day workshop before bringing their classes on a field trip.
In addition, many teachers also complete a one-week training program for which in-service credit is
available. Because of this, the benefit to the students is far more than the short time spent on field trips.
Using CBF materials, teachers work extensively with students before the trip and after, often weaving the
concepts into their semester-long curricula.
Finally, CBF's Environmental Education Program is an integral component of the entire organization,
a characteristic that makes it a better program itself. Staff educators have full access to CBF's lawyers,
scientists, agricultural experts, land planners, etc. In this way, the education staff are kept up to date on
the latest science and policy of the overall Chesapeake Bay Program. They are able to work this
information into their daily teachings. It is this capacity for a holistic approach that puts CBF's education
program on the cutting edge.
# # #
November 1992
9
Stv Provest of Jum
+ bifg book mcGeger
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
11-20-92
Steve - -
This is a package of
background material on The recipients
of The Presidents Environment and
Conseuration Arrands, to be presented
by the President in the East Room
a week from Wednesday, on Dec 2.
Mike Deland would like to
speeak with you and/or whomever
drafts the Presidents talking points.
Ben Jarratt in on office (r5750)
is immersed in The details.
Best refands,
Dale Curtis
CC. Dan Mc Groanty
COPY
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT STATES UNITED
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20500
Michael R. Deland
(202) 395-5080
Chairman
SCHEDULE PROPOSAL
NOVEMBER 10, 1992
TO:
KATHERINE L. SUPER
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
FOR APPOINTMENTS AND SCHEDULING
FROM:
MICHAEL R. DELAND
CHAIRMAN
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
REQUEST:
For the President to present the Presidential
Medals for Environmental Excellence -- the
Nation's highest environmental honor -- to the
1992 recipients of the President's Environment and
Conservation Challenge Awards.
BACKGROUND:
In 1991, the President signed an Executive Order
establishing the President's Environment and
Conservation Challenge Awards program. These
national environmental awards recognize
outstanding U.S. environmental achievements and
raise the Nation's conservation awareness.
This event will recognize the nine organizations
who are receiving 1992 Medals. I will have
presented certificates to the 13 Presidential
Citation recipients (finalists in the program) at
a ceremony earlier in the day.
DATE:
TBD, November or December
WEDNESDAY, DEC. Z
LOCATION:
East Room, the White House.
at 2:30 PM
PARTICIPANTS: The President
Michael Deland, Chairman, CEQ
Award Partners:
Gilbert Grosvenor -- National Geographic
Frank Bennack -- Hearst Corporation
Russell Train -- World Wildlife Fund
John Ong -- The Business Roundtable
(Chairman of B.F. Goodrich)
225 guests in the East Room
-more-
Recycled Paper
-2-
Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan
Secretary of Energy James Watkins
EPA Administrator William Reilly
Members of President's Commission on
Environmental Quality
Nine "Medal" Recipients
13 "Citation" Recipients
Awards' Selection Committee and Technical
Evaluators
Members of national business, trade and
environmental community
Members of legislative and executive branches
EVENT OUTLINE:
East Room ceremony.
Presidential remarks.
Presentation of Presidential Medals.
Special Citations to the Award
Partners in recognition of their two
years of support of the Challenge
Awards.
Upon departure, Presidential
handshakes with the 13 Citation
recipients who will be seated in the
first row.
Reception will immediately follow in the
State Dining Room.
MEDIA COVERAGE:
Open Photo, Writing Pool Coverage.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 29, 1992
The President announced today that nine U.S. individuals and
organizations will receive the nation's highest environmental honor
-- the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Award.
These innovative and effective leaders have distinguished
themselves as pioneers in protecting and conserving our
environment. They will receive the Presidential medal for
environmental excellence at a White House ceremony later this fall.
In addition to the medal recipients, Presidential citations are
also being awarded to 13 finalists who demonstrated notable
environmental achievements.
The Presidential medal and citation recipients are representative
of the new generation of environmental entrepreneurs and activists.
They are doers, not takers. They are building cooperative problem-
solving partnerships, creating new products and processes that are
sensitive to the ecology, incorporating environmental thinking into
business decision-making, and promoting a conservation ethic
throughout the United States and other countries.
Medal Recipients
Citation Recipients
Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers
300M Corporation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chrysler Corporation
Florida Save Our Everglades
Council of Great Lakes Governors
IBM Corporation
Georgia Office of Energy
New England Electric System &
Resources
the Conservation Law Foundation
Hannaford Brothers Co.
Northern Telecom, Inc.
Keep Texas Beautiful
People for Community Recovery
Maryland Chesapeake Bay License
Think Earth Environmental
Plate
Education Program
New Mexico Department of
Unocal Corporation
Energy, Minerals and Natural
Resources, & the Gas Company
of New Mexico
Partnership for Wetlands
Conservation
Procter & Gamble Company
Santa Rosa Plateau Agreement
Save Our Streams
Tennessee Conservation League
-more-
-2-
The President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards are
administered by the Council on Environmental Quality, in
partnership with The National Geographic Society, The Hearst
Corporation, The Business Roundtable, and the World Wildlife Fund.
The Awards program was established by Executive Order in 1991. An
independent selection committee of notable leaders in the academic,
business, environmental, and professional fields judged the
nominations. Presidential medals and citations are awarded in four
categories: Partnership, Environmental Quality Management,
Innovation, and Education and Communications.
# # #
Editor's note: A description of medal and citation recipients is
attached.
OF THE
PRESENT
CFFICE
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
ME UNITED
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
OFFICE
SERVICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
RECIPIENTS OF 1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS
Medals are presented to individuals and organizations whose
efforts epitomize the ideals of the Challenge Awards
PARTNERSHIP: Awarded for fostering cooperative approaches to
environmental needs at the local, regional, or national level.
Florida Save Our Everglades Program
State of Florida and partners, Tallahassee, FL
The Save Our Everglades program was created to preserve and restore Florida's unique
wetlands ecosystem. Objectives included the restoration of the Kissimmee River and protection
of Lake Okeechobee, Water Conservation Areas, Big Cypress Swamp, the Florida panther and
other endangered wildlife. Since its initiation, 290,000 acres of land have been acquired;
landmark federal and state legislation has been passed; and 36 wildlife highway crossings and
bridges have been constructed to protect endangered species and improve hydrology. Partners
include the State of Florida, 22 conservation groups forming the Everglades Coalition, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact: Estus Whitfield, Office of Planning and Budget, (904) 488-5551
Think Earth Environmental Education Program
Southern California "Think Earth" Environmental Education Consortium, Lakewood, CA
This consortium of 13 California organizations developed and distributed "Think Earth," an
elementary school environmental education curriculum. The curriculum teaches children to
conserve natural resources, reduce waste, and minimize pollution. "Think Earth" has reached
approximately one million students nationwide. Partners include the Atlantic Richfield Company,
City of Los Angeles, Education Development Specialists, GTE California, Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Orange
County Sanitation Districts, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, South Coast Air Quality
Management District, Southern California Edison, The Gas Company, Ventura County Air
Pollution Control District, and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District.
Contact: Anne Crafton, Director of Marketing, (310) 420-6814
Energy Conservation Collaborative Effort
New England Electric System, Westboro, MA, and the Conservation Law Foundation of New
England, Boston, MA
The unlikely union of an electric utility and an environmental group has resulted in two major
achievements: the development of one of the nation's most successful energy conservation
programs and regulatory approval for a utility earnings incentive. The "power plant that
conservation built" significantly reduced the utility's air pollutants and the need for new capacity,
while saving consumers and stockholders money.
Contacts:
Mary Smith, Coordinator, NEES, (508) 366-9011
Armond Cohen, CLF, (617) 742-2540
1
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- 1992 Presidential Medals -
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT: Awarded for demonstrating that
environmental values can be integrated into sound management
decisions and practices.
Environmental Management and Conservation Programs
IBM Corporation, Stamford, CT
IBM demonstrated that a large company can institutionalize and practice environmental
protection and conservation through sound policy practices, executive leadership, and employee
commitment. IBM's record of accomplishments results from meeting or exceeding government
regulations and, where none exist, from setting and adhering to its own stringent standards.
Contact: Wayne Balta, Director of Corporate Environmental Programs, (203) 973-7750
Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers Environmental Action Program
Saunders Hotels Group, Inc., Boston, MA
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers has created an environmental campaign which
encompasses more than 85 initiatives throughout all departments of the hotel. This program has
shown clearly that the competitive hospitality service industry can make dramatic changes and
maintain a high quality of service and standards. This family-owned and -operated landmark
property has successfully aligned business with environmental action.
Contact: Tedd Saunders, Environmental Program Director, (617) 457-2413
INNOVATION: Awarded for developing creative technologies,
programs, or services that are environmentally sound and
economically sensible.
CFC Solvent Phase Out
Northern Telecom, Inc., Nashville, TN
In 1988, Northern Telecom, Inc., pledged the complete phase out of CFC-113 solvents from all of
its 42 manufacturing and research operations worldwide within three years. Northern Telecom
was the first global telecommunications company to make such a pledge. At the end of 1991, all
42 Northern Telecom operations had totally eliminated these solvents from their operations.
CFC solvent emissions to the atmosphere were reduced from greater than 1,000 tons per year to
zero in three years.
Contact: Gary Minck, Senior Manager of Environmental Affairs, (615) 734-4057
South Coast Recycled Auto Project (SCRAP)
Unocal Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Unocal's SCRAP Project was an unprecedented effort to improve air quality in the Los Angeles
Basin by scrapping heavily polluting, pre-1971 cars. In four months, 8,376 old cars were
purchased and crushed for recycling. The SCRAP project reduced air pollutants by nearly 13
million pounds per year for a cost of approximately 50 cents per pound.
Contact: James Bray, Public Relations Representative, (213) 977-5390
2
- 1992 Presidential Medals -
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: Awarded for developing
informational programs that inspire respect for the environment
and raise the public's environmental awareness.
People for Community Recovery
People for Community Recovery, Inc., Chicago, IL
People for Community Recovery (PCR) is a grassroots environmental education and advocacy
organization serving a predominantly low-income, African-American community. PCR assesses
the level of environmental hazards in the community and mobilizes its constituents to alleviate
these hazards. Hazel Johnson, the group's executive director and founder, is recognized as a
national leader in the grassroots environmental movement.
Contact: Cheryl Johnson, Administrative Assistant, (312) 468-1645
Environmental Education Program
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis, MD
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) Outdoor Environmental Education Program provides
over 35,000 student-days per year of field instruction in estuarine issues to students, teachers,
and adults throughout the Bay watershed. The goal is to create a constituency that not only
values and understands the Bay, but also works actively to restore it. Individuals and groups
participate in hands-on water activities through the use of canoes, rowboats, skipjacks,
powerboats, and even work on a model low-input farm operated by CBF.
Contact: Donald Baugh, Director of Education Program, (410) 268-8816
# # #
3
RECIPIENTS OF 1992 PRESIDENTIAL CITATIONS
Citations are presented to finalists whose efforts demonstrate
noteworthy achievements in the four Award categories
FOR PARTNERSHIP
Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion Projects
New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources, Santa Fe, NM, and the Gas
Company of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
The New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources and the Gas Company
of New Mexico joined forces to introduce compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to the area's
diverse transportation sectors. The objective was to increase public acceptance of
energy-saving, cost effective and environmentally compatible alternatives to petroleum fuels.
The program introduced CNG technology to school districts, government agencies,
municipalities and non-profit groups.
Contact: Dianne Caron, Director of Conservation and Management, (505) 827-5917
Santa Rosa Plateau Agreement
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and partners, Los Angeles, CA
The Santa Rosa Plateau Management Committee saved the unique resources of this natural
grasslands ecosystem. By creating a model for cooperation in regional environmental planning,
the partnership brought regulatory agencies and responsible developers together in a program
which simultaneously benefited wildlife and people. Partners include: the Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California, The Nature Conservancy, Riverside County, California Department
of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contact: Gregory Taylor, Executive Assistant to General Manager, (213) 250-6115
Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc., Austin, TX
The mission of Keep Texas Beautiful is to preserve the natural beauty and environment of the
Lone Star State. The group forges partnerships between grassroots volunteer organizations and
the public and private sectors to improve the quality of life, enhance economic development and
tourism, and conserve public and natural resources through education and public awareness
activities which emphasize proper solid waste management and responsible behavior by all
Texans and visitors to Texas.
Contact: Leann Garms, Media and Marketing Coordinator, (1-800-CLEAN-TX)
Partnership for Wetlands Conservation
Dow Chemical Company and partners, Midland, MI
The Partnership for Wetlands Conservation is a public/private partnership supporting the goals
of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1990. Partners include the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and the Dow Chemical
Company. The partnership commits conservation expertise and $6 million to preserve
endangered wetlands acres. Dow employees also volunteer to coordinate habitat projects on
and near Dow properties.
Contact: Sarah Opperman, Group Manager, Science & Environmental Communications, (517)
636-3270
4
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Corporate Environmental Policies
3COM Corporation, Santa Clara, CA
3COM, a leading supplier of data networking products, believes that pollution prevention and
conservation practices ensure its success. 3COM was a pioneer in CFC replacement and the
use of organic packaging. Conservation efforts include recycling 89% of all office paper, 98% of
toner cartridges, and 4 tons of cardboard annually. Employees voluntarily recycle, rideshare,
and work in a smokefree environment.
Contact: David Abramson, Corporate Public Relations, (408) 764-6621
FOR INNOVATION
Georgia No-Tillage Assistance Program
Georgia Office of Energy Resources, Atlanta, GA
The No-Tillage Assistance Program, funded by the state Office of Energy Resources and
administered by the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission, provides small farmers
access to costly conservation tillage equipment at a minimal per acre fee. No-Tillage methods
prevent water pollution, soil erosion, and save non-renewable fossil fuels. To date, more than
6,000 acres on 2,200 farms have been converted to no-till systems, saving more than 200,000
tons of soil and 225,000 gallons of fuel over conventional tilling methods.
Contact: Paul Burks, Director, (404) 656-5176
Jefferson North Project
Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, MI
Chrysler's objective was to build an environmentally-sound, world-class manufacturing facility to
produce an automobile production line. The company reclaimed an urban site to construct the
Jefferson North Assembly Plant. Pollution prevention was factored into decisions about plant
design, raw materials, manufacturing processes, and the vehicle built at the new facility.
Contact: Lee Sechler, Public Affairs, (313) 252-8802
"Great Lakes Recycle" Program
Council of Great Lakes Governors, Chicago, IL
"Great Lakes Recycle" stimulates market development for recycled products through a joint
purchase approach, which is unprecedented in size. The program contributes to the emergence
of an ecologically sound economy in the region by creating common specifications and
stimulating investment in environmentally sound technologies. States involved include Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Contact: Tim McNulty, Executive Director, (312) 407-0177
Innovative Source Reduction
Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH
Innovation in reducing the volume of material going to solid waste is a hallmark of Procter &
Gamble's environmental programs. Through the largest source reduction program ever, the
company has eliminated .5% of the volume of the total U.S. waste stream. In partnership with
retailers and consumers, P&G has applied this innovation and high technology to use less
material in its products and packages while at the same time delivering quality products.
Contact: Edward Fox, Associate Director of Corporate Packaging, (513) 634-2376
5
FOR EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
Save Our Streams
Save Our Streams, Glen Burnie, MD
Save Our Streams is a volunteer advocacy group that identifies and corrects problems on
Maryland's waterways through hands-on water quality testing and local activism. Save Our
Stream's 7,000 volunteers strive to educate and build partnerships between citizens, businesses,
industries, and government agencies. The group provides a range of educational materials,
tools and techniques for stream monitoring, and organizes communities to develop and
strengthen leadership focused on a common conservation goal.
Contact: Barbara Taylor, Director, (410) 969-0084
Earth Matters
Hannaford Brothers Co., Scarborough, ME
The "Earth Matters" program works in partnership with customers, associates, and suppliers.
Through this program, the Hannaford Brothers supermarket chain raises awareness of
environmental issues, increases community involvement in conservation programs, and
encourages others to reduce, reuse, and recycle resources. Local communities recognize and
value the company's high recycling rates and its effective programs.
Contact: Ted Brown, Environmental Affairs Manager, (207) 883-2911
Chesapeake Bay License Plate Program
State of Maryland, Annapolis, MD
The State of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay commemorative license plate program has raised more
than $3.5 million for Bay education and restoration projects while increasing public awareness of
the Bay among the 4.5 million citizens of Maryland and throughout the Bay region.
Contact: Barbara Knisely, Chesapeake Bay Communications Office, (410) 974-5300
Project CENTS
Tennessee Conservation League, Nashville, TN
Project CENTS is an interdisciplinary program for students in grades K-12, using basic skills in
reading and math to teach natural resource concepts. The program provides students with the
knowledge to understand and evaluate their actions in relation to the environment. Since 1983,
more than 19,000 teachers and 300,000 Tennessee students have benefitted from this program.
Contact: Anthony Campbell, Executive Director, (615) 353-1133
For further information about the President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards, contact
Heather Beldon or Dale Curtis at the Council on Environmental Quality, 722 Jackson Place, Washington,
DC, 20503. Telephone: (202) 395-5750.
# # #
6
GREAT OF THE FRESIDENT SERVICE GUALITY
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL RECIPIENTS
The following environmental program summaries are based on the original applications submitted to the
President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards program.
FLORIDA SAVE OUR EVERGLADES PROGRAM
c/o State of Florida
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
904-488-5551
The Florida Everglades and its interrelated lakes, rivers, marshes, freshwater swamps, mangrove
forests and coastal estuaries stretch from Orlando to Florida Bay, and from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale,
covering an area approximately 9,000 square miles on the Florida peninsula. A sub-tropical climate, flat
terrain, and some 60 inches of annual rainfall created a water-dependent ecological system in South
Florida with a rich and productive species diversity, unique to the continental United States.
The interrelated hydrological system, characterized by an overland sheet flow of freshwater, is the
only source of drinking water for Southeast Florida. More than 100 years of drainage and development
have severely damaged the Everglades ecological system. Dredging, filling, and draining for agriculture,
urban development, and flood control destroyed large portions of the historic Kissimmee River
floodplain, the Everglades, and Big Cypress Swamp, with negative effects on water quality and supplies,
fish and wildlife habitat, and the quality of human life.
The Save Our Everglades program was initiated in August 1983. Partners include the State of
Florida, 21 conservation groups forming the Everglades Coalition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The program's goal is to restore and
preserve the Everglades so that by the year 2000 it will look and function more as it did in the year 1900.
It is a strategic program with six primary objectives, which are:
1. Re-establish the natural values of the Kissimmee River;
2. Protect Lake Okeechobee;
3. Protect the Water Conservation Areas;
4. Protect the Big Cypress Swamp;
5. Restore Everglades National Park; and,
6. Protect the Florida Panther and other endangered wildlife.
The Save Our Everglades Program has achieved remarkable success. A $420 million, expansive
restoration of the Kissimmee River has begun, with the support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Legislation has been enacted by Congress adding 146,000 acres to the Big Cypress National Preserve
and 107,600 acres to Everglades National Park. Two new National Wildlife Refuges have been created.
To improve the quality of water in Lake Okeechobee, pollution control measures are being installed
on all dairies north of the Lake's watershed. In converting State Road 84 to I-75 across the Everglades,
hydrological improvements and wildlife underpasses have been constructed. Some 290,000 acres of
land have been acquired for preservation and protection of the Everglades ecosystem. National, State
and local environmental organizations, and the general public support the program. The environmental
organizations have been instrumental in working with government agencies, the Congress and the
Florida Legislature to enact programs and legislation to further the goals of the program.
Recycled Paper
THINK EARTH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Southern California "Think Earth" Environmental Consortium
5505 East Carson Street, Suite 250
Lakewood, CA 90713
310-420-6814
The Think Earth Environmental Education Program began in 1989 when several public and private
organizations met with environmental groups and educators to address the need for a comprehensive
environmental education program. The group agreed that individually the task would be intense, but a
consortium of development sponsors could pool their resources to produce the curriculum.
The consortium is unique in that its partners represent a broad environmental spectrum: ARCO, City
of Los Angeles Clean Water Program, Educational Development Specialists, GTE California, Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Orange County
Sanitation District, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, South Coast Air Quality Management
District, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, Ventura County Air Pollution
Control District, and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District. The diversity of this group has helped
produce a comprehensive, unbiased program.
Educational Development Specialists (EDS), a curriculum development firm, developed Think Earth.
The program consists of seven complete educational units for kindergarten through sixth grade. The
goal of the program is to teach children to "Think Earth" -- to conserve natural resources, to reduce
waste, and to minimize pollution. The program also promotes an environmental ethic by which students
balance human and environmental needs. Children learn important environmental concepts, with
emphasis on behaviors to empower children with practical life skills that will make a difference.
The curriculum is innovative in that it is comprehensive, yet brief. It interrelates all elements of the
environment in an integrated instructional program. Most importantly, Think Earth is measurable; unit
tests allow teachers to assess student learning of objectives and behaviors.
The consortium has provided free Think Earth K-3 instructional units to approximately 70% of the
3,500 public and private elementary schools in Southern California. To date, more than 10,000 teachers
have taught the units to nearly 500,000 students in Southern California. The units for grades 4-6 have
been field tested and will be distributed beginning in 1993. The program is also available throughout the
nation. So far, companies and agencies in all 50 states have provided Think Earth to an estimated 1
million students.
Results of field tests show high levels of student achievement. In addition, student and teacher
attitudes were positive. All of the teachers felt the program helped students develop an understanding of
environmental problems and a commitment to solving them.
The Think Earth program is a successful example of a public/private collaborative alliance. It serves
not only as a case study of a quality environmental program for Southern California, but also as a model
of how similar programs can be implemented throughout the country.
2
NEW ENGLAND ELECTRIC SYSTEM/CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION
Collaborative Efforts
New England Electric System
Conservation Law Foundation
25 Research Drive
of New England
Westboro, MA 01582
3 Joy Street
508-366-9011
Boston, MA 02108
617-742-2540
In 1988, the New England Electric System Companies (NEES) and the Conservation Law Foundation
(CLF) embarked on an unlikely joint venture the union of an electric utility and environmental group.
At a time when utilities were finding it difficult to build new power plants, groups such as CLF were
arguing that energy conservation, not new power plants, should provide the needed capacity. Formed
as an alternative to working out differences within the regulatory arena, the partnership implemented the
largest, most comprehensive, cost-effective conservation program in the nation in proportion to the
utility's size.
Hoping to bridge their differences, NEES and CLF officials originally met for lunch, sketching out a
proposed collaborative plan on a paper napkin. Challenged with the joint goal of lessening
environmental impacts through conservation, NEES and the CLF developed an agreement which
committed the utility to a substantial increase in conservation spending (up to $40 million that first year).
NEES, in cooperation with the CLF, developed a comprehensive series of cost-effective new energy
conservation programs for its commercial, industrial and residential customers. The partnership heralded
a new era in utility-sponsored energy-efficiency efforts. A primary concern of NEES was its ability to
maintain funding for its conservation programs without jeopardizing the company's overall financial
stability. Options involved either slowing the development of its conservation and load management
(C&LM) program to an average utility level, or gambling that a truly first-class level would yield a sound
regulatory response allowing the utility to profit from its efforts.
In 1989, NEES and CLF filed proposals in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire for a
new C&LM program. NEES proposed to spend $65 million on its efforts in 1990 and asked regulatory
agencies to allow NEES to share in its customers' savings. All three states approved variations of the
incentive proposal. For the first time in the region's history, an electric utility earned a return on its
conservation expenses at the state level. The action assured the continuation of utility-sponsored
conservation programs and increased investment on NEES' part. In 1991, despite flat electricity demand
and a recession, NEES spent $92 million and proposed to spend $108 million in 1992.
Clearly, the NEES/CLF partnership has been a positive situation for all concerned for NEES, its
customers, the CLF, and the environment. More than 550 gigawatthours (GWH), or enough power to
supply 80,000 households for one year, was saved. The "power plant that conservation built" has
already displaced the need to burn fossil fuels saving approximately 320 million pounds of carbon
dioxide emissions. By 2000, NEES expects its efforts to supplant the need for 800 megawatts (MW) of
generation and to contribute to an overall 45% reduction in net weighted air emissions. Without their
partnership, NEES and the CLF could not have achieved the same results.
3
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
IBM Corporation
208 Harbor Dr.
Stamford, CT 06904
203-973-7750
IBM has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection. In 1967, 1971, and 1974, the
company issued worldwide policies on safety, the environment and conservation. These policies, and
subsequent actions, often were initiated before government regulations were issued. IBM's 1990
corporate policy statement on environmental affairs is the latest affirmation of objectives that have been
woven into IBM's business fabric for decades.
A corporate vice president oversees worldwide environmental affairs. Daily operations are guided by
written instructions and practices concerning environmental protection: Compliance responsibilities are
well-defined. Environmental considerations are integral to research, development and in relationships
with customers and are applied equally wherever IBM does business.
IBM's long-standing waste management hierarchy calls for reducing, reusing, recycling, and as a last
resort, safely treating and disposing. Over the past decade, IBM has invested more than $1 billion in
upgrading facilities and implementing approaches, such as secondary containment with leak detection
and above-ground tanks and piping. All new construction incorporates state-of-the-art environmental
protection. In 1978, IBM established a safe PCB incineration program, and in the same year, initiated a
worldwide groundwater monitoring program.
IBM has a comprehensive assessment program, including corporate audits. Environmental Impact
Assessments are prepared for every product and process. All sites annually submit Environmental
Master Plans, which are consolidated and used by management to assess performance and identify
areas for improvement.
All plants are prepared to handle potential environmental emergencies, with trained employees,
proper equipment and community coordination. A worldwide computer network is used to provide
immediate notification of problems, alert other locations to exposures and prevent potential recurrences.
IBM's goal to eliminate CFCs from processes and products by 1993 is six years ahead of the Clean
Air Act targets. IBM has established a similar goal to stop using methyl chloroform by 1995. IBM's
programs have produced results, including the following: reduced CFC emissions worldwide by 83%
from 1987 through 1991; reduced generated hazardous materials worldwide by 44% from 1987 through
1991 and recycled 86% of them in 1991; achieved 61% recycling of solid waste; conserved 4.1 billion
kilowatt-hours of energy since 1986; reduced SARA releases by 66% from 1987-1991, including an 86%
reduction in air emissions; and achieved an exemplary OSHA record.
Over the years, IBM has extended its commitment to the environment -- from its daily operations to
philanthropic efforts to facilitate knowledge growth and technology transfer. Examples include a $6.5
million donation to the United Nations to support the Global Resource Information Database and a $25
million grant program for environmental research at universities and research institutes.
In summary, through visionary policies, sound practices, employee leadership and commitment,
environmental protection and conservation are ingrained within IBM.
4
BOSTON PARK PLAZA HOTEL AND TOWERS
Saunders Hotels Group, Inc.
64 Arlington St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-457-2413
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel has created an environmental program whose magnitude clearly
outlines how a company can make dramatic ecological changes, while maintaining extremely high
standards of service and quality. Since 1990, 95 initiatives have been put into place encompassing all
major departments of the hotel. The hotel has learned that a long-term perspective, top management's
commitment, and an integrated approach can successfully balance economic viability with ecological
responsibility. This is merely good and efficient business practice in the 1990's. The hotel has continued
to operate a first-class operation and at the same time, make a commitment to preserve the planet.
The boldest innovation is the creation of new, elegant amenity pump-dispensers for all 1,100 guest-
room bathrooms. This eliminates nearly 2 million one-ounce plastic bottles annually from the waste
stream. The resulting cost savings from reduced packaging have been redirected to where it counts --
improving the product quality of the shampoo, conditioner, body gel and handsoap. The Boston Plaza
Hotel is the first hotel in the country to take this bold step.
Other major initiatives include the installation of 1,686 new thermopane windows in all guest rooms at
a cost of $1.2 million. Eleven recycling programs are now in place including: steel; #1 and #2 plastics;
clear and brown glass; white, computer and mixed paper; cardboard; telephone books; and aluminum.
Other steps include solid waste reduction, energy and water conservation, hazardous waste elimination,
education, and communications. Working at all levels of the company to integrate this program, a
"green team" of enthusiastic employees volunteered to work alongside management to implement
initiatives and help spread the word. All hotel managers now meet monthly for the sole purpose of
discussing environmental goals and accomplishments.
Some initiatives can be strictly categorized as efficient operations; others are creative efforts which
round out a truly comprehensive approach. In reality, there is much overlap between the two because
efficient business is environmentally sound business.
What distinguishes this program from many other "green efforts" is management's commitment to
incorporating environmental action into every facet of the hotel. Spearheading the program is Tedd
Saunders, the hotel's environmental program director. Tedd has made a personal and professional
commitment to establish his family's company as a model for integrating voluntary environmental
solutions into everyday business practice.
To date, the hotel has invested more than $1.8 million dollars in the program. In return, nearly three
quarters of a million dollars of new business can be directly attributable to customer support of the
hotel's environmental commitment.
The key to creating a successful environmental action plan is to formulate one that is initially
affordable and feasible to maintain long-term. Numerous benefits include a healthier bottom line from
improved efficiency and better use of resources, high morale and loyalty from employees, opportunities
to uniquely present a positive public image, and additional business from increasingly conscious
customers.
5
CFC SOLVENT PHASE OUT
Northern Telecom
200 Athens Way
Nashville, TN 37228
(615) 734-4057
Fulfilling a pledge made in 1988, Northern Telecom has become the first large electronics
company in the world to meet a public commitment to eliminate ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon
solvents (CFC-113) from its manufacturing operations nine years ahead of an international mandate set
by the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement now signed by 86 nations which calls for the
elimination of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances by the year 2000.
Chlorofluorocarbons are chemicals widely used as refrigerants, as propellants, for foam blowing
and as cleaning agents in various industrial applications. When emitted into the atmosphere, CFCs
break down the protective ozone layer which shields the Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
Northern Telecom, like most electronic manufacturing companies, used CFC-113 solvents to clean flux
residue from printed circuit boards.
Northern Telecom was the first company to commit to such an aggressive timetable when, in
1988, it publicly announced that it would eliminate CFC-113 solvents from its 42 worldwide
manufacturing operations by the end of 1991. The company achieved the goal by developing
alternatives to the CFC solvent cleaning processes. These alternatives involve the use of low-residue
fluxes and solder pastes that eliminate the need for cleaning after soldering.
The company estimates that the alternatives it has developed will prevent nearly 9,000 tons of
CFCs from being released by facilities into the atmosphere over the next eight years. The new process
will save the company in excess of $50 million during the same time period in direct CFC solvent
purchasing costs and other expenses.
Northern Telecom has built only CFC solvent-free facilities since 1988. The company has also
committed to eliminate CFC-113 solvents from purchased facilities within 15 months of acquisition. In
addition, Northern Telecom has pledged to eliminate methyl chloroform from its manufacturing process
in 1993. Furthermore, Northern Telecom is sharing its technology with the global community through
the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection (ICOLP), of which Northern Telecom was a
founding member, and through managing technology cooperation projects in Mexico and other
countries in collaboration with U.S. EPA and national environmental agencies.
6
SOUTH COAST RECYCLED AUTO PROJECT (SCRAP)
c/o Unocal Corporation
1201 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-977-5390
SCRAP showed that a market-based attack on major pollution sources could be cost-effective in
improving air quality. Despite decades of work by federal, state and local entities, the Los Angeles Basin
has the dirtiest air in the U.S. Progress has been made, but much remains to be done. Mobile sources
account for over 60% of all ozone-precursor emissions in the Basin, with a disproportionate share
coming from old cars. Oil refineries and power plants add 5%; the rest is from small businesses and
private homes, some of which are not yet regulated sources. Regulators have concentrated on
stationary sources despite studies calling for old-car buy backs; the question has always been, "who
would pay for the cars, and why?"
SCRAP answered this question. Unocal budgeted over $5 million to buy, test and scrap 7,000 pre-
1971 autos (which have little or no emission controls). The company paid $700 per car, and turned
them over to a scrap yard to be crushed, shredded and recycled. The goal was to gather data to show
regulators that a policy shift to market-based regulation and emissions credit "trading" could be faster
and more cost-effective than command-and-control measures. The Ford Motor Company, as well as
other companies, agencies, and individuals contributed another $1 million to SCRAP, and 1,400 more
vehicles were bought and destroyed.
SCRAP's economic incentives elicited the voluntary participation of old-car owners, and government
agencies provided great support. The South Coast Air Quality Management District donated $100,000,
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) tested vehicles to quantify emissions reductions, the
Department of Motor Vehicles did on-site records clearance, and the Bureau of Automotive Repair
researched mileage and smog-check histories of the SCRAP cars.
Unocal tested the tailpipe emissions of every SCRAP car, and (with CARB) ran Federal Test
Procedures on 74 of them. On average, the cars emitted 99 times more hydrocarbons per mile than a
new 1990 auto, 50 times more carbon monoxide, and "only" 11 times more nitrogen oxides. Thus
SCRAP eliminated twice the expected volume of air pollutants -- nearly 13 million pounds -- for about $6
million (a fraction of the cost of an equivalent cleanup from stationary sources).
SCRAP-type programs can be replicated around the country depending on cost-effectiveness and
the willingness of the regulators to allow emissions credits for stationary sources based on mobile
source emissions cleanup. At least six programs are in progress or planning stages in the states of
Delaware, California, Illinois, and Virginia. The precedent has been set and the program will be repeated
in more and more places.
7
PEOPLE FOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY, INC.
13116 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60627
312-468-1645
People for Community Recovery is one of the nation's only environmental organizations whose
grassroots are based in a public housing project where the residents are predominantly low-income
African-Americans. The marked success that PCR has achieved in working with the State of Illinois, the
Water Reclamation District of Metropolitan Chicago, and others is due to the strength of its educational
program.
Environmental consciousness has been raised among the people of Altgeld Gardens, so that they can
take informed action in finding and changing the environmental causes of their health problems. As a
national leader in the grassroots environmental movement among people of color, PCR's executive
director and founder, Hazel Johnson, has been called the "black mother of the environmental
movement."
PCR's home is Altgeld Gardens, a 47-year-old Chicago Housing Authority project constructed on the
former garbage dump of the Pullman Company. Located in the heart of the Calumet Industrial District,
PCR's neighbors include at least fifty landfills and toxic waste sites, a sewage treatment plant, and a
range of industries, including coke ovens, blast furnaces, refineries, and chemical plants.
Many residents of this area have experienced higher than normal rates of cancer and other diseases.
Altgeld Gardens is the highest priority community to be conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substance
and Disease Registry (ATSDR). For the first time, an assessment by ATSDR will be conducted with the
collaboration of the community representatives.
PCR played a lead role in establishing a link between the environment and health issues by seeing
that environmental education is an ongoing process of self-knowledge and self-improvement. By
conducting its own extensive surveys of community health problems and convincing responsible
authorities to conduct their own, by communicating information clearly and frequently to residents, by
coordinating action programs to achieve do-able environmental goals, PCR has become a national
model for community based environmental education and action.
Membership in PCR has soared from 12 to 969 in just 10 years; 11,000 residents of Altgeld Gardens
are directly effected by PCR's programming. The 780,000 residents of Chicago's Far South Side and the
communities of Calumet City, Burnham, Harvey, Phoenix, and South Holland who reside within the
"Southeast Chicago" site as defined by the ATSDR, also receive direct benefit from PCR's programming.
The mere fact of PCR's ability to bring people of color together to address environmental issues -- in
spite of social and economic hard times -- is testimony to its fundamental dedication, commitment, and
perseverance, and is an inspiration to environmental advocates everywhere.
8
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
c/o Chesapeake Bay Foundation
162 Prince George Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-268-8816
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) outdoor environmental education program provides
instruction in estuarine ecology for 35,000 students a year at, 17 centers from the Susquehanna River to
the Virginia Capes, east into the marshes of Maryland's Eastern Shore and west to the Piedmont and
beyond. Students, teachers, and other adult groups participate in hands-on activities through the use of
canoes, rowboats, skipjacks, diesel-powered Bay workboats, and even on a model low-input farm owned
and operated by CBF. (At the Clagett Farm the EPA, USDA, the University of Maryland Department of
Agriculture work cooperatively to monitor ground and surface water contamination as well as relative
yields from different farming practices.)
CBF's program was the first of its kind on the Bay, beginning in 1971 with a borrowed Boston
Whaler. Since then, it has grown to become one of the most sophisticated outdoor environmental
education programs in the country. It is looked to as a model for the development and operation of
other such programs nationwide. CBF's goal is to create a constituency who will value the Bay and its
watershed as a living, connected system and who will act to restore clean water and insure a high
quality of life for all inhabitants. Its objectives include the following: to create sensitivity to what is
needed to cleanse and restore the Chesapeake as an ecosystem; to develop a sense of "ownership" of
difference; and to impart the knowledge that must underlie any meaningful and effective action on the
Bay's behalf.
Teachers are required to complete a one-day workshop before bringing their classes on a field trip.
In addition, many teachers also complete a one-week training program for which in-service credit is
available. Because of this, the benefit to the students is far more than the short time spent on field trips.
Using CBF materials, teachers work extensively with students before the trip and after, often weaving the
concepts into their semester-long curricula.
Finally, CBF's Environmental Education Program is an integral component of the entire organization,
a characteristic that makes it a better program itself. Staff educators have full access to CBF's lawyers,
scientists, agricultural experts, land planners, etc. In this way, the education staff are kept up to date on
the latest science and policy of the overall Chesapeake Bay Program. They are able to work this
information into their daily teachings. It is this capacity for a holistic approach that puts CBF's education
program on the cutting edge.
# # #
November 1992
9
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
1991
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20503
For Immediate Release
October 31, 1991
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN PRESENTATION OF PRESIDENT'S ENVIRONMENT
AND CONSERVATION CHALLENGE AWARDS
The Rose Garden
11:29 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Some beautiful day here in the Rose
Garden. And may I salute Secretary Lujan and Secretary Jim Watkins
here and Bill Reilly, EPA Administrator. of course, Chairman Mike
Deland and Dick Austin of GSA. Welcome to the White House, and happy
Halloween to all. (Applause.)
I saw something on TV last night that I'd like to
respond to before we begin here. Despite what happens to Linus every
year in the pumpkin patch, I do believe in the Great Pumpkin.
(Applause.) Now you old guys wouldn't get it, but I'll tell you --
(Applause.)
It is a real pleasure to have our Presidential Award
winners -- the Challenge Award, it's called -- here on such a
beautiful late October day. And I'd especially like to thank the
Awards Partners who made this first-time awards ceremony possible.
Gil Grosvenor behind me here of the National Geographic; Frank
Bennack here of the Hearst Corporation; Mr. Addison is here today
representing Drew Lewis of the Business Roundtable; and Russell Train
of the World Wildlife Fund. Let me also àdd a note of thanks to the
Awards Selection Committee and the technical advisors.
Last month, I had the chance to visit the Grand Canyon,
a magnificent, almost miraculous sight on a spectacular day. And the
scale of all that actually staggers the senses. And that day in
September, I spoke about the power of innovation and the strength of
cooperation as the foundation for a new generation of environmental
action.
Today, we are honoring nine medalists and 23 citation
winners who embody the new generation of environmental entrepreneurs.
As President, I've had the -distinction of honoring Americans for
their achievement in the arts, humanities, sciences, and this time
now has come for the country to honor achievement in the
understanding and conservation of our environment.
We have with us today people who have formed
partnerships to protect natural wildlife -- from the Great Lakes in
the North to the Playa Lakes in the Great Southwest, and from the
Sacramento River to the Barrier Islands off the Atlantic Seaboard.
We are also recognizing companies that have integrated
environmental values into virtually every single business decision --
whether they are involved in fast food or financial services,
newspapers, utilities, household products or furniture.
And we honor other winners because they pioneered new
technologies that save both money and the environment -- with
creative solutions to challenges like agricultural pollution and
MORE
- 2 -
ozone depletion, and state-of-the-art techniques for recycling paper,
metal and plastics.
And finally, we recognize groups who have inspired a new
respect for the environment in millions of Americans: newspaper and
magazine groups, book publishers, teaching institutions, media
advisors to TV and film industries -- even the Girl Scouts. And
these outstanding Americans have given us cleaner technologies and
products, better ways to manage natural areas, and a greater capacity
for environmental problem-solving. They are working to improve the
quality of life for all Americans through a safe and healthy
environment.
Earlier in this century, a man I deeply admire also
visited the Grand Canyon - and likewise shared his thoughts with the
crowd assembled. Looking out over what he called a vista of "great
loneliness and beauty," President Theodore Roosevelt said: "The ages
have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. We have gotten
past the stage when we are to be pardoned if we treat any part of our
country as something to be skinned for two or three years for the use
of the present generation, whether it is the forest, the water, the
scenery. Whatever it is, handle it so that your children's children
will get the benefit of it."
Each of you understands President Roosevelt's challenge.
Each of you has acted on it -- taken it upon yourselves to ensure
that future generations will inherit a safe and healthy environment.
And for that, you have my admiration, my gratitude. And please keep
up the good fight. And now let's, if we could, Mike, hand out these
well-earned awards.
MR. STRUHS:* In the Partnership category, awarded for
fostering cooperative approaches to environmental concerns, we have
the Virginia Coast Reserve for working with dozens of government
agencies, citizens groups and local residents to protect 40,000 acres
of undeveloped barrier islands on the Atlantic Coast. Representing
the Virginia Coast Reserve is John c. Sawhill, President of the
Nature Conservancy. (Applause.)
The next award is being presented to the McDonald's
Corporation and the Environmental Defense Fund for their task force
aimed at dramatically reducing solid waste at McDonald's 8,500
restaurants, represented by two members of that task force, Keith
Magnuson of McDonald's Directors of Operations and Development, and
Jackie Prince, Staff Scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund.
(Applause.)
Next is the Marine Resources Council for working with
governments, businesses and civic groups to manage both the economic
and environmental values of the Indian River Lagoon in Eastern
Florida. Today they are represented by Diane Barile, Executive
Director. (Applause.)
In the next category of Environmental Quality
Management, these awards are for integrating environmental values
into sound business management decisions and practices. We first
recognize the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for its programs to
increase energy efficiency, develop environmentally preferred
technologies, and promote the use of clean fuels, represented by
their Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard A. Clarke.
(Applause.)
Next is The Los Angeles Times for its recycling and
conservation efforts as one of the nation's largest consumers of
recycled newsprint, represented by EuGene L. Falk, Executive Vice
President. (Applause.)
In the Innovation category, awarded for developing
creative technologies in programs that are environmentally sound and
economically sensible we recognize the American Farmland Trust for
*
CEQ Chief of Staff David Struhs
- 3 -
its more than 200 sustainable agriculture farming programs in the
Midwest, represented by Ralph Grossi, President. (Applause.)
The next category is the Education and Communications
category awarded for developing programs that inspire respect for the
environment and raise the public's environmental awareness. We
recognize Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute, the first education
program that integrates environmental values into undergraduate,
graduate and professional school curricula, represented by its
founders Dr. Jean Mayer, President of Tufts University and Edward
Callahan, Vice President of Allied Signal. (Applause.)
Next is the Environmental Media Association for
encouraging the entertainment industry to incorporate environmental
messages into television programs, movies and feature films,
represented by its President, Andrew Spahn. (Applause.)
And finally, Project Wild and the wildlife agencies in
this country that have help support it for its conservation programs
that have educated more than 20 million young people nationwide in
less than a decade, represented by Dr. Cheryl Charles, Executive
Director. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: While you all are here, I have a special
announcement to make. We talk a lot about recycling. Well, today
we're going to save a few trees by giving two speeches at the same
time -- (laughter) -- piloting a new program in recycling audiences,
too. So here goes. (Laughter.)
But seriously, we are taking a major step in placing the
federal government in its proper role of leadership by example by
increasing all federal recycling and use of recycled materials. By
signing this Executive Order today, we will establish a Federal
Recycling Coordinator and individual recycling coordinators at each
federal agency. And we are directing, where possible, products made
from recycled materials are procured for government use. Simply put,
we are requiring all federal agencies to strengthen their recycling
efforts, hopefully thus setting an example for others around our
country.
And so, with that said, I am very pleased to sign this
Executive Order. (Applause.)
(The Executive Order is signed.)
Thank you all. Such a beautiful day. Thank you for
being with us.
END
11:40 A.M. EST
The President's
1992
Environment
and
Conservation
Challenge
Awards
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
FALL 1992
The President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards are
administered by the Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of
the President, Michael R. Deland, Chairman.
OF
PREST THE OF ENT ************************* / STATES THE UNITED
SEAL
Environment and
Conservation Challenge
Award Partners
The National Geographic Society
Gilbert M. Grosvenor
President and Chairman of the Board
The Hearst Corporation
Frank A. Bennack, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Business Roundtable
John D. Ong
Chairman
The World Wildlife Fund
Russell E. Train
Chairman of the Board
SUPPORTING PARTNER
Take Pride in America Campaign
U.S. Department of the Interior
WITH SPECIAL APPRECIATION TO
Environment and Natural
Resources Division
U.S. Department of Justice
FORWARD
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES,
citizens continue to accept the
challenge to develop initiatives
that work to preserve and improve
our environment. Individually and
collectively, these programs are
helping to establish a conservation
ethic across the country.
In recognition of these efforts,
President Bush is bestowing Presi-
dential Medals for environmental
excellence to nine deserving recip-
ients. In addition, 13 organizations
will receive Presidential Citations
in recognition of their environmen-
tal achievements. Their work
ranges across the environmental
spectrum: from agriculture to
manufacturing to small business;
from the classroom to the great
outdoors, and back to the inner city.
Their good deeds have improved
our Nation's air, water and lands.
Allof the Award recipients are
achievers. These individuals and
organizations have demonstrated
their commitment to improving
the quality of life in America by
tackling environmental problems
and developing solutions that are
innovative and economically sound.
The President established the
Environment and Conservation
Challenge Awards in 1991 to be con-
ferred annually to individuals and
organizations whose efforts epito-
mize the ideals of Partnership,
Environmental Quality Manage-
ment, Innovation, and Education
and Communications.
RECIPIENTS OF 1992
PRESIDENTIAL
PARTNERSHIP
Awarded for fostering cooperative approaches to environmental
needs at the local, regional, or national level.
Florida Save Our Everglades Program
State of Florida and partners, Tallahassee, FL
Think Earth Environmental
Education Program
Southern California "Think Earth" Environmental
Education Consortium, Lakewood, CA
Energy Conservation
Collaborative Effort
New England Electric System, Westboro, MA, and the
Conservation Law Foundation of New England, Boston, MA
MEDALS
Medals are presented to individuals
and organizations whose efforts epitomize the
ideals of the Challenge Awards.
he Save Our Everglades program was created to preserve
T
and restore Florida's unique wetlands ecosystem.
Objectives included the restoration of the Kissimmee
River and protection of Lake Okeechobee, Water Conservation
Areas, Big Cypress Swamp, the Florida panther and other
endangered wildlife. Since its initiation, 290,000 acres of land
have been acquired; landmark federal and state legislation has
been passed; and 36 wildlife highway crossings and bridges have
been constructed to protect endangered species and improve
hydrology. Partners include the State of Florida, 22 conserva-
tion groups forming the Everglades Coalition, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service.
consortium of 13 California organizations developed
A
and distributed "Think Earth," an elementary school
environmental education curriculum. The curriculum
teaches children to conserve natural resources, reduce waste,
and minimize pollution. "Think Earth" has reached approxi-
mately one million students nationwide. Partners include the
Atlantic Richfield Company, City of Los Angeles, Education
Development Specialists, GTE California, Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District
of Southern California, Orange and Los Angeles Counties'
Sanitation Districts, South Coast Air Quality Management
District, Southern California Edison, The Gas Company,
Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, and the Ventura
Regional Sanitation District.
he unlikely union of an electric utility and an environ-
T
mental group has resulted in two major achievements:
the development of one of the nation's most successful
energy conservation programs and regulatory approval for a
utility earnings incentive. The "power plant that conservation
built" significantly reduced the utility's air pollutants and the
need for new capacity, while saving consumers and stockhold-
ers money.
ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Awarded for demonstrating that environmental values can
be integrated into sound management decisions and practices.
Environmental Management and
Conservation Programs
IBM Corporation, Stamford, CT
Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers
Environmental Action Program
Saunders Hotels Company, Inc., Boston, MA
INNOVATION
Awarded for developing creative technologies, programs, or services
that are environmentally sound and economically sensible.
CFC Solvent Phase Out
Northern Telecom, Inc., Nashville, TN
South Coast Recycled Auto Project
(SCRAP)
Unocal Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS
BM demonstrated that a large company can institutionalize and
I
practice environmental protection and conservation through
sound policy practices, executive leadership, and employee
commitment. IBM's record of accomplishments results from meet-
ing or exceeding government regulations and, where none exist,
from setting and adhering to its own stringent standards.
oston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers has created an envi-
B
ronmental campaign which encompasses more than 85
initiatives throughout all departments of the hotel. This
program has shown clearly that the competitive hospitality ser-
vice industry can make dramatic changes and maintain a high
quality of service and standards. This family-owned and -oper-
ated landmark property has successfully aligned business with
environmental action.
I
n 1988, Northern Telecom, Inc., pledged the complete phase
out of CFC-113 solvents from all of its 42 manufacturing and
research operations worldwide within three years. Northern
Telecom was the first global telecommunications company to
make such a pledge. At the end of 1991, all 42 Northern Telecom
operations had totally eliminated these solvents from their opera-
tions. CFC solvent emissions to the atmosphere were reduced
from greater than 1,000 tons per year to zero in three years.
U
nocal's SCRAP Project was an unprecedented effort to
improve air quality in the Los Angeles Basin by scrap-
ping heavily polluting, pre-1971 cars. In four months,
8,376 old cars were purchased and crushed for recycling. The
SCRAP project reduced air pollutants by nearly 13 million
pounds per year for a cost of approximately 50 cents per pound.
EDUCATION
AND COMMUNICATIONS
Awarded for developing informational programs that inspire respect
for the environment and raise the public's environmental awareness.
People for Community Recovery
People for Community Recovery, Inc., Chicago, IL
Environmental Education Program
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis, MD
1992 PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS
P
eople for Community Recovery (PCR) is a grassroots
environmental education and advocacy organization
serving a predominantly low-income, African-
American community. PCR assesses the level of environmental
hazards in the community and mobilizes its constituents to alle-
viate these hazards. Hazel Johnson, the group's executive direc-
tor and founder, is recognized as a national leader in the grass-
roots environmental movement.
T
he Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) Outdoor
Environmental Education Program provides over
35,000 student-days per year of field instruction in
estuarine issues to students, teachers, and adults throughout the
Bay watershed. The goal is to create a constituency that not only
values and understands the Bay, but also works actively to
restore it. Individuals and groups participate in hands-on water
activities through the use of canoes, rowboats, skipjacks, power-
boats, and even work on a model low-input farm operated by
CBF.
RECIPIENTS OF 1992
PRESIDENTIAL
PARTNERSHIP
Awarded for fostering cooperative approaches to environmental
needs at the local, regional, or national level.
Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle
Conversion Projects
New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources, Santa
Fe, NM, and the Gas Company of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
T
he New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural
Resources and the Gas Company of New Mexico joined forces to
introduce compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to the area's diverse
transportation sectors. The objective was to increase public accep-
tance of energy-saving, cost effective, and environmentally compati-
ble alternatives to petroleum fuels. The program introduced CNG
technology to school districts, government agencies, municipalities,
and nonprofit groups.
Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc., Austin, TX
K
eep Texas Beautiful's mission is to preserve the natural beauty
and environment of the Lone Star State. The group forges part-
nerships between grassroots volunteer organizations and the public
and private sectors to improve the quality of life, enhance economic
development and tourism, and conserve public and natural
resources. The partnership reaches its goals through education and
public awareness activities which emphasize proper solid waste man-
agement and responsible behavior by all Texans and visitors to Texas.
ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Awarded for demonstrating that environmental values can
be integrated into sound management decisions and practices.
Corporate Environmental Policies
3COM Corporation, Santa Clara, CA
3
COM, a leading supplier of data networking products, believes that
pollution prevention and conservation practices ensure its success.
3COM was a pioneer in CFC replacement and the use of organic packag-
ing. Conservation efforts include recycling 89% of all office paper, 98% of
toner cartridges, and four tons of cardboard annually. Employees volun-
tarily recycle, rideshare, and work in a smokefree environment.
CITATIONS
Citations are presented to finalists whose
efforts demonstrate noteworthy achievements
in the four award categories.
Santa Rosa Plateau Agreement
Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California and partners, Los Angeles, CA
T
he Santa Rosa Plateau Management Committee saved the
unique resources of this natural grasslands ecosystem. By creat-
ing a model for cooperation in regional environmental planning, the
partnership brought regulatory agencies and responsible developers
together in a program which simultaneously benefited wildlife and
people. Partners include: the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California, The Nature Conservancy, Riverside County,
California Department of Fish and Game, and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
Partnership for Wetlands Conservation
Dow Chemical Company and partners, Midland, MI
P
artnership for Wetlands Conservation is a public/private part-
nership supporting the goals of the North American Wetlands
Conservation Act of 1990. Partners include the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy,
and the Dow Chemical Company. The partnership commits conser-
vation expertise and $6 million to preserve endangered wetlands
acres. Dow employees also volunteer to coordinate habitat projects
on and near Dow properties.
INNOVATION
Awarded for developing creative technologies, programs, or services
that are environmentally sound and economically sensible.
Georgia No-Tillage Assistance Program
Georgia Office of Energy Resources, Atlanta, GA
T
he No-Tillage Assistance Program, funded by the state Office of
Energy Resources and administered by the Georgia Soil & Water
Conservation Commission, provides small farmers access to costly
conservation tillage equipment at a minimal per acre fee. No-Tillage
methods prevent water pollution, soil erosion, and save non-renewable
fossil fuels. To date, more than 6,000 acres on 2,200 farms have been
converted to no-till systems, saving more than 200,000 tons of soil and
over 225,000 gallons of fuel over conventional tilling methods.
Jefferson North Project
Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, MI
C
hrysler's objective was to build an environmentally-sound,
world-class manufacturing facility to produce an automobile
production line. The company reclaimed an urban site to construct
the Jefferson North Assembly Plant. Pollution prevention was fac-
tored into decisions about plant design, raw materials, manufacturing
processes, and the vehicle built at the new facility.
EDUCATION
AND COMMUNICATIONS
Awarded for developing informational programs that inspire respect
for the environment and raise the public's environmental awareness.
Save Our Streams
Save Our Streams, Glen Burnie, MD
S
ave Our Streams is a volunteer advocacy group that identifies
and corrects problems on Maryland's waterways through hands-
on water quality testing and local activism. Save Our Stream's 7,000
volunteers strive to educate and build partnerships between citizens,
businesses, industries, and government agencies. The group provides
a range of educational materials, tools and techniques for stream
monitoring, and organizes communities to develop and strengthen
leadership focused on a common conservation goal.
Chesapeake Bay License Plate Program
State of Maryland, Annapolis, MD
T
he State of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay commemorative license
plate program has raised more than $3.5 million for Bay educa-
tion and restoration projects while increasing public awareness of the
Bay among the 4.5 million citizens of Maryland and throughout the
Bay region.
1992 PRESIDENTIAL CITATIONS
"Great Lakes Recycle" Program
Council of Great Lakes Governors, Chicago, IL
G
reat Lakes Recycle stimulates market development for recycled
products through a joint purchase approach which is unprece-
dented in size. The program contributes to the emergence of an ecolog-
ically sound economy in the region by creating common specifications
and stimulating investment in environmentally sound technologies.
States involved include Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio,
New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Innovative Source Reduction
Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, oH
I
nnovation in reducing the volume of material going to solid waste
is a hallmark of Procter & Gamble's environmental programs.
Through the largest source reduction program ever, the company has
eliminated .5% of the volume of the total U.S. waste stream. In part-
nership with retailers and consumers, P&G has applied this innova-
tion and high technology to use less material in its products and
packages while at the same time delivering quality products.
Earth Mattersᵀ
Hannaford Brothers Co., Scarborough, ME
The "Earth Matters" program works in partnership with cus-
tomers, associates, and suppliers. Through this program, the
Hannaford Brothers supermarket chain raises awareness of environ-
mental issues, increases community involvement in conservation
programs, and encourages others to reduce, reuse, and recycle
resources. Local communities recognize and value the company's
high recycling rates and its effective programs.
Project CENTS
Tennessee Conservation League, Nashville, TN
P
roject CENTS is an interdisciplinary program for students in
grades K-12, using basic skills in reading and math to teach nat-
ural resource concepts. The program provides students with the
knowledge to understand and evaluate their actions in relation to the
environment. Since 1983, more than 19,000 teachers and 300,000
Tennessee students have benefited from this program.
AWARDS SELECTION
COMMITTEE
Frank A. Bennack, Jr. The Hearst Corporation
Dr. Cheryl Charles Project WILD
Dr. Anthony D. Cortese Tufts University
Michael R. Deland
Council on Environmental
Quality
Gilbert M. Grosvenor
National Geographic Society
Dr. Bernadine Healy
National Institutes of Health,
U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Dr. Joseph T. Ling
American Institute of Pollution
Prevention & 3M (retired)
Jack Lorenz
Izaak Walton League of America
Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy The Smithsonian Institution
Samuel L. Maury
The Business Roundtable
J. Michael McCloskey
The Sierra Club
Sen. Gaylord Nelson
Wilderness Society
David Packard
Hewlett Packard Company
Sumner Pingree
Global Environment Fund
David Rockefeller, Jr. Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Sen. Robert T. Stafford
former U.S. Senator from
Vermont
Franklin A. Thomas
The Ford Foundation
Dr. Keith Thomson
Academy of Natural Sciences
Russell E. Train World Wildlife Fund
TECHNICAL
EVALUATORS
Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson
World Environment Center
Dr. Leonard Baker
Union Carbide Corporation
Amy Barr
Good Housekeeping Institute
Rich Block
World Wildlife Fund
Richard Conway
Union Carbide Corporation
Katherine Cudlipp
Environmental Consultant
Dr. Brenda Davis
Princeton University
John Dernback
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Resources
Dr. Farouk El-Baz
Boston University
Dr. Gary Glass
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
Francis Grant-Suttie
World Wildlife Fund
Adam Kolton
Sierra Club
Janet Maughan
The Ford Foundation
Barbara Moffet
National Geographic Society
Curtis Moore
Writer and Analyst
Katy Moran
The Smithsonian Institution
Dr. Warren Muir
Hampshire Research Associates
Dr. Kenneth Olden
National Institute of
Environmental Health
Sciences, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Dr. Roy W. Overton II
Mercy West Medical Clinic
Samuel Pitts
Westinghouse Electric
Corporation
Stacy Ritter
Sierra Club
Samuel Schulhof
General Electric Company
Dr. Thomas Shen
New York Department of
Environmental
Conservation (ret.)
Col. Francis Skidmore
Louis Berger & Associates
Dr. Martyn Smith
University of California,
Berkeley
Dr. David Stephen
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
Dr. Paul Toren
Izaak Walton League of America
Dr. Bruce White
White & White Consultants
Martin Wolf
Good Housekeeping Institute
Dr. Bailus Walker
University of Oklahoma
Dr. George Wham
Good Housekeeping Institute
Dr. Roger Wood
The Wetlands Institute
1991
MEDALS
American Farmland Trust
Washington, DC
Environmental Defense Fund
New York, NY
Environmental Media Association
Culver City, CA
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, CA
Marine Resources Council
of East Florida
Melbourne, FL
McDonald's Corporation
Oak Brook, IL
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
San Francisco, CA
Project WILD
Boulder, CO
Tufts Environmental
Literacy Institute
Medford, MA
Virginia Coast Reserve
Nassawadox, VA
AWARD RECIPIENTS
CITATIONS
3M
St. Paul, MN
American Forestry Association
Washington, DC
AT&T
New York, NY
BankAmerica Corporation
San Francisco, CA
Center for Marine Conservation
Washington, DC
Eaton Corporation
Cleveland, OH
Global Rivers Environmental
Education Network
Ann Arbor, MI
Green Bay Packaging, Inc.
Green Bay, WI
Herman Miller, Inc.
Zeeland, MI
Household Hazardous Waste Project
Springfield, MO
Island Press
Washington, DC
Kroger Company
Louisville, KY
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC
N-Viro Energy Systems
Toledo, OH
Playa Lakes Joint Venture
Bartlesville, OK
Procter & Gamble Company
Cincinnati, OH
Reynolds Metal Company
Richmond, VA
Sacramento River Project
San Francisco, CA
SC Johnson Wax
Racine, WI
Southern California Edison
Irwindale, CA
Times Mirror Magazines
Conservation Council
Washington, DC
Wildlife Habitat
Enhancement Council
Silver Spring, MD
Wildwood Girl Scouts
Portland, OR
The production of this brochure was made possible by
The Hearst Corporation
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