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EPA to Fund Pollution Prevention Projects in New Jersey and New York

Release Date: 12/06/2012
Contact Information: John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y.) From reducing hazardous chemicals in high school and college laboratories, to helping supermarkets conserve resources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making its pollution prevention grants count across New Jersey and New York. The Agency has awarded more than $380,000 in grants to fund projects that help prevent pollution in these two states.

"The EPA's pollution prevention grants fund programs that reduce or eliminate waste at the source," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "These grants help businesses, colleges and governments use strategies to reduce the use of toxic materials, save energy, protect human health and save money."

The EPA is providing the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation $180,000 to promote green chemistry in high schools in central and western New York State. The NYSDEC will inform high school teachers on the principles of green chemistry as an alternative to traditional chemistry practices in science laboratories. The NYSDEC will also help school laboratories inventory chemicals and develop plans to reduce the amount of hazardous and toxic chemicals that are purchased, used, stored and disposed of in school chemistry departments.

The EPA also awarded the NYSDEC $55,000 to work with supermarkets in New York State and help them lower energy consumption, conserve water and reduce the use of hazardous cleaning chemicals.

With the help of a $48,727 EPA grant, education nonprofit Beyond Benign will provide a three-day workshop to train faculty from college and university chemistry departments in New Jersey and New York to adopt green chemistry practices. The workshop will feature sessions on implementing practices that have proven successful in a school setting, adopting greener laboratory exercises, and using greener or less toxic chemicals.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission will use a $99,200 EPA grant to educate restaurants in the New Jersey Meadowlands area about preventing pollution. The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission will train restaurants to reduce their use of hazardous cleaning chemicals, energy and water consumption and save money on operational expenses.

These grants are part of the approximately $4 million in grants the EPA awards each year that are aimed at preventing pollution across the nation. For more information on EPA Region 2’s pollution prevention program, visit https://www.epa.gov/region02/p2/

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