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WVDEP Joins with EPA to Push Green Commitment Higher

Release Date: 10/23/2009
Contact Information: Donna Heron 215-814-5113 or heron.donna@epa.gov

PHILADELPHIA (October 23, 2009) - The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has become the first state agency to join EPA’s Sustainability Partnership program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic region announced today.

The Sustainability Partnership, an innovative pilot developed by EPA’s mid-Atlantic region, is a voluntary partnership program that helps organizations reach their environmental goals.

EPA offers a variety of voluntary partnerships such as Energy Star, waste minimization, e-cycling, Resource Conservation Challenge and WaterSense. Instead of dealing with each of EPA’s voluntary programs individually, the Sustainability Partnership creates a one-stop shopping approach making it easy for organizations to “go green” in a way that often saves money and makes good business sense. The overall goal is to minimize the use of energy, resources and waste generation in the mid-Atlantic states, which include West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

“EPA commends the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for becoming a sustainable partner,” said William C. Early, acting regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region. “Increasingly, public and private organizations are taking the next steps toward a more sustainable future. That means not just reducing pollution but managing our natural resources and our waste in a manner that will meet our future needs. West Virginia’s efforts to be more environmentally-responsible are a model for others.”

“It is important to realize that the environment underpins all human activity, and that we cannot sustain progress if we do so at its expense,” said Randy Huffman, cabinet secretary for the WVDEP. “More and more, businesses realize their impact on the environment, and they seek guidance on how to change the way they do things. The changes they make not only benefit the environment, but the economy and society as a whole.”

Sustainability Partners receive extensive support from EPA to help develop and/or refine sustainability plans, implement voluntary programs and collect quantitative environmental results data. Partners often benefit from reduced purchasing and disposal costs and an overall reduced environmental footprint.

For more information on sustainability go to: www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/spp/index.html