New Hampshire Citizens Receive Prestigious Regional EPA Environmental Awards (NH)
(Boston, Mass. – May 10, 2011) – One New Hampshire citizen and five organizations from the Granite State will be honored tomorrow in Boston’s Faneuil Hall as EPA presented its annual Environmental Merit Awards for 2011.
The merit awards, recognizing valuable contributions to environmental awareness and problem solving, are a unique way that EPA can recognize individuals and groups that are making significant impacts on environmental quality in distinct ways.
Awarded by EPA since 1970, the merit awards honor individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the region's environment. This year's competition drew 56 nominations from across New England.
Awards were given in the following categories: individual; business (including professional organizations); local, state or federal government; and environmental, community, academia or nonprofit organization. Each year, EPA also may present lifetime achievement awards for individuals.
More information on all Environmental Merit Award Winners from this year and past years is available at: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-1-new-england
The Environmental Merit Award Winners from New Hampshire are:
Lifetime Achievement Environmental Merit Award:
Dr. Frederick T. Short, Durham, New
Hampshire
Fred has been a strong voice for the conservation and protection of
Great Bay and its resources for almost 30 years. He has authored
and co-authored close to 100 peer-reviewed scientific journal
articles and eight books. His expertise is in seagrass conservation
and restoration, and he is considered by his peers to be an
international expert. He published articles on such topics as
“How Climate Change will affect Seagrasses” and
“The Global Decline of Seagrasses.” In addition, he has
started a global science-based monitoring program that is called
SeagrassNet. Due to Fred’s diligence, SeagrassNet monitoring
sites have been developed in 115 locations in 32 countries. Fred
has given his time and expertise to help facilitate the
preservation and restoration of marine ecosystems. He serves on
numerous official and ad hoc advisory councils and frequently is
asked to be a peer reviewer for several journals and on grant
applications.
Environmental, Community, Academia, & Non-profit Organizations Environmental Merit Award:
Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration
Program
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program has been collecting
water quality data, restoring habitat and organizing volunteer
cleanups for the past decade. It has promoted public awareness and
stewardship of Manchester’s ponds, while reducing the
pollution and nutrients that compromise water quality in seven
urban water bodies. The program has been at the forefront of
several projects that led to improved water quality in the city. In
addition, the restoration program has organized 78 cleanup events
and organized 463 volunteers who have put in 1,644 hours of
collecting 1,499 bags of trash.
New Hampshire Small Business Technical
Assistance Program
Sara Johnson, Concord, New Hampshire
Small businesses often have to spend four times more per employee
to comply with environmental regulations than larger firms. To help
with this challenge, the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments require
states to develop programs to help small businesses comply. Recent
standards, known as National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air
Pollutants for Area Sources, impact small businesses tremendously.
For example, EPA estimates 35,000 auto body shops may be subject to
related requirements. The New Hampshire Small Business Technical
Assistance Program partnered with EPA New England and the
state’s Automobile Dealers Association to help auto body
shops which may have limited knowledge of environmental
regulations. The outreach included mailings to 562 auto body and
related shops, 12 workshops attended by 417 people, and a new auto
body web page. Such activities contribute to a better informed and
more compliant industry sector on a national, state and local
level.
Northeast Resource Recovery
Association
Epsom, New Hampshire
Small, rural communities face the same requirements for managing
solid wastes as larger ones but have fewer resources to cope with
requirements or to stay up to date on technological developments.
The Northeast Resource Recovery Association was created in 1981 as
a recycling cooperative so towns could share knowledge and benefit
from the power of group sales. Last year, the Association sold more
than 73,000 tons of recyclables, while sharing information through
e-letters, monthly meetings and an annual conference. It now
handles more than 30 recyclable commodities for communities in New
Hampshire and across New England. This organization is a one-stop
shop for municipal recycling center operators. As a result of the
Northeast Resource Recovery Association, less waste goes to
landfills, saving small communities money, less pollution from
waste is discharged into groundwater, the market for recyclable
products gets greater support and community members are trained to
be leaders in the cause of waste reduction.
Governmental:
New Hampshire Department of Environmental
Services, Concord, New Hampshire
Keith DuBois and Gary Lynn
Keith DuBois and Gary Lynn, employees of the New Hampshire
Department of Environmental Services, are on the cutting edge of
providing service and technical support in the brownfields arena.
Over three years, with Keith as brownfields coordinator for the New
Hampshire DES, has made great strides in communicating with
communities and nonprofit organizations. One of his most successful
efforts has been in Berlin, a city with many brownfields sites left
behind from its pulp and papermaking past. The first property
moving toward success is Notre Dame High School that is being
redeveloped for elderly housing and is expected to open this next
year. While Keith is focused on sites contaminated by hazardous
substances, Gary Lynn’s expertise is petroleum. He has
details on almost every property in New Hampshire that is
contaminated with petroleum. In 2008 and 2009, DES received funding
to assess properties contaminated with petroleum. Keith and Gary
helped establish the New Hampshire Brownfield Steering Group, a
committee of municipal, planning, state, and private investments in
brownfield redevelopment efforts, whose effectiveness is unmatched.
One example is the Wausau/Groveton Paper Mill, a 103-acre site that
was once the economic and geographic heart of Groveton. Gary and
Keith worked with the town and regional planning organization to
come up with a redevelopment plan. What started off as a daunting
project has now resulted in assessment work, cleanup and a serious
investment and project plan for commercial agricultural reuse of
the site. Working together, Keith and Gary provide solid technical
expertise that ensures these properties are assessed, cleaned up
and available for redevelopment.
Pelham Environmental Recycling Complex
(PERC), Pelham, New Hampshire
The Town of Pelham was in the middle of a recession and looking to
cut where possible when town officials realized that materials were
being trashed or burned, that fuel was being wasted, that labor
costs were too high and that the town waste and recycling
technology was out of date. A new director with 30 years experience
in waste and recycling launched an aggressive plan to increase
recycling and decrease costs. The town has since increased
recycling 122 percent, reduced costs 28 percent and increased
revenues 100 percent while offering new services and eliminating
negative environmental impacts. By working with the selectman, the
public, schools and outside vendors, PERC demonstrated that
recycling can have a powerful impact on the environment and costs
when made simple and easy. The major transformation was a switch to
single stream recycling and providing a user-friendly facility for
residents. The public was kept in the loop, and the transfer
station was transformed from an unsafe site to a user-friendly
recycling complex.
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