EPA Funds Project to Prevent Pollution from Western New York Food Producers

From EPA:

EPA Funds Project to Prevent Pollution from

Western New York Food Producers

EPA Provides Over a Quarter of a Million Dollars to the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning

Contact: John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. –  December 5, 2016) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $259,963 to the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning to provide training and technical assistance to food production and processing companies in western New York. Erie County DEP will host a series of workshops and technical training courses to help area businesses reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and assist in preserving a sustainable future for the next generation.

"The EPA's pollution prevention grants fund programs that reduce or eliminate waste at the source," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "This grant to Erie County will help local businesses reduce their carbon emissions, saving energy and helping them save money in the process."

Erie County will work with the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable and other organizations to hold 18 workshops over a two-year period. Thirty businesses will also be selected to receive direct technical assistance in strategies to reduce carbon emissions through the use of renewable energy, and various energy conservation measures, with a focus on strategies successfully used by other area businesses. In addition, energy or pollution prevention audits will performed at eight businesses, with at least three of these being food manufacturers. Erie County and its partner organizations will conduct outreach to more than 200 food manufacturers in western New York.

This grant is part of the approximately $5 million in grants the EPA awards each year to prevent pollution across the nation.

For more information on the EPA's pollution prevention program, visit http://www2.epa.gov/p2.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

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U.S. EPA Recognizes Dublin Supermarket for Reducing Greenhouse Gases

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

For Immediate Release: September 13, 2016
Media Contact: Michele Huitric, huitric.michele@epa.gov

U.S. EPA Recognizes Dublin Supermarket for Reducing Greenhouse Gases

SAN FRANCISCO – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Whole Foods Market in Dublin with a “Best of the Best” GreenChill award for installing an environmentally friendly refrigeration system. The store uses ammonia as a refrigerant, which can reduce the climate impact of the refrigeration system. Dublin’s Whole Foods is one of just 13 companies nationwide in the supermarket industry being recognized for their achievements reducing emissions of environmentally harmful refrigerants.

Many of the refrigerants used by supermarkets are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change when leaked into the atmosphere. The GreenChill awardees are meeting the goals of the President’s Climate Action Plan by preventing refrigerant leaks, transitioning to climate-friendly refrigerants, and using advanced refrigeration technologies.

“EPA’s GreenChill awardees are meeting the President’s challenge to curb emissions of these potent greenhouse gases head on,” said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “This year’s award winners are making the smart choice to act on climate by switching to environmentally friendly refrigerants and innovative technologies.”

EPA’s GreenChill partners own approximately 10,800 stores nationwide, representing 29 percent of the U.S. supermarket industry. If supermarkets nationwide reduced the amount of refrigerant they leak to the current GreenChill partner average, they could avoid $169 million in refrigerant replacement costs while preventing the equivalent of 29 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, roughly equal to the annual emissions of about 6 million cars.  

EPA presented the following GreenChill store certification awards:

• Best of the Best Award:  Whole Foods Market (Dublin, Calif.) and Piggly Wiggly (Columbus, Ga.) were honored as the “Best of the Best” for installing refrigeration systems that use ammonia as a refrigerant. Ammonia’s contribution to climate change is several thousand times smaller than many conventional refrigerants.

• Store Certification Excellence Award:  Hillphoenix (Conyers, Ga.) and Sprouts Farmers Market (Phoenix, Ariz.) earned awards for achieving more GreenChill Store Certifications than their peers over the past year.

• Store Re-Certification Award:  Five stores were recognized for achieving GreenChill certification for five consecutive years. Winners include Stater Bros. Markets in Palm Desert, Grand Terrace, Chino, and Lake Elsinore, Calif., and Weis Markets in Bellefonte, Pa.

GreenChill partners were recognized in the following categories:

• Best Corporate Emissions Rate:  Giant Eagle (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned the Partnership’s most prestigious award for achieving the lowest refrigerant emissions rate among retail chains. Port Townsend Food Co-op (Port Townsend, Wash.) received this award in the small-independent GreenChill partner category for a second time.

• Most Improved Emissions Rate:  Weis Markets (Sunbury, Pa.) was honored with the Most Improved Emissions Rate award for achieving the Partnership’s largest refrigerant leak rate reduction compared to the year it joined the GreenChill Partnership. Dorothy Lane Market (Dayton, Ohio) earned this same recognition for lowering its emissions rate more than any other partner compared to the previous year.

• Goal Achievement:  GreenChill’s five Superior Goal Achievement winners voluntarily set and achieved challenging refrigerant emissions reduction goals. Winners include Buehler's Fresh Foods (Wooster, Ohio), City Market, Onion River Co-Op (Burlington, Vt.), Dorothy Lane Market (Dayton, Ohio), Meijer (Grand Rapids, Mich.), and Weis Markets (Sunbury, Pa.).

• Distinguished Partner:  Target (Minneapolis, Minn.) was honored with the Distinguished Partner award for demonstrating extraordinary leadership and initiative in support of GreenChill’s mission.

Learn more about the GreenChill Partnership and award winner’s achievements: https://www.epa.gov/greenchill.   

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EPA Recognizes Piggly Wiggly in Columbus, Ga. for Environmental Leadership in Reducing Potent Greenhouse Gases

From U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2016  

EPA Recognizes Piggly Wiggly in Columbus, Ga. for Environmental Leadership in Reducing Potent Greenhouse Gases

Supermarkets Across the Country Recognized for their Achievements

Contact Information: Dawn Harris Young, EPA, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

ATLANTA – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Piggly Wiggly in Columbus, Ga. won EPA’s GreenChill Best of the Best Award for installing refrigeration systems that use ammonia as refrigerant. Ammonia’s contribution to climate change is several thousand times smaller than many conventional refrigerants.

Nationally, EPA recognized 13 companies in the supermarket industry for their achievements reducing emissions of environmentally harmful refrigerants. Many of the refrigerants used by supermarkets are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change when leaked into the atmosphere. EPA’s awardees are meeting the goals of the President’s Climate Action Plan by preventing refrigerant leaks, transitioning to climate-friendly refrigerants, and using advanced refrigeration technologies.

“EPA’s GreenChill awardees are meeting the President’s challenge to curb emissions of these potent greenhouse gases head on,” said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “This year’s award winners are making the smart choice to act on climate by switching to environmentally friendly refrigerants and innovative technologies.”

EPA’s GreenChill partners own approximately 10,800 stores nationwide, representing 29 percent of the U.S. supermarket industry. If supermarkets nationwide reduced the amount of refrigerant they leak to the current GreenChill partner average, they could avoid $169 million in refrigerant replacement costs while preventing the equivalent of 29 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, roughly equal to the annual emissions of about 6 million cars.  

GreenChill partners were recognized in the following categories:

Best Corporate Emissions Rate:  Giant Eagle (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned the Partnership’s most prestigious award for achieving the lowest refrigerant emissions rate among retail chains. Port Townsend Food Co-op (Port Townsend, Wash.) received this award in the small-independent GreenChill partner category for a second time.

Most Improved Emissions Rate:  Weis Markets (Sunbury, Pa.) was honored with the Most Improved Emissions Rate award for achieving the Partnership’s largest refrigerant leak rate reduction compared to the year it joined the GreenChill Partnership. Dorothy Lane Market(Dayton, Ohio) earned this same recognition for lowering its emissions rate more than any other partner compared to the previous year.

Goal Achievement:  GreenChill’s five Superior Goal Achievement winners voluntarily set and achieved challenging refrigerant emissions reduction goals. Winners include Buehler's Fresh Foods (Wooster, Ohio), City Market, Onion River Co-Op (Burlington, Vt.), Dorothy Lane Market (Dayton, Ohio), Meijer (Grand Rapids, Mich.), and Weis Markets (Sunbury, Pa.).

Distinguished Partner:  Target  (Minneapolis, Minn.) was honored with the Distinguished Partner award for demonstrating extraordinary leadership and initiative in support of GreenChill’s mission.

GreenChill’s Store Certification Program recognized certain stores for meeting strict performance criteria that demonstrate their refrigeration systems have minimal impacts on the ozone layer and climate. GreenChill presented the following store certification awards:

Best of the Best Award:  Piggly Wiggly and Whole Foods Market stores in Columbus, Ga., and Dublin, Calif., respectively, were honored as the “Best of the Best” for installing refrigeration systems that use ammonia as refrigerant. Ammonia’s contribution to climate change is several thousand times smaller than many conventional refrigerants.

Store Certification Excellence Award:  Hillphoenix (Conyers, Ga.) and Sprouts Farmers Market (Phoenix, Ariz.) earned awards for achieving more GreenChill Store Certifications than their peers over the past year.

Store Re-Certification Award:  Five stores were recognized for achieving GreenChill certification for five consecutive years. Winners includeStater Bros. Markets in Palm Desert, Grand Terrace, Chino, and Lake Elsinore, Calif., and Weis Markets in Bellefonte, Pa.

More about the GreenChill Partnership and award winner’s achievements: https://www.epa.gov/greenchill

Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast

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