n the July/August edition of Water & Wasterwater Products, the first appearance of this column, I referred to my first "real" job: a 1974 internship in the office of the U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who died recently at the age of 89.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Companies devote a lot of resources to benchmarking, and for good reason; the return on investment can be enormous. Why reinvent the wheel when battle-tested best practices are free for the asking? The United States has dominated environmental, health, and safety best practices for decades, but that is changing rapidly. Prescriptive regulations and fears of legal liability may be holding back U.S.-headquartered corporations from developing the next generation of corporate social responsibility best practices.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Students enjoy the visible bounty of the Biosphere without a clue of the wondrous invisible world that embraces them. This invisible world indeed sustains their very lives, for within this microcosm exists not only the supply of life-preserving oxygen, but also potentially life-destroying microbes and toxic gases.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
I've been an environmental consultant for almost 20 years, and I've owned my own company for 10. Over the years, "Environmental Compliance Audits" have been one of the hardest products to sell to industrial customers.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Web-based software helps predict sewer failure and overflows by monitoring flow data
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Virtually all metal product manufacturers insist that their products perform well and look good. Often, a key factor in determining if these goals are met is the coating they receive before leaving the factory.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Water quality is intimately connected to quality of life. Although this fact of life has been understated for many years, water professionals have long known that clean water is an increasingly scarce and valuable commodity that cannot be taken for granted. The Clean Water Act brought about increased regulatory oversight, resulting in recent criminal charges and fines against violators, and environmental organizations are succeeding in bringing about public awareness of the need to protect water resources by encouraging businesses to include water stewardship and utilization in corporate sustainability reporting.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
By changing to a new sludge-drying technology, one Florida city is able to switch to Class A biosolids
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
There are two standards that apply to municipal water and wastewater treatment plants: NFPA 820 Standards for Fire Protection in Wastewater Treatment and Collection Facilities, 2003, and OSHA 1910.148 Appendix E: Sewer System Entry. While both standards apply, they address different facets of the treatment facility.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
As competition for the world's oil resources increases with the advance of developing economies, the United States must seek out ways to reduce its petroleum usage or put its economic security at risk. The era of "cheap oil" may well be over, and as our imports increase we become more and more dependent on resources from such politically unstable regions of the world as the Middle East, Central Africa, and South America.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Wastewater operators are exposed daily to numerous health risks. These risks include exposure to gases, chemicals, endotoxins, exotoxins, and pathogens. Asphyxiating, irritating, and toxic gases produced through the anaerobic degradation of carbonaceous wastes include ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and methane (CH4).
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
In our litigious society, professionals of all kinds are keenly aware that their expertise and professionalism cannot always protect them against being sued. For environmental professionals, the uncertainty and variability associated with the natural environment compounds the risk of litigation -- and, therefore, elevates the importance of liability insurance.
- By John G. Nevius, Robert E. Frankel, Esq.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
In 2001, President George W. Bush took the United States out of the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement that commits the major industrial economies to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and several other substances.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
On a global level, the wastewater minimization market is highly affected by a few key drivers: pollution prevention, water recycling, water reuse, and zero liquid discharge.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
EHS professionals know from experience that their efforts impact the company at many levels. For example, a switch to a non-toxic substitute may reduce raw material costs, decrease worker exposure, improve worker morale, reduce customers' disposal costs, improve the brand's image, and so on.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
The other day a person preparing to make a presentation on small aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) asked me for a "sexy spin" on fuel tanks. I wasn't sure if I should be amused or upset. Fuel tanks are designed to hold fuel. That's it.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
The lack of attacks launched against water treatment plants is by no means an indication that they are invincible. While treatment plants aren't typically seen as high profile targets, they are at risk of infiltration and/or sabotage. Plants, many of which are based in or near residential areas, purify water for vast regions.
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
In the 2004 election year, the environment has taken a back seat to other more publicized issues. According to the presidential candidates, their campaigns, and much of the American population, issues such as Iraq and the War Against Terror, tax relief, and healthcare are much more important.
- By H. Troy Stuckey, Jacqueline Fortin
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
"Location, location, location." How often have we heard that mantra from developers describing successful projects? Locations balancing access to their target market and proximity to resources of labor, transportation, or public utilities enhance the financial return on investment.
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
The U.S. environmental, health and safety (EHS) regulatory model has dominated the thoughts and agendas of America's EHS professionals for the past 30 years. State and federal regulations will not go away, of course, but they are rapidly being overshadowed by a fundamental shift in how EHS issues will be dealt with both here and abroad.
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.