Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Laurie Gustafson 651-215-0230 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 Saint Paul, Minn. -- Yesterday, six businesses were honored with a Governor's Award for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Air, Water and Waste Environmental Conference. In its 15th year, the annual Governor's Awards for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention honors superior environmental achievement by Minnesota's businesses, nonprofits, and private institutions. In addition, 10 governmental organizations were honored with the MnGREAT Awards. The Minnesota Government Reaching Environmental Achievements Together (MnGREAT!) Awards recognize environmental achievements by government employees in the areas of pollution prevention, toxicity reduction, waste reduction, energy conservation, water conservation, recycling, and composting. "I congratulate the winners from both the government and private sectors - they have discovered, through persistence, ingenuity and resourcefulness, that preventing waste and pollution makes sense," said Governor Tim Pawlenty. Governor's Award Winners:
Shafer Electronics Company, Shafer: eliminated lead from manufacturing process for electronic printed circuit assemblies. Contact: Carl Weiberg, 651-257-5332, cweiberg@shaferelectronics.com. Marvin Windows and Doors, Warroad: replaced adhesives and coatings with more environmentally friendly alternatives, reducing hazardous waste and air pollution. Contact: Bradley Baumann, 218-386-1430, bradbau@marvin.com. Hoffman Enclosures, Anoka: modified manufacturing processes to greatly reduce hazardous waste, air pollution and energy use. Contact: Joe Friederichs, 763-422-2646, joefriederichs@hoffmanonline.com. Schwan's Food Company, Marshall: partnered with local cleaning chemical supplier to reduce phosphorous levels in its wastewater discharge. Contact: Steve Ascher, 507-537-8902, steve.ascher@schwanns.com. Prestige Cleaning Center, Minneapolis: helped introduce environmentally friendly dry cleaning to Minnesota by eliminating the use of perchlorethylene (PERC). Contact: Joe Peterson, 612-929-2010. Karges-Faulconbridge Inc., Roseville: converted a vacant grocery store building and transformed it into a high-performance, energy-efficient building serving as its company headquarters. Contact: Chris Nelson 651-254-6919, cdnelson@kfi-eng.com. MnGREAT Winners:
Minnesota Solar Electric Rebate Program, Department of Commerce: provides an incentive to Minnesota electricity consumers to use solar electricity by offering a rebate on dealer-installed solar systems. Contact: Mike Taylor, 651-296-6830. Used Motor Oil Container Program, Winona County: implemented a program to address the improper containers being used by residents when disposing of used oil at its household hazardous waste facility. Contact: Jill Johnson, Winona County, 507-457-6405. University of Minnesota: made substantial increases to its fleet of vehicles compatible with E85 fuel. Contact: Bill Roberts, 612-625-8020. City of Fridley: long-standing efforts to incorporate recycling information into community television program the city's Web site. Contact: Rachel Harris, city of Fridley, 763-572-3594. City of Wayzata: implemented a citywide pilot project to divert as much of its residential organic waste as possible to composting. Contact: Dave Frischmon, 952-404-5308. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Office of Environmental Assistance, St. Paul: implemented plan to reduce waste and promote reuse and recycling. Contact: Melissa Wenzel, 651-556-0574. Minnesota Army National Guard, Rosemount: implemented a rechargeable dry cell battery program. Contact: Tim McDonald, 651-322-2806 Northeast Minnesota Mattress Recycling Pilot Project, Duluth: provides for the collection and recycling of old mattresses in Northeast Minnesota. Contact: Dan Belden, 218-722-3336. Camp Ripley, Little Falls: instituted program to reduce waste generated throughout Camp Ripley by procuring environmentally friendly products, reducing waste, and recycling as much as possible. Contact: Scott Albers, 320-632-7612. Glensheen Estate, Duluth: reduced sediments in stormwater flowing into Lake Superior through shoreline and bank stabilization projects. Contact: Erik Larson, 218-726-6915. More information about the Minnesota Governor's Awards for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention and the MnGREAT Awards can be found at http://www.moea.state.mn.us.