A program aimed at helping local businesses, governments and schools save money in ways that are environmentally friendly was green before green was cool.
Waste Reduction Partners is a program of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, a multicounty local government planning and development organization.
The program, started in 1992, taps into the volunteer expertise of retired scientists, engineers and others to develop cost-savings plans that also benefit the environment.
In 2000, the program teamed with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources for management assistance. And in 2008, the program expanded to serve the entire state by opening a second office in Research Triangle Park under the auspices of the Triangle J Council of Governments.
“It’s something we’ve been doing a long time,” said Terry Albrecht, the state director of Waste Reduction Partners who works in the Land-of-Sky offices on Leicester Highway.
“It wasn’t called lowering your carbon footprint in 1995, but that’s what we’re doing,” Albrecht said. “It’s just been very grounded in a business sense.”
Over the years, the program has helped businesses, schools and local governments save hundreds of thousands of dollars in water and electricity charges, and in turn saved water and cut air pollution. It’s now in high demand with renewed interest in protecting the environment, and because of federal spending and grant programs aimed at promoting savings through sustainability measures such as energy audits.
Useful advice
The program got its start with the help of preliminary funding from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which wanted to put retired engineers and scientists to work with industries in the region to develop pollution prevention strategies and cut costs, Albrecht said.
Today, the program has about a $450,000 budget and receives money from federal, state and local sources, mainly grants. Waste Reduction Partners offers its services at no charge to its clients, who can see big cost savings or may land grants after receiving a report from the program. “Our group, over the past year and a half, has been able to assist 41 organizations — community colleges, schools, local governments — and help them receive $4.6 million in grant money,” Albrecht said.
Read entire article here
Local JobPods 