2006 Toxics Use Reduction Champions
Community Honorees
TURI awarded the Town of Westford Water Department a grant for the “Healthy Lawns for Healthy Families Project.” Project partner Tessa David, Director of the North Central Regional Solid Waste Cooperative in Groton, accepted the award on behalf of the Town of Westford. The pesticide use reduction project is a collaborative effort with nine towns— Acton, Ayer, Boxborough, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Groton, Harvard and Littleton. The goal of the project was to protect water resources on a regional scale by educating the public about the effect of pesticide use on water supplies and safer ways to care for lawns. The project manager worked with partners to develop materials and workshops for residents, garden centers, pediatricians, veterinarians, and lawn care providers.
Patricia Hynes, Professor of Environmental Health and Co-director of the Center for Healthy Homes and Neighborhoods at Boston University, received a grant from TURI to launch the “Integrated Pesticide Management (IPM) Educator Training in Public Housing Project.” The overall project goal was to help residents in Boston, Cambridge and Waltham housing authorities live healthier and higher quality lives by repelling pests in a safe way. Residents, building managers, housing authorities, and pest control contractors were trained on strategies such as source reduction and habitat modification. Project partner Don Rivard of Rivard’s Resources: IPM in Waltham trained residents, building managers, housing authorities, and pest control contractors on strategies such as source reduction and habitat modification.
Peggy Middaugh, Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Council in Worcester, received a grant from TURI to launch the “Safer Cleaning in Worcester Project.” The overall goal was to protect self-employed and small-scale janitors, as well as the people who use Worcester’s inner city community buildings, from the effects of toxic chemicals found in conventional cleaning products. The training promoted safer choices and alternative methods for improving indoor air quality.
Industry Honorees
Toxics Use Reduction Planners
Tim Woycik has gone above and beyond in his support of reducing toxic chemical use in Massachusetts. A Certified Toxics Use Reduction Planner (TUR) since 1997, Tim has developed and certified many industry TUR Plans, including asphalt batching plants, steam electric generating stations, concrete manufacturers, and printed circuit board manufacturers. Tim contributes to TURI’s education and training program by teaching financial analysis. At National Grid in Westboro, Tim helped to develop the ISO 14001-registered Environmental Management System and maintain compliance with the EMS through work in the environmental auditing program.
As a Toxics Use Reduction Planner since the early 1990s, William Judd, currently of Irwin Engineers in Natick has over 20 years experience in regulatory environmental health and safety compliance, permitting and training. William has made significant contributions to the TURA Program, helping more than 25 companies prepare and implement their reduction plans to providing input to legislators about the recent bill to amend TURA. His valuable insight and hands on experience has helped keep the TURA Program useful as a means to reduce toxics chemical use throughout the Commonwealth.
Industry Demonstration Site Champion
An employer of 950 people and the only company in their marketplace that exclusively manufactures all products in the United States (in Andover), Vicor Corporation was recognized for demonstrating environmental leadership through innovation. As a result of complying with the European Union Directive RoHS, Vicor expects to eliminate over 3,400 pounds of lead usage annually, reduce lead air emissions by 99.96% annually, and reduce disposal of lead-based hazardous waste off site by 100%! The Company then volunteered to share with other Massachusetts companies how they accomplished this monumental task through the TURI 2006 Industry Demonstration Site Program.
Small Business Champion
An employer of 105 people in Chartley (Norton), Massachusetts, Ceramics Process Systems (CPS) worked with the Toxics Use Reduction Institute’s (TURI) Laboratory and eliminated a hazardous triple acid bath wash for cleaning composite parts. It is the company’s willingness and openness to change and innovation that makes them a true Champion that other companies could emulate. The impressive results truly reflect the value of the TURA Program. A new chemistry was found that is both safer and more economical— CPS operators are cleaning two to three times more parts in the same amount of time, or less, with fewer rejects. Since CPS is no longer using the readily depleted, corrosive triple acid, hazardous waste is reduced, there’s less wear on equipment, workers are better protected and the company is saving money.
David Williams and Lawrence Boise of the TURA Science Advisory Board
David Williams, Chair of the TURA Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Lawrence Boise, Vice Chair of the TURA SAB were recognized for their dedication to the TURA program, volunteer leadership of the nine-member board, and commitment to applying sound science to list and de-list chemicals from the TURA Program.
David Williams is a Senior Environmental Analyst for the Center for Environmental Health, Community Sanitation Program and brings 30 years expertise of studying environmental issues to the Board.
Lawrence Boise serves as Vice President at Paragon Environmental in Norwood. Larry brings a strong expertise in chemistry to the table and an industry perspective as a Toxics Use Reduction Planner from when he was employed at The Gloucester Company – an adhesives manufacturer.
This page updated Thursday June 15 2006