Workshops Teach Businesses and Organizations
About Going Green

Businesses and other organizations in the state can learn more about “going green’’ and other ways to improve their environmental performance during two workshops at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Charleston headquarters.

Registration is free, and the deadline is Thursday, May 21. To register, go to: www.wvdep.org/registration.

The workshops, scheduled for June 1-4, are sponsored by the DEP, the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable and the Community and Technical College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

One workshop will deal with the Riverside Sustainability Awareness Program, which focuses on financial, social and environmental sustainability, and includes lessons on maintaining a small carbon footprint and green business practices, according to Matt Earnest, executive director of the Office of Workforce Development at the Community and Technical College at WVU Tech.

“The RSAP is designed to challenge people to think ‘green’ in their communities, personal lives and daily business activities with the goals of using resources more efficiently, creating a safer work environment and reducing the amount of materials added to the waste stream,’’ Earnest said.

A second workshop will focus on the Environmental Management System, a framework that helps a company achieve its environmental goals through consistent control of its operations. Increased control can help companies improve their environmental performance, according to Greg Adolfson, DEP sustainability officer and EMS trainer.

“The EMS itself does not dictate a level of environmental performance that must be achieved; each company's EMS is tailored to the company's business and goals,” Adolfson said.
The workshops will be directed and instructed by Adolfson, Earnest, and Jeffrey Burke, executive director of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable.

“Managing environmental impacts is really a sensible, yet progressive way to do business,” said DEP Cabinet Secretary Randy C. Huffman. “There is an increasing demand both domestically and internationally for organizations to adopt sustainability concepts and Environmental Management Systems into existing practices.”

Burke said, “These workshops will put West Virginia organizations on the pathway to accelerating their environmental performance. Participants will actively learn the benefits of sustainability concepts and Environmental Management Systems.”

Two identical, two-day RSAP and EMS workshops are scheduled for June 1-2 and June 3-4. Registration is free and the deadline is Thursday, May 21. To register, go to: www.wvdep.org/registration.

For more information contact Adolfson at (304) 926-0499, ext. 1332 or Gregory.e.adolfson@wv.gov.