Environmental Excellence
Alcoa Davenport Works produces a wide range of metal products, employing 2,000 people at its 128-acre facility. The company's environmental accomplishments are extensive and include: reducing air emissions at the plant by 94 percent; decreasing reliance on Mississippi River water from 15.5 million gallons/minute to only 700 gallons/minute; diverting 57,000 tons of wood and concrete waste from the landfill; creating employee recycling programs; and helping establish 63 acres of wetlands in the local area. The plant has achieved ISO 14001 certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meeting high environmental standards.
The City of Coralville, population 15,123, has developed numerous practices, projects and partnerships to protect local resources. In 2003, the city opened North Ridge Pavilion, a meeting and recreational facility that includes a green roof, a grass-pave parking lot, the use of recycled and local source materials for construction, recycling of construction wastes, and educational signs. In addition, the city has planted native vegetation along most of 19 miles of trails and restored several natural wetlands and woodlands. The city's parks and recreation commission established minimal mowing practices for all park land, and most public areas are managed as restored prairies. City officials are also involved in a partnership to restore and enhance wetlands and riparian habitats along the Iowa River. Coralville is part of the EPA's Brownsfield program to identify and test soil sites that are potentially contaminated from industrial wastes.
During the past 10 years, Timberhill Winery owned by William and Sibylla Brown, Leon, has restored 60 acres of land on their farm to native oak savanna. The Browns began by clearing five to 10 acres of invasive woody vegetation each year and began a successful prescribed fire program on their property. Oak savanna used to be a dominant landscape feature in southern Iowa, and is now considered one of the state's most imperiled ecosystems. The Browns have watched the reappearance of very rare and uncommon savanna species on their farm and winery, including several orchids and more than 30 species of mushrooms. William and Sibylla Brown are active in organizations that represent opportunities for agricultural growth, diversification and environmental stewardship. The Browns have shared their efforts with other landowners, government agencies and conservation organizations, while developing partnerships to continue their savanna restoration.
The West Des Moines Community School District has more than 8,675 students and 1,200 staff. West Des Moines was part of Metro Waste Authority's Rehab the Lab program to identify and remove potentially hazardous materials from the school, resulting in the removal of more than 2,000 pounds of chemicals. To reduce the amount of waste generated, the district also introduced Resource Management contracting. The school began an internal warehouse program termed "WDMbay" via the Internet to exchange unwanted equipment, along with a schoolwide recycling program. The district was the first in Iowa to implement Integrated Pest Management systems that focus on preventative measures instead of chemical use. Because of its waste management programs, West Des Moines schools have reduced solid waste hauling services by 45 percent and cut chemical pesticide use by 50 percent.
back to top
Habitat Restoration/Development
CAM Middle School (Massena), established an outdoor classroom on 65 acres of private land owned by Bob Buboltz. The outdoor classroom includes: the restoration of 15 acres to natural Iowa prairie land, 4.1 acres of wetlands to preserve water quality, and the planting of more than 28,000 grasses, shrubs, trees and flowers all native to Iowa. Stocking the pond, providing food plots and creating waterfowl nesting structures also have helped create a setting natural to southwest Iowa. Students have learned agriculture, science, industrial arts and service learning through activities at the outdoor classroom. The approach has enabled students to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills, all while increasing their knowledge and stewardship of the land.
Matt McQuillen of Anamosa, former president and current habitat chairman of the Twin Rivers Pheasants Forever Chapter, has led three habitat development and restoration projects in Jones County during the past five years. The Scotch Grove Prairie project converted 69 acres of cropland into native prairie complete with wetland basins. The acquisition of Hale Wildlife Area, a 200-acre purchase, led to a variety of conservation practices, including reforestation, fish stocking in ponds and prairie development. McQuillen worked with federal and state agencies to purchase a 140-acre addition to the 375-acre Muskrat Slough. Habitat improvements have included grassland filters, shallow wetland basins and plantings for wintering habitat. McQuillen coordinated the fundraising for the projects with support from the local chapters of Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Whitetails Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation, along with state and federal grants and private donations.
During the past 10 years, Timberhill Winery owned by William and Sibylla Brown, Leon, has restored 60 acres of land on their farm to native oak savanna. The Browns began by clearing five to 10 acres of invasive woody vegetation each year and began a successful prescribed fire program on their property. Oak savanna used to be a dominant landscape feature in southern Iowa, and is now considered one of the state's most imperiled ecosystems. The Browns have watched the reappearance of very rare and uncommon savanna species on their farm and winery, including several orchids and more than 30 species of mushrooms. William and Sibylla Brown are active in organizations that represent opportunities for agricultural growth, diversification and environmental stewardship. The Browns have shared their efforts with other landowners, government agencies and conservation organizations, while developing partnerships to continue their savanna restoration.
back to top
Waste Management
Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a non-profit resale business operated by Habitat for Humanity-Quad Cities. Open to the public four days per week, the ReStore diverts useable building products from the waste stream. Habitat ReStore primarily accepts building products, but also welcomes shelving, office furniture, paint, landscaping materials and office supplies. In its first 11 months, the ReStore diverted more than 183 tons of building materials from the landfill. The business has recycled more than 15,000 pounds of cardboard, paper, metals and wood, while also serving as a collection site for used printer cartridges and cell phones. Habitat ReStore has supported housing needs in the local area by supplying materials and $38,000 in funds to Habitat for Humanity-Quad Cities.
Midwest Computer Brokers, Inc. (Walford) - Project REWIRE (Reducing Electronic Waste In Iowa through Recycling and Education) is a recycling program coordinated by Midwest Electronic Recovery, a computer and electronic recycling division of Midwest Computer Brokers, Inc. The program is the first comprehensive, statewide electronic recycling program in Iowa. Project REWIRE focuses on removing electronic equipment from the waste stream, especially equipment that contains cathode ray tubes (CRT), such as televisions and computer monitors. In four months, Project REWIRE collected 371,345 pounds of e-waste and diverted 26,178 pounds of lead from Iowa landfills using a state-of-the-art CRT glass processing system to maintain environmental integrity.
The West Des Moines Community School District has more than 8,675 students and 1,200 staff. West Des Moines was part of Metro Waste Authority's Rehab the Lab program to identify and remove potentially hazardous materials from the school, resulting in the removal of more than 2,000 pounds of chemicals. To reduce the amount of waste generated, the district also introduced Resource Management contracting. The school began an internal warehouse program termed "WDMbay" via the Internet to exchange unwanted equipment, along with a schoolwide recycling program. The district was the first in Iowa to implement Integrated Pest Management systems that focus on preventative measures instead of chemical use. Because of its waste management programs, West Des Moines schools have reduced solid waste hauling services by 45 percent and cut chemical pesticide use by 50 percent.
back to top
Water Quality
During Dr. James Baker's 30-year career at Iowa State University, he has made major contributions to mitigating the impact of agricultural chemicals on soil and water quality. He developed two patents to increase nitrogen use efficiency and reduce leaching, and worked extensively with farmers to improve ag practices. Dr. Baker has served on several national and state boards, written many articles and books, and presented his findings all over the world. His work has had a lasting impact on Iowa's environment.
Sioux County Soil & Water Conservation District is dedicated to the conservation of natural resources and prevention of soil erosion through local, state and federal partnerships. The county's Rock Valley Wellhead Protection project focused on reducing nitrates in the city wells by using conservation best management practices. Native grasses were placed around the wellheads and reduced the city well nitrate levels by 50 percent. An extensive education program taught local schools and landowners about correct nitrogen management of turf grass and how to implement a phosphorus-free, low nitrogen fertilizer in the local community. The project helped the City of Rock Valley save millions of dollars by not building a wastewater treatment plant. The success of the project was due to partnerships with state and federal agencies, local schools and organizations.
South O'Brien FFA (Paullina) - As part of their efforts to improve the watershed in the local area, members of South O'Brien FFA tested streams, lakes and settling basin ponds in 15 locations in O'Brien County to determine phosphorus contamination. The youth organization also assisted local agricultural agencies with "snapshot" water testing around O'Brien County to set a baseline for annual testing at each site. During the past five years, FFA members have planted more than 35,000 trees and shrubs covering approximately 75 acres of stream banks and highly erodible land to prevent silt, chemicals and excess nutrients from entering rivers and streams.
back to top
Air Quality
The Bus Emissions Education Program (BEEP) is headquartered at the School Administrators of Iowa in Clive. Through a partnership among Mirenco, the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Association of School Boards, the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and School Administrators of Iowa, the program set a goal of diagnosing every diesel school bus in Iowa to improve exhaust and air pollution concerns. The BEEP program measures exhaust opacity of Iowa diesel school buses twice per year and educates students on the science of vehicle tailpipe admissions. Nearly 5,000 buses were tested from February 2002 through June 2003. Because of improvements made to bus engines, overall annual diesel particulate matter emissions decreased by 28 percent from this fleet. In addition, fleet fuel savings are estimated to total 2,200 gallons over this time period. The BEEP program serves as a model across the entire country.
Monsanto Company's Muscatine facility manufactures active herbicide ingredients and formulates products such as Roundup®, Harness®, Lasso® and Degree Xtra® for customer use. In 1999, Monsanto began working on a way to eliminate 60,000 pounds of annual hazardous air pollutants from a manufacturing process. By removing the pollutants, the company realized $50,000 in annual cost savings while helping the environment. The company also developed an employee Energy Efficiency Improvement Team to reduce energy consumption. Through improvements like the automation of steam stripper vacuum jets and the installation of a cooling tower variable speed drive, the team reduced the use of steam by 12 percent, natural gas by 33 percent and electricity by 13.3 percent from 2000 to 2002. Monsanto reduced its energy use by approximately 29,000 million BTU annually, resulting in energy savings of $200,000 annually.
The University of Iowa Main Power Plant provides heating, cooling and electricity to the 1,900-acre university campus. In a partnership with Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, the power plant has begun using oat hulls as a renewable energy source. The oat hulls are fed into a furnace using an innovative injection system, displacing more than 8,000 tons of coal in an eight month period. The project has resulted in a substantial reduction of regulated air pollutants, as well as green house (carbon dioxide from fossil fuels) reductions of 19,400 tons, a 62 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide, a 67 percent decrease in carbon monoxide and a 47 percent decrease in particulate matter. The plant plans to continue using oat hulls as an energy source.
back to top
Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy
MidAmerican Energy Company, headquartered in Des Moines, provides service to 681,000 electric customers and 660,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota. MidAmerican's EnergyAdvantage® New Homes Program offers financial incentives to homebuilders adopting energy efficiency upgrades in the construction of new homes. More than 2,000 homes have participated in the program. The energy company promotes a "best practices" approach to home building with features including foundation insulation, energy-efficient mechanical heating, cooling and water heating equipment, energy-efficient windows and high levels of sidewall and ceiling insulation. Each home participating in the program qualifies as a U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR® home, keeping 4,500 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air every year. Improvements made during construction pay back energy-saving dividends for the life of the home.
Monsanto Company's Muscatine facility manufactures active herbicide ingredients and formulates products such as Roundup®, Harness®, Lasso® and Degree Xtra® for customer use. In 1999, Monsanto began working on a way to eliminate 60,000 pounds of annual hazardous air pollutants from a manufacturing process. By removing the pollutants, the company realized $50,000 in annual cost savings while helping the environment. The company also developed an employee Energy Efficiency Improvement Team to reduce energy consumption. Through improvements like the automation of steam stripper vacuum jets and the installation of a cooling tower variable speed drive, the team reduced the use of steam by 12 percent, natural gas by 33 percent and electricity by 13.3 percent from 2000 to 2002. Monsanto reduced its energy use by approximately 29,000 million BTU annually, resulting in energy savings of $200,000 annually.
The University of Iowa Main Power Plant provides heating, cooling and electricity to the 1,900-acre university campus. In a partnership with Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, the power plant has begun using oat hulls as a renewable energy source. The oat hulls are fed into a furnace using an innovative injection system, displacing more than 8,000 tons of coal in an eight month period. The project has resulted in a substantial reduction of regulated air pollutants, as well as green house (carbon dioxide from fossil fuels) reductions of 19,400 tons, a 62 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide, a 67 percent decrease in carbon monoxide and a 47 percent decrease in particulate matter. The plant plans to continue using oat hulls as an energy source.
back to top
