Water and energy conservation effort wins national recognition, saves Illinois business and government $6M

[September 09, 2013]  CHAMPAIGN -- A conservation and pollution prevention program that has saved more than $6 million for central and southern Illinois communities and businesses has been awarded a national MVP2 Award by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable in Washington, D.C.

The Illinois Conservation of Resources and Energy project, or ICORE, is part of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center's technical assistance program. The technology center, a unit of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, provides expertise for energy and water conservation improvements to all of Illinois' government and industrial sectors. ICORE focuses those benefits on populations in small, rural communities in parts of the state that have had little access to such programs.

The MVP2 Award, the third received by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, will be awarded on Sept. 19 at the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable headquarters in Washington.

During the program's first four years, ICORE provided on-site expertise to seven communities and 51 businesses with matching funds from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is currently in its fifth year, and funding is allocated for next year.

In addition to the environmental benefits of improving the efficiency of water usage, wastewater generation, energy consumption and carbon emissions, the ICORE program showed a return on investment of between $6 and $9 per dollar spent over the four years through conserving resources and reducing wastes.

ICORE participants have included municipal wastewater treatment plants and small- and medium-sized commercial and industrial facilities.

Cost savings were derived from reducing energy by 49 million kilowatt-hours, water by 54 million gallons, nonhazardous wastes by almost 7 million pounds and hazardous materials by more than 108,000 pounds. The project also recorded reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 97 million pounds over the four years.

Environmental engineers Dan Marsch and Mike Springman with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center were credited with the success of the high-performing project by ICORE's principal investigator, Debra Jacobson.

"Mike and Dan are two extremely dedicated professionals who genuinely want to help companies achieve measurable results," Jacobson said. The two engineers operate from offices in Peoria and Godfrey, where they have become well-known among business owners and local government leaders. With each successful direct contact they build relationships and earn trust in the region, Jacobson added.

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center partners with clients on a wide range of sustainability issues, including pilot testing and evaluation of advanced manufacturing technologies, compliance assistance, supply chain optimization, and byproduct reuse.

"We are proud of this project and the benefits it has brought to the people of Illinois," said David Thomas, interim director of the technology center. "ICORE is a model of proven value that could work just about anywhere in the U.S. It extends the value of green industry to even the smallest business enterprises."

In 2008, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center won an MPV2 Award for its partnership with the Illinois fabricated machinery and metal products sector to help industries extend the life of metal-working fluids to save money and help the environment.

In 2011, the center received the honor for its Sustainable Electronics Initiative, dedicated to the development and implementation of a more sustainable system for designing, producing, reusing, remanufacturing and recycling electronic devices.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center]

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The Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the home of the Illinois State Scientific Surveys: Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. It was established by statute in 2008 and builds on the reputations of the survey units for basic and applied research and service. 

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center was established in 1985 and joined the Prairie Research Institute with the survey units in 2008. Its mission is to encourage and assist citizens, businesses and government agencies to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources and reduce waste to protect human health and the environment of Illinois and beyond.