RD434 - Office of Pollution Prevention 2014 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
For more than twenty-five years, pollution prevention (P2) has played a key role in the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) mission to protect and enhance Virginia’s environment. DEQ’s Office of Pollution Prevention (OPP) hosts a number of programs and initiatives that serve as a conduit for non-regulatory assistance to businesses, institutions, and communities. These efforts are aimed at motivating Virginians to minimize their environmental footprint through actions that exceed what is required while enhancing their bottom line. A few of the highlights from 2014 are:

• Sponsoring the “2014 DEQ Environmental Excellence Conference: Enhancing Environmental Management and Stewardship” held in March in Richmond and attended by almost 200 people;

• Creation of the Virginia Green Travel Alliance, a non-profit intended to seek grants and private foundation funding to support the Virginia Green travel program;

• Presenting twelve Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards at the Environment Virginia symposium in April; and,

• Re-establishing the agency’s Division of Environmental Enhancement, which includes OPP, the Coastal Zone Management Program, the Office of Environmental Impact Review and the coordination of long term environmental priorities, and is expected to provide new opportunities for collaboration between the programs.

DEQ continues to enjoy a national reputation as a leader in promoting collaborative partnerships and engaging audiences through non-regulatory environmental programs. I am confident that DEQ’s successful pollution prevention and sustainability initiatives, in combination with support from Governor McAuliffe and Secretary Ward and our engaged and committed stakeholders, will continue to flourish.