RD501 - Office of Pollution Prevention 2016 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
DEQ’s Office of Pollution Prevention (OPP) promotes pollution prevention through incentive pro­grams and technical assistance. OPP hosts a number of programs and initiatives that support the Pollution Prevention Act 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 2016 include:

Leading by example, DEQ continued to improve our own environmental management system (EMS) including being the first state agency to become an E3 member of the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program;

Presenting eight Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards at the Environment Virginia symposium in April, including three awards for exemplary implementation of the Virginia Outdoors Plan; and,

Assisting the Department of General Services and Executive Mansion staff with their efforts to green the Executive Mansion under the direction of First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe.

The support of Governor Terry McAuliffe and Secretary Molly Joseph Ward, combined with our engaged and committed stakeholders, allow Virginia to be a leader in promoting collaborative partnerships through non-regulatory environmental programs. I am confident that DEQ’s pollution prevention and sustainability initiatives will continue to guide organizations of the Commonwealth to reduce their environmental footprints.

David K. Paylor
Director