Environmental Good Guys Help Protect Montana Businesses

08/16/01BOZEMAN--Jon Hudson knows that pollution prevention isn't always the most popular topic at the water cooler. As a technical specialist with Montana State University Extension's Pollution Prevention Program and an environmental consultant since the 1980s, he says that environmental compliance is sometimes a sore subject in the business community. He sympathizes:

"There is a lot of fear involved—fear of losing everything you've got."

Hudson, who once worked as a regulator for the Department of Environmental Quality in Arizona, reports that he has seen small companies destroyed because of pollution that they unintentionally caused. He didn't like it. "I'm not into watching people lose what they've worked hard for."

 That's why the voluntary, confidential services that the Extension Pollution Prevention (P2) Program offers are more his speed. Along with Technical Specialist Ted Lange, Hudson now provides education and information on waste management and pollution prevention to any business that requests help.

 "There are a lot of people who just don't know, or think they are doing the right thing but don't know the regulations have changed," said Hudson. He knows first-hand how complicated the regulations can be, and sees the need for the free education P2 offers. Businesses may be doing their best to prevent financial liability by following state, federal and OSHA regulations, but since there is no handy clearinghouse that lists all those regulations, it's difficult for business owners to stay current.

 Right now, two technical specialists at MSU Extension's P2 Program are available to help various kinds of businesses. Ted Lange specializes in hotels/motels, print shops and wood finishing industries, while Jon Hudson assists automotive service, auto body repair, aviation and dry cleaning businesses.

They field questions by phone and also go on site visits to help businesses assess their existing practices. Then they research ways that the business can reduce waste, save money and, if necessary, reach compliance with environmental law. They also go so far as to research the cost of implementing equipment and processes, providing estimates on short and long-term profitability. Since P2 is part of MSU Extension's educational outreach efforts, its services don't cost anything. And, because it is not a regulatory agency, the P2 program doesn't force business owners to comply with its suggestions. This way of doing things seems to work well for independent-minded Montanans, says Hudson.

 The program, which came out of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, is designed to be the flip-side of the "command, control, enforce" approach to environmental protection. It offers resources that businesses can use to save money and prevent expensive liabilities, rather than paying for them afterward.

 "I don't know anybody who wants to drink dirty water, breathe dirty air, muck around in unsafe working conditions," Hudson says. He believes that most businesses are not out to intentionally pollute the environment.

 But he also reminds businesses that you don't have to have a big pipe spewing toxic sludge into the river out back to start a pollution prevention program. Waste reduction, while it's not mandated in Montana, prevents pollution, too. One of Hudson's favorite examples is that if enough people use energy efficient processes and equipment, that cuts down on the amount of energy the power company has to produce, which prevents pollution in the long run.

 Getting people to stop and think about the long run is one of the biggest challenges the educators within the P2 program face. After all, the bottom line for most business owners is, well… the bottom line. Financial considerations tend to drive priorities. That's one of the reasons the P2 program instituted the EcoStar recognition program five years ago.

 The EcoStar awards honor Montana businesses that are breaking ground in pollution prevention. That way, in addition to preventing financial losses to environmental liability, and saving money through recycling or resource conservation, the participating businesses also stand to increase sales by enjoying added publicity and a positive image in the eyes of consumers.

 The 20 EcoStar recipients this year come from all kinds of businesses, from grocery stores, restaurants and hotels — to the auto and dry cleaning industries. The businesses will be honored at a reception with Gov. Martz at the capitol Aug. 29.

Send questions or comments toMarla Goodman, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717, E-mail mgoodman@montana.edu