Businesses for the Bay is the Chesapeake Bay Program's voluntary pollution prevention program for businesses and government facilities within the Bay watershed. Businesses for the Bay currently has more than 230 participants in the program and more than 70 individuals that have volunteered as Business-to-Business Mentors to provide free, technical assistance to other program participants.
 

 
The Chesapeake Executive Council's Businesses for the Bay Excellence Awards recognize Businesses for the Bay participants for their outstanding work in implementing pollution prevention activities at their facilities. Award applications for the Small, Medium and Large Business categories were reviewed by a group of judges based on the following criteria: pollution prevention activities; environmental and social significance; technical value and transferability to other sectors or facilities; degree of commitment to pollution prevention; and originality and innovation.
 

Located in Washington, D.C., this 17-employee automotive service station has incorporated a variety of pollution prevention activities. Parker's Exxon reclaims and recycles antifreeze and has been able to make a profit by selling the recycled product to its customers. In addition, Parker's recycles used oil filters by selling them to an independent recycling company. To eliminate waste water, Parker's uses environmentally safe cleaning products in the absence of water, thereby preventing waste water from entering the Bay. All employees are trained in pollution prevention and are aware of how their actions impact the Bay. As an incentive to prevent pollution, employees are treated to lunch with the income generated from their recycling efforts. Parker's has demonstrated that preventing pollution can be both environmentally sound and profitable. For more information on Parker's Exxon, contact Lynn Cook at (202) 337-3144.
 

Hercules Incorporated's Hopewell, Virginia Plant employs 380 people in the manufacture of cellulose derivatives- products that are based on cellulose, a renewable resource that comes from trees and cotton. In 1997, Hercules completed a three-million-dollar project to provide environmental upgrades for the storage and transfer of two highly flammable raw materials, thereby eliminating air and sewer discharges of these chemicals. Hercules also installed new process equipment and instrumentation, resulting in reduced solvent emissions to the air and fewer spills. Employee suggestions also helped Hercules to minimize waste generation. For example, a suggestion to change how solvents are metered has decreased waste generation by 60%. On-going employee activities include a nursery for stream bank restoration, back yard conservation workshops, wildlife habitat demonstrations and nature trail building. Since becoming a member in 1996, Hercules has championed Businesses for the Bay initiatives in the Hopewell community and sponsors several employees who mentor other businesses interested in protecting the Bay through waste minimization, pollution prevention and habitat enhancement. For more information about Hercules' commitment to environmental excellence, contact environmental engineers Scott Wolff and Bill Perkinson at (804) 541-4500.
 

  Northrop Grumman's Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector (ESSS) employs more than 7,400 people to design and produce advanced electronics products for government, industry and personal use. The utilization of alternative products has allowed ESSS to reduce their use of metal-cutting lubricants and alkaline cleaners and to eliminate the use of solvents as a metal degreaser. ESSS uses paints with low levels of volatile organic compounds and utilizes equipment that allows them to apply less paint to their products without reducing quality. Employees are trained and encouraged to seek out pollution prevention opportunities and to form teams to identify solutions. As a leader in pollution prevention, ESSS is very active with the community and is committed to protecting the Bay watershed. ESSS has been a member of Businesses for the Bay since 1996 and has also volunteered as a Businesses for the Bay Mentor to help out other businesses prevent pollution. For more information about Northrop Grumman's ESSS, please contact Steve McKew, Manager of Compliance Engineering, at (410) 993-8940.
 

The Mentor of the Year Award is presented annually to an individual who has shown strong leadership, provided valuable technical assistance to others and recruited new Businesses for the Bay participants.

Robert Dunn, of E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Company, Inc. (Dupont), has been selected as the 1998 Mentor of the Year. As the Virginia State Environmental Affairs Manager, Mr. Dunn is in charge of environmental operations and compliance for all of Dupont's Virginia facilities. He has played an integral role in the development of Businesses for the Bay and is a member of the Bay Program's Pollution Prevention Workgroup. Mr. Dunn has provided outstanding leadership and support to the Businesses for the Bay Mentor Program and, most recently, hosted a meeting of the Virginia Mentors at Dupont's Spruance Plant. To help promote Businesses for the Bay and the Mentor Program. In addition, he has recruited and provided technical assistance to participants from the local business community, more local governments and Dupont's suppliers. Mr. Dunn was recently featured in a series of public service announcements broadcast in Virginia promoting pollution prevention and Businesses for the Bay. For more information about Mr. Dunn's involvement in the Mentor Program, contact him at (804) 383-3895.
 

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company's Lancaster West facility houses web offset printing presses used in the production of telephone books, catalogues and magazines. Since 1991, this employer of approximately 1,100 people has implemented a plant-wide program to eliminate and reduce the use of toxics. Through material substitutions and process modifications, the Lancaster West facility has achieved a 95% reduction in Resource Conservation & Recovery Act Hazardous Waste generation and an 85% reduction of Toxics Release Inventory chemical releases since 1991, which has helped the company save $15,000 annually on disposal costs. These reductions were accomplished at a time when the facility's production increased by 60%. For these efforts, the Lancaster West facility was awarded one of Pennsylvania's prestigious Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in 1997. The facility has been a member of Businesses for the Bay since 1997 and is active in the Mentor Program. For more information about R.R. Donnelley & Son's Lancaster West pollution prevention programs, contact senior environmental engineer Frederick Shaak at (717) 293-3750.