B4B Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - NOVEMBER 1, 2004

For more information: Emily Eider, 610-861-4112

NCC’s Electrotechnology Applications Center Honored for Pollution Prevention in Chesapeake Bay Area

Northampton Community College’s Electrotechnology Applications Center (ETAC) was recently honored by Businesses for the Bay with the “Partner of the Year Award” for its role in reducing pollution and emissions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Businesses for the Bay is a group whose mission is to build support for pollution prevention in the watershed, which extends across six states - Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia - and the District of Columbia.
Businesses for the Bay saluted ETAC for environmental projects that in the past year have resulted in the reduction of almost 3.2 million pounds of volatile organic compounds, about 4 million pounds of particulates, 350,000 pounds of solid waste, 23,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 2.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide, 127,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide and a 37 million gallon reduction in water use in the Chesapeake Bay region.
NCC’s Dean of Community Education Paul Pierpoint said, “We are very proud of ETAC and its ten years of success in helping manufacturers reduce air pollution. We are honored to have been recognized by Businesses for the Bay for extending our work to improving water quality.”

Based at Northampton Community College, ETAC helps manufacturers from a variety of industries improve productivity, increase energy efficiency, and achieve and maintain environmental compliance. Over the past six years ETAC has worked with more than 500 clients in Pennsylvania, as well as with companies in surrounding states, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. Funded for the past four years by a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection grant, ETAC’s recommendations have resulted in an estimated reduction of 33,000 tons of volatile organic compounds, 4,800 tons of hazardous air pollutants, over 2,000 tons of particulate and 100 tons of solid waste.
The center’s pollution prevention efforts have been recognized in the past with several other awards, including the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence, the Clean Air Award from the American Lung Association and the Ben Franklin Innovation Award.