NV nonprofit greenUP! gets $160K EPA grant to support green manufacturing

CARSON CITY, Nev. — On Nov. 5, the 30th anniversary of the Pollution Prevention Act, the U.S. EPA announced 11 organizations across nine states would receive a piece of $1.16 million for pollution prevention efforts, including Carson City-based greenUP!

According to a press release from the EPA, $160,000 will support greenUP!’s environmental education efforts to help Nevada businesses cut environmental waste.

“When the groundbreaking Pollution Prevention Act was signed 30 years ago, EPA was given a simple charge: work to prevent pollution before it happens,” EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn said in a statement. “By providing our partners with essential tools, resources and information, we have taken a strategic approach that has yielded millions of dollars in savings and avoided the use of tens of thousands of pounds of hazardous chemicals. I’m looking forward to seeing the contributions of EPA’s 2020 source reduction grantees to our national pollution prevention effort.”

Per the EPA, the grant will help provide targeted virtual and in-person trainings and aid in the recovery of businesses through sustainable practices that incorporate source reduction techniques; greenUP! will also conduct follow-up with training participants to document the effectiveness of various pollution prevention practices.

“Private business can use innovative pollution prevention approaches to improve public health and protect the environment,” EPA Regional Administrator John Busterud said in a statement. “EPA is excited to support the work of Nevada’s greenUP! to advance sustainability innovation with business leaders.”

“greenUP! is grateful to EPA for providing funding to support the source reduction work in Nevada,” added Donna Walden, president of the greenUP! Board. “This will benefit manufacturers and boost environmental performance in the state.”

News of the grant comes a month after the EPA announced 42 organizations across 39 states would receive grant funding totaling $9.3 million to pollution prevention across the country.

Of that total, $345,108 went to greenUP! and Western Nevada College, who are partnering to train 40 manufacturers on safer chemical alternatives, water reduction, energy efficiency and environmental best practices. They also are recruiting 10 WNC interns to conduct on-site visits and provide technical assistance to these manufacturers.