The awards were presented at the AMI Conference on Worker Safety, Human Resources and the Environment in Kansas City, Mo., on March 20.
“We are honored to receive this recognition in the environmental technology, outreach and training programs category for our corporate headquarters expansion project, and in the resource conservation category for our water conservation efforts at Burke Corporation,” said Thomas E. Raymond, director of environmental sustainability. “These projects demonstrate our commitment to corporate responsibility and are a testament of the dedication and hard work of our outstanding team of employees.”
Through the awards program, AMI recognizes companies in four categories: environmental technology; outreach and training programs; pollution prevention; resource conservation; and social and economic sustainability. In addition to the Environmental Achievement Awards, all of the company’s eligible sites were recognized with AMI Environmental Management Systems Awards at the conference.
Corporate headquarters (Austin, Minn.) expansion project
The company’s corporate headquarters expansion achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold Certification as a result of the sustainable design and construction practices employed.
The expansion area was designed and constructed to minimize energy and water usage. Energy savings were achieved through highly efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning and lighting systems, and water savings were achieved through the use of ultra low flow fixtures and a gray water system that collects rain water and utilizes ground water from the foundation drainage system.
As a result, this project achieved a 46 percent energy reduction and 70 percent potable water reduction, and is expected to operate with utility costs 40 percent less than standard construction .
Burke Corporation (Nevada, Iowa) water conservation project
In September of 2008 Burke Corporation began implementing water conservation projects that they identified through their own internal observations as well as in collaboration with a government agency’s pollution prevention intern program. They also assembled a water conservation team as a subgroup of their environmental sustainability team.
Since that time, they have investigated and implemented automation and process changes, mechanical modifications, and resource conservation training to conserve water. While they instituted numerous mechanical conservation projects, the bulk of their water reduction came from their conservation training program.
Burke Corporation has saved more than 20 million gallons of water since 2008, which is a 25 percent drop in water usage. Since approximately 60 percent of that water saved is hot water, they also saved more than 67,000 therms of natural gas.
