Majestic
Metals, Inc. is Colorado's
First Environmental Leader
DENVER
– Majestic Metals, Inc., a Denver manufacturer of precision
sheet metal, is the first company in Colorado to be recognized
as an Environmental Leader by the Colorado Department of Public
Health and Environment. Environmental Leadership status means
the company has gone beyond minimum regulatory compliance and
has adopted an enhanced environmental protection program.
Patti
Shwayder, the Health Department’s Executive Director, said,
"The department is pleased to recognize Majestic Metals,
Inc. as our first Environmental Leader. The company’s exemplary
commitment to the environment should serve as a good example
to other businesses in the state. We are proud to launch this
nationally recognized program with a fine example of an Environmental
Leader.
"To
be chosen as the first member of the Colorado Environmental
Leadership Program is a distinct honor," said Denton Johnson,
Manager of Environmental Health and Safety for Majestic Metals.
"Our hope is that many companies will join us in this effort.
Environmental stewardship is a legacy for future generations
that cannot be ignored.
The
Environmental Leadership Program is a voluntary program designed
to encourage organizations regulated by the Health Department
to go beyond basic compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
The program
is the outgrowth of the work of a diverse task force made up
of business, environmental groups and government representatives
that Shwayder organized in 1995 The task force was a part of
Shwayder’s Environmental CHANGE effort which sought innovative
approaches to environmental protection.
"In
designing this program, our goal was to offer meaningful incentives
to those entities that go the extra mile for environmental stewardship,"
Shwayder said. "All too often in the past, government has
only relied on punishing violators, while overlooking companies
such as Majestic Metals and others who make important environmental
investments."
Legislation
to create the environmental leadership effort was passed in
the 1998 Colorado Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Romer.
To participate
in the program, an entity must have a good record of environmental
compliance, with no serious violations in the past three years.
An entity must also have an environmental management system
in place and must conduct self-audits to ensure it stays in
compliance. Participants must also maintain a successful pollution
prevention program.
While
participating in the program, participants are asked to take
on projects that will benefit their organizations internally,
mentor other facilities, and work with the community in which
they are located. The program stresses the themes of sustainability,
stewardship, resource conservation, and innovation.
Applicants
are encouraged to develop their own applications in a way that
both benefits them and the environment.
Johnson
explained that, among other projects, Majestic Metals has implemented
an ambitious program to phase out the use of solvent-borne coatings
and replace them with water-borne paints and powder coatings.
Not only did this eliminate the environmental impact from solvents
released to the atmosphere, but also it saved the company $18,000
in costs of purchasing solvents.
"Pollution
prevention and waste reduction is good for the environment,
but it is also a good business decision," Johnson said.
The
Colorado Environmental Leadership Program, one of a small number
of it’s kink and one of the most comprehensive in the nation,
is open to any business, governmental agency or special district
that not only stays in compliance with environmental laws, but
goes beyond compliance by practicing pollution prevention or
making operational changes to reduce impact to the environment.
For further
information regarding this release or Majestic Metals Inc. in
general, Contact Chip Roberts through this web site or by telephone
at (303) 288-6855.
