Mentoring - Setting an example

Through its Mentoring Program, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) fosters the development of relationships between large, environmentally responsible facilities and smaller facilities through the transfer of knowledge from the larger company to the smaller company. During the past year, five ELP pilot participants have developed model mentoring programs to help small businesses implement innovative environmental solutions to complex issues, while remaining competitive. Although small companies are often already environmentally responsible, they do not always have the resources to keep themselves informed of all environmental issues. Through these programs, ELP facilities are sharing their knowledge and expertise in environmental management with companies who have more limited resources. The ELP mentoring pilot programs continue and will be evaluated at the pilot’s completion.

Mentoring is defined as the use of expertise by one company to help another company enhance its environmental management and performance, including maintaining compliance or going beyond legal requirements for compliance. A mentoring program may involve information sharing, compliance assistance site visits, or environmental management assistance. Depending on the smaller facility’s concerns and needs, the larger facility may tailor the mentoring program to meet specific needs.

Mentors are not only providing essential guidance on basic technical and environmental practices, but they are teaching their mentorees fundamental business techniques necessary for successful environmental management systems (EMSs). The benefits of being a mentor are: (1) recognition as a leader in environmental awareness and compliance improvement, (2) improved community relations, and (3) improved client and sector-based relations.

The ELP pilot participants with mentoring programs include the John Roberts Company (JRC) of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Motorola’s Oak Hill facility of Austin, Texas; the Salt River Project (SRP) of Phoenix, Arizona; Ocean State Power (OSP) of Rhode Island; and the Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company (Simpson) of Washington. The mentoring programs developed and implemented by these companies stress:

•Environmental management systems

•Education and training

•Sound business practices and techniques.

Environmental Management Systems (EMSs)

A goal of the ELP Mentoring Program is for mentors to present their EMSs to mentorees and educate the mentorees on the EMS components. Motorola has committed to a mentoring program that will provide industry outreach on EMSs. The effort will focus on sharing expertise and experience in quality environmental protection and a beyond compliance philosophy. After an extensive selection process utilizing its customer and supplier chain, Motorola chose a firm that provides maintenance for tools and equipment in its factory as a mentoree. A review of the company’s processes is currently the focus of this mentoring program. Motorola found the mentoree to be hesitant at first about participation in the program; however, it became more enthusiastic as the program proceeded.

JRC has established a successful mentoring program to provide direct, hands-on assistance to four small printers to help them develop EMSs that are appropriately sized for their organizations. To these printers, JRC provided the following tools:

•A model files organization for compliance documents

•A combined training notification and record of training form, as well as overheads that describe basic employee training requirements

•A model reporting schedule to facilitate timely compliance with State and Federal reporting and licensing requirements

•Examples of how to successfully facilitate changes in employee work practices

•Examples of waste stream flow charts specific to the printing industry that encourage pollution prevention

•A model environmental management system sized to the mentoree’s facility.

In regard to technical issues at the mentoree’s facility, JRC has suggested procedures for implementing corrective action that are timely and low in cost.

Simpson is assisting its mentoree, Associated Petroleum, a local company that supplies lubricating oils and heavy greases to the Simpson plant, with the creation of a spill response plan by modeling it after one in place at the Simpson facility. One of Simpson’s recent successes with its mentoring project includes the development of a format for the mentoree’s oil/water separator inspection maintenance records.

Education and Training

ELP mentors are educating their mentorees on technical issues, specifically compliance issues, through educational seminars and site visits. Through these sessions, mentorees are receiving lessons in environmental awareness and protection that will help them achieve environmental compliance. For example, SRP sponsored environmental awareness seminars for small industrial customers that addressed waste minimization and pollution prevention; special waste management plans; municipal wastewater discharge permits; self-monitoring requirements, recordkeeping and reporting; identification and listing of hazardous waste; CFC requirements; container and tankmanagement standards; solid waste laws and rules; pretreatment standards; and environmental management systems. Three such workshops were held during the months of February, April, and July, 1996.

In addition, OSP is providing information to its mentoree on water use reduction, Title V air permitting work, regulatory incentives for using less toxic chemicals, and environmental health and safety upgrades.

Business Practices and Techniques

Networking promotes the exchange of useful industry information and educates all involved parties on the best measures to achieve environmental compliance; it is a critical part of a successful environmental program. Because of this, many mentors have introduced to their mentorees the abundance and value of professional resources and knowledge that may be accessed through corporate and governmental contacts in the environmental field.

The seminars conducted by SRP for small industrial customers were cosponsored by Maricopa County's Small Business Environmental Assistance Division. The County was especially helpful in developing the content of the seminars as a result of its past workshop experiences and understanding of the small businesses.

Using its technical expertise and contacts within the Washington State Department of Ecology, Simpson has helped its mentoree determine the need for and obtain a storm water permit for a key-lock-fueling station the mentoree operates. OSP, to assist its mentoree with its water use reduction project, has networked among its industry contacts including utilities, consultants, and universities.

Incentives can be used to promote environmental compliance and participation in mentoring programs. Simpson's mentoree is participating in the program to improve its environmental performance and business relationship with Simpson. The incentives are better customer service provided by the mentoree to Simpson in the future and perhaps preferred business status for the mentoree.

Lessons Learned

During the course of the pilot project, the facilities involved with demonstrating their interest and strength in the mentoring component of the Environmental Leadership Program have learned many valuable lessons about the implementation of a mentoring project. The following are some of these lessons from the facilities: