Green cleanups (also called green remediation) are about considering all environmental impacts of our work and incorporating practices that maximize the overall environmental benefit. Region 10's Clean & Green Policy does not change how or why cleanup decisions are made, but supports greener cleanups by promoting sustainable technologies and practices in our cleanup programs. Our goal is to:
- Protect human health and the environment by achieving remedial action goals
- Support sustainable human and ecological use and reuse of remediated land
- Minimize impacts to water quality and water resources
- Reduce air toxics emissions and greenhouse gas production
- Minimize material use and waste production
- Conserve natural resources and energy
The Clean & Green Policy establishes a preference for green cleanup technologies. Use of these and other green cleanup technologies will be standard unless a site-specific evaluation demonstrates impracticability or favors an alternative green approach:
Front-end loader purchased at North Boeing Field has a Tier 4 engine with diesel particulate filter and diesel oxidation catalyst to lower emissions from site cleanup.
- 100% use of renewable energy (green power), and energy conservation and efficiency approaches including EnergyStar equipment
- Cleaner fuels, diesel emissions controls and retrofits, and emission reduction strategies
- Water conservation and efficiency approaches including WaterSense products
- Sustainable site design
- Industrial material reuse or recycling within regulatory requirements
- Recycling of materials generated at or removed from the site
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
- Greenhouse gas emission reduction technologies
- Concrete made with Coal Combustion Products replacing a portion of traditional cement
- Capture landfill gases under the Landfill Methane Outreach Program
- Environmental Management System (EMS) practices such as reducing the use of paper by moving to fully electronic transmittal of project documents and implementation of waste reduction and recycling programs at all work sites.
The Clean & Green Policy applies to Superfund cleanups performed by Potentially Responsible Parties, EPA and/or Army Corps of Engineer contractors, and Federal Facilities, as well as RCRA corrective action cleanups performed under EPA oversight, EPA-led Leaking Underground Storage Tank cleanups, and Cleanup work implemented through EPA’s Brownfields grant program. We also plan to promote green cleanups in state-authorized and other state-lead cleanup programs.
For more information about green cleanups in Region 10, please contact: