Clean Area Award System - Case Study Example

? In promoting environmental-friendly practices, appropriate procedures for minimizing negative environmental impact must be articulated and implemented. However, this effort will be insufficient unless training in those procedures is also implemented and both employees and users of the impacted area are motivated to follow those procedures carefully and consistently. Motivation is more effective when ecology-promoting values are internalized through training, rather than being overtly forced, and when compliance is influenced in an engaging manner. In both the implementation of procedures and the influencing of compliance through training, it is good practice to become familiar with what the government regulations and stance are, and with what has been successfully implemented in other locations, so that appropriate imitation and creative adaptation can be made. These are the underlying assumptions on which my response is formulated. A consideration of the more obvious problems leads me to suggest that the trash and garbage problem can be quite easily remedied. We will immediately clean up the trash and garbage in the water and land around the docks and restaurant areas, and will install new, durable, brightly colored trash and garbage containers, well-marked and of adequate size. Attractive signs, using a humorous approach (choking boats with emotional expression), will be placed at each trash and garbage can, to invite usage. Discarded items around the repair and maintenance facility will be disposed of properly, off-site, in accordance with the law. The spare parts stored in 55 gallon oil drums will be covered. The greasy muck outside the warehouse doors will be cleaned, and kept clean, and the source evaluated and curtailed. Safety trenches will be installed around areas with liquid storage tanks of paints, solvents, resins and other materials, and these areas will be protected from rain by roofing and, if necessary, enclosure. The safety trenches will be cleaned out regularly to prevent overflow. All toxins and pollutants will be disposed of in compliance with the law. As a boatyard and marina, we need to obtain a generic NPDES permit, which involves the design and implementation of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for Best Management Practices to protect the waterways from toxins contained in the oil, paints and solvents used and inadvertently deposited on our site. A management committee will be appointed to create our plan and apply for the NPDES permit. The application, permit assistance and a sample plan are available online (State of Florida, 2011). The committee will be advised to carefully consult these resources, and also to obtain other technical assistance and mentoring, in support of this project. To obtain proper information, mentoring and technical assistance, both on-site and distance advising, our marina will apply to join The Florida Clean Marina Program (Fish-Tale Marina, 2008) and receive official designation. This will provide structure, consistency and goal orientation to management. In addition, all Area Managers will be directed to carefully familiarize themselves with relevant sections of a supremely useful Marina Environmental Best Management Practices Web Site (New York Sea Grant, 2008), as a model for recommending and implementing new area procedures. Procedures which minimize pollution risk will be evaluated and adopted, including, for example, dustless sanders, tarp enclosures, non-toxic paints, regular fuel tank inspections, thorough draining of fuel tanks prior to waste disposal, using cleaning solvents that are not chlorinated, ammoniated or petroleum-based, proper cleaning and disposal of spills, appropriate management of floor drains, and covered protection from rainfall. Area Management meetings will be held to formally endorse recommended procedures for each area. A Clean Area Award system will be implemented to encourage friendly competition among employees. The monthly award(s) for Cleanest Area(s) will involve a prize of donuts and sugar-free, diabetic-friendly cake, supplied to the employees of the winning area(s) on the day of the award announcement. The award will be based upon consistency, as evidenced by spot checks, performed by management, throughout the month. A “green” potluck picnic will be held to kick off the Clean Area Award system. Employees and their family members will be issued green ribbons to pin on their shirts, to remind each other about green awareness, as it pertains to their eco-friendly efforts on behalf of the marina. Participants will be encouraged to bring green food, literally (green Jell-O, tossed green salad, green sprinkled cookies, herbed cream cheese muffins, lime juice, spinach lasagna, etc.). The picnic will feature various supportive activities, framed in a way to support the internalization of values necessary to motivate compliance with new procedures. For example, a tug-of-war game might humorously be framed as a competition between the forces of Eco-Good and the forces of Eco-Bad. A relay race might involve passing a scrub brush down the line, using only their feet, and ultimately balancing it on the last person’s head to hurriedly convey it to the goal, a picture of a clean marina. Another activity might involve rolling oil drums without spilling the contents. The idea is to motivate supportive attitudes in a friendly manner. Formal employee training will follow, during the next week. The curriculum will include a PowerPoint presentation on what the problems are and what procedures necessitate compliance in order to solve those problems; a video about the impact of environmentally friendly and unfriendly practices on the waterways and ecology of Florida and how ordinary people can turn the negative impacts around; a guest speaker who will explain appropriate ways to interact with the public users of the marina, boatyard and repair facility, to enlist their cooperation in protecting the area; and a community theatre group who will present a performance, tying it all together. This will be followed by the managers of each area taking their employees for on-site procedure review. A Marina Hostess will be hired, whose duty it is to pleasantly advise boat owners and marina users about keeping the area free of litter and pollutants. She will direct them to appropriate receptacles and pass out Clean Boater Fact Sheets (New York Sea Grant, 2008). She will speak with pride about our innovative clean-up program and communicate to the public how important this is for all of us and for subsequent generations. The Marina Hostess will also be responsible for hoisting a Clean Marina Flag, each day. A Clean Marina Flag was awarded by South Carolina government officials in recognition of Southport Marina’s extreme makeover (Smith, 2011). Although ours would not be a government-awarded flag, it would serve as an environmental statement and identification with marina BMP. Although our ultimate goal is to clean up our site, obtain an NPDES permit, partner with other clean marinas and receive a designation denoting our successful efforts, I feel that a more basic foundation goal is the internalization of values that will support continuous efforts and a marina site lifestyle change that will endure. After all, it isn’t a piece of government paper that is the greatest worth, but rather a cleaner environment to pass on to the next generation. We can achieve this. References Fish-Tale Marina. (2008). Clean Marina. Retrieved May 11, 2011, from Fish Tale Marina: http://www.thefishtalemarina.com/cleanmarina.html New York Sea Grant. (2008, January 23). Boater Education Fact Sheets. Retrieved May 11, 2011, from Marina Environmental Best Management Practices: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/marinabmp/section7/factsheets.htm New York Sea Grant. (2008, January 23). NY's Marina Pollution Prevention (Home). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from Marina Environmental Best Management Practices Web Site: www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/marinabmp/ Smith, P. (2011, March 2). Extreme Makeover: Southport Marina Edition - Southport North Carolina News. Retrieved May 11, 2011, from The Cottages at Southport: http://www.thecottagesatsouthport.com/location/news/extreme-makeover-southport-marina- edition/ State of Florida. (2011). Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. Retrieved May 11, 2011, from Florida Department of Environmental Protection: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/cleanmarina/stormwater_p2.htm Read More