Stories
Bringing home the awards
The week of June 15, 2009, was a busy and exciting one for several Y‑12 employees who accepted three sets of awards on behalf of Y‑12.
The highest honor received was being one of 15 federal teams and the only U.S. Department of Energy site recognized as a winner of the 2009 White House Closing the Circle Awards. Y‑12 and the other 14 federal agencies were recognized for spearheading environmentally sustainable practices and demonstrating best practices in areas such as recycling, green purchasing and fuel conservation.
“This is the second time Y‑12 has won this prestigious award,” Jan Jackson of Sustainability and Stewardship said. “Y‑12’s nomination was entitled ‘Y‑12 Manufacturing Makes High-Tech P2 Look Easy.’”
The nomination included the:
- $277,000 cost savings in operating expenses by replacing Freon with non-ozone depleting solvent for chip cleaning operations;
- $249,000 cost savings by developing a new crusher operation for drums contaminated from radioactive waste;
- $16,000 cost savings by using legacy materials to provide usable products; and
- negligible-residue tack cloth.
Y‑12 was one of three National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) sites recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy “for innovation and/or excellence in pollution prevention and environmental sustainability stewardship efforts.” NNSA sites received five of the eight E Star awards presented by Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary of Energy, with Y‑12 receiving three of them from the more than 150 award nominations selected by an independent panel of judges.
Aprell Patterson of the Pollution Prevention Program said, “One E Star award was for Y‑12’s work in moving beyond the use of alternative fuels to include other fleet management techniques, such as redistributing the Y‑12 fleet to reduce idle time, promoting carpooling, biking and walking (to meetings).”
Y‑12 was also recognized for initiating pollution prevention programs that included elimination of Freon for chip cleaning, development of a new drum crusher operation, development of a tackless residue cleaning cloth (see article in The Y‑12 Times) and reuse of surplus materials. More than 275,600 kg of waste were eliminated resulting in a cost avoidance of $542,000.
The third E Star award was for the two 1941-vintage tanker cars donated to the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum. The railroad cars and equipment left the complex thanks to the hard work of many and the Unneeded Materials and Chemicals initiative. By donating these tanker cars to the museum, Y‑12 preserved historic items and helped the environment by keeping more than 47 tons of metal from the waste disposal.
Last but not least, Y‑12 received a Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Bronze Award. “This was the first year we submitted a nomination to this award category,” Patterson said. “Through our efforts with Procurement Operations, Property and Assets Management, Environmental Compliance, Waste Management and Information Technology, we were recognized for our achievements in leadership in federal electronics stewardship during 2008.” The FEC Bronze Award was specifically received for Y‑12’s accomplishments in regard to the end-of-life management activities of electronics.
“These awards wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support from the many Y‑12 employees and organizations who help Sustainability and Stewardship achieve its mission,” Jackson said.