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Pollution Prevention and Energy Efficiency: A Case Study for Engineering Extension Services in the Desert Southwest

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Conference

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Tampa, Florida

Publication Date

June 15, 2019

Start Date

June 15, 2019

End Date

June 19, 2019

Conference Session

Environmental Division Technical Session 4

Tagged Division

Environmental Engineering

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--33175

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/33175

Download Count

512

Paper Authors

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Jalal Rastegary New Mexico State University

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Patricia A. Sullivan New Mexico State University

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Patricia A. Sullivan serves as Associate Dean for Outreach and Recruitment in the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University. She received her PhD in industrial engineering and has over 34 years’ experience directing statewide engineering outreach services that include technical engineering business assistance, professional development, and educational outreach programs. She is co-PI for a National Science Foundation (NSF) INCLUDES pilot grant, co-PI for a NSF grant to broaden participation in STEM, and was a co-PI for an i6 Challenge grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). She is institutional integrator for the Partnership for the Advancement of Engineering Education (PACE) at NMSU, is University Affiliate Director for the NM Project Lead the Way program, and was co-lead for a NSF funded Pathways to Innovation cohort at NMSU. Currently, Patricia serves as a commissioner with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), and a member of the board of directors for Enchantment Land Certified Development Company (a program that certifies SBA 504 loans that foster economic development.) She has extensive experience in economic development particularly efforts that build on collaborative partnerships with business and industry, government agencies, and other stake-holders to enhance employment opportunities for engineering students.

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Christopher Campbell New Mexico State University, Engineering New Mexico Resource Network

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Mr. Campbell currently serves as Senior Program Manager at New Mexico State University’s Engineering New Mexico Resource Network in Albuquerque, NM where he manages statewide pollution prevention, energy efficiency and recycling outreach programs. The Network provides information on pollution prevention and energy efficiency for New Mexico businesses, communities and Tribes.

Chris has authored and managed seventeen EPA Pollution Prevention grants since 1999 (totaling over $2.9 million) providing outreach and training on rural and Borderland P2 issues. Chris implements on-site presentations and training for a variety of industrial sectors on pollution prevention, energy efficiency and Lean & Green manufacturing; he collaborates with State agencies and non-profits in promoting pollution prevention efforts throughout New Mexico and the region.

He co-instructs an on-line course on pollution prevention at NMSU and has contributed to waste minimization and environmental education efforts in India through US-AEP and the Council of State Governments. Chris received his BA degree at Columbia University and a Master’s at the University of Michigan. He served as a Senior Environmental Planner with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for 16 years before joining the U.S. Peace Corps in Hungary where he served as an environmental volunteer. Before joining the staff at NMSU, Chris initiated the Source Water Protection Program for the New Mexico Rural Water Association from 1997-1999.

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Abstract

As a land-grant institution, New Mexico State University (NMSU) has leveraged services offered through their engineering extension program under the Engineering New Mexico Resource Network (ENMRN) in the College of Engineering to foster environmentally sustainable Best Practices among businesses statewide. With services spanning northern New Mexico to west Texas, ENMRN has become a recognized leader in providing on-site technical services to businesses in the desert southwest that are seeking effective ways to implement Pollution Prevention (P2) and Economy, Energy and Environment (E3) Best Practices. Over the past year, business sectors such as healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing, have benefited from ENMRN’s on-site P2 and E3 assessments that guide businesses on strategies for reducing energy consumption and minimizing water use and waste. Conducted by a team of faculty and staff alongside graduate and undergraduate students from NMSU, these engineering extension outreach services not only increase the operational and financial efficiency of local industry, but also educates businesses on the impact they have on the environment. Through the assessment process, the NMSU team collects data, calculates energy savings, provides recommendations for energy efficient equipment, and prepares a final report for the business management team. The final report details recommendations for adopted Best Practices to decrease costs and environmental impact (waste), with detailed analyses on cost savings over the course of five to ten years. This paper will present a Case Study on a recent assessment that was completed at a medical center’s admissions department and food and nutrition services department where the following suggestions were offered: centralizing recycling bins for easier and daily pick-up, implementation of a food waste composting program, and installing energy efficient appliances and a solar energy source. Calculations showed that installing a solar system to power the food and nutrition department would save enough money to pay itself back within five years and would additionally save the medical center over $250,000 within ten years, assuming only the nutrition department ran on solar energy and their energy consumption constituted about 6% of the center’s total energy consumption. Analyses also considered having the entire hospital run on solar energy, finding that this system would pay itself back within five years and save the hospital an additional $5,000,000 within ten years.

Rastegary, J., & Sullivan, P. A., & Campbell, C. (2019, June), Pollution Prevention and Energy Efficiency: A Case Study for Engineering Extension Services in the Desert Southwest Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33175

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