Gov. Blunt Highlights State's Recycling Efforts, Recognizes 2008 State Recycling Award Winners

Missouri Department of Revenue Press Release JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Matt Blunt congratulated the Missouri Department of Revenue and state employee Melanie Carden-Jessen who were awarded the 2008 State Recycling Award for their outstanding contributions in the areas of recycling collection, waste reduction, and recycled content procurement. "I believe strongly that we have a moral responsibility to care for the resources with which our state has been blessed and have worked diligently to ensure the State of Missouri is a careful steward of our environment," Gov. Blunt said. "I congratulate Melanie Carden-Jessen and the dedicated officials in my administration for their commitment to recycling and limiting the state's impact on our natural treasures."   Agency Award Gov. Blunt recognizes the Missouri Department of Revenue with the Missouri State Recycling Program's 2008 agency award.  Over the past five years the department has recycled more than 3.6 million pounds of paper while ensuring that confidential information is transported and destroyed under strict security.  The department's efforts assured an average of 734,000 lbs. (367 tons) or 18 truckloads each year are recycled instead of thrown away. The department contracts with a company that ultimately uses recycled paper to manufacture bathroom tissues and paper towels.  In this innovative agreement, the company pays the department for the hundreds of thousands of pounds of paper, generating about $10,000 annually for the State Recycling Fund.  Recognizing the Department of Revenue's innovative approach to document destruction services, the Secretary of State's Records Management Program modeled a contract after the successful program. The department program safeguards confidential information through several checks and balances.  Their staff loads the pallets of confidential records onto a semi trailer and attach a cable sealed lock to the trailer.  Security personnel at the paper mill inspect the trailer to make sure the seal is intact upon arrival and that the seal number matches that which is noted on the shipper's original Bill of Lading.  The paper mill keeps the confidential records in a locked and secured location at all times prior to pulping and must pulp all confidential records within 24 hours of receipt of the records.  The paper mill then issues a Certificate of Destruction.  The pulping process involves rewetting the paper product with a mixture of bleach followed by separation and removal of inks, adhesives, and other contaminants. Employee Award Gov. Blunt recognizes Melanie Carden-Jessen with the Missouri State Recycling Program's 2008 award for her outstanding contributions in the areas of recycling collection, waste reduction, and recycled content procurement.   Ms. Carden-Jessen works for the Missouri Department of Conservation as the education center manager at Twin Pines Conservation Education Center.  Recycling programs Ms. Carden-Jessen implemented impact just about every facet of the facility's operation. Here are some highlights: Her recycling efforts include using bathroom tissue rolls for bird feeders, plastic milk jugs for hand washing stations, cornstarch 'packing peanuts' for craft materials, yogurt containers for fishing worms at kids fishing clinics and old PVC pipe for bird houses and dough rollers, just to name a few. Ms. Carden-Jessen has been vigilant about purchasing recycled products when ordering supplies.  For instance, the snake cages use recycled newspaper pellets, pencils are made from recycled materials, even bright color paper and cardstock which have 30 percent recycled content are chosen from the list of supplies available. Gov. Blunt has been instrumental in identifying and employing the use of alternative energy sources in Missouri.  His proactive solutions to save energy and protect the environment are both reducing energy use and have the potential to save taxpayers nearly $16 million in energy costs.  Initiatives include a range of projects from centralizing and monitoring statewide energy consumption to changing laundry operations at prisons. Most recently, Gov. Blunt signed an executive order that will both protect the environment and promote Missouri tourism.  The governor's order calls for a new program that will recognize and certify hotel and lodging facilities in Missouri that work to protect the environment. In August Gov. Blunt visited the South Central Correctional Center where new biomass boilers are supplying heat and hot water requirements. The boilers use a renewable fuel as the primary heat source, instead of propane. In addition to improving energy efficiency, the new biomass project will result in an estimated $450,000 in annual energy cost savings. Late this summer, Gov. Blunt announced Missouri's application was selected to take part in the Greening the State Capitols Initiative.  The national initiative supported an energy audit to help build on the governor's efforts to save taxpayer dollars and make state government more energy efficient and environmentally-friendly.  The audit reviewed energy usage in three state buildings and made recommendations for energy improvements.   Gov. Blunt also called for and signed legislation enacting the "Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday" to encourage Missourians to consider environmentally responsible products and reward their choice by making them sales-tax free for one week every year.  Missouri is only the fourth state to enact an environmentally-friendly sales tax holiday joining Connecticut, Florida and Virginia. Last year the governor announced a partnership to create renewable energy and heat using byproducts from the Jefferson City Landfill.  Methane gas from the landfill is converted to electricity, and the heat created by conversion facilities is used to heat water for the state prison. The project uses resources that would otherwise have been wasted while at the same time producing benefits for the environment, the state, the prison and local communities. Last summer the governor signed the Green Power Initiative. The Initiative has been heralded as the most important environmental legislation passed by the state in more than a decade. It decreases pollution from energy production by encouraging an increase in the use of renewable energy sources such as wind, hydroelectricity, solar power, hydrogen and biomass. The legislation sets targets for utilities to meet: a four percent renewable energy target by 2012, eight percent by 2015 and 11 percent by 2020. The legislation also requires the Office of Administration to ensure that at least 70 percent of the new vehicles purchased for the state fleet are flex fuel and allows municipal landfills to accept yard waste in order to create bio-reactors which produce methane gas for use in energy production. Gov. Blunt has been a dedicated supporter of renewable fuels in our state.  The governor fulfilled a promise he made to Missourians when he signed legislation in 2006 requiring all gasoline offered for sale in Missouri to contain 10 percent ethanol (E-10).  Ethanol is a cleaner burning alternative to petroleum-based gasoline and is more efficient to produce.  It contains more oxygen, which results in better combustion and fewer carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carcinogenic emissions. Missouri is also home to the only state building in the nation with a platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. ### -- http://MissouriNetizen.com http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.missourinetizen.com