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Formal Title
Wisconsin Compliance and Enforcement Reporting Project for Community-Based Environmental Protection
Short Title
Rock River 2000 Demonstration Project
Funding
USEPA-OECA, with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Contractor
University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension; Promoting Agriculture and Business Competitiveness and a Sustainable Environment Issue Team.
Goal
To improve the level of compliance with environmental regulations through public education, to increase awareness about environmental sustainability.
Area
The communities within the Rock River watershed (Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson & Rock counties)
Duration
June 1997 - June 2000
UWEX Staff
David S. Liebl, Issue Team Coordinator
Michelle Miller, Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator
Basis for the Project
Research conducted by the UWEX Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center and the WI-DNR Office of Management and Budget indicate that substantial numbers of Wisconsin businesses may be substantially out of compliance with environmental regulation. A comparison between the known businesses in Rock and Sheboygan Counties that report their environmentally related activities to WI-DNR, with similar known businesses in those counties that have not reported any environmentally related activities to WI-DNR, suggests that 50 percent of companies in any county may be substantially out of compliance with environmental regulation.
This project will expand the scope of this analytical approach to the entire Rock River watershed, verify the validity of the assumptions made in the analytical approach, and demonstrate community-based methods for promoting voluntary compliance with environmental regulations.
Project Deliverables
Community Education
Broad-based community education on environmental values will educate adults and children to the need to protect the environment. Specific environmental outreach programs (for example: Farm-A-Syst, Home-A-Syst) will help the agricultural and residential populations understand how regulatory compliance applies to them and how such compliance can be achieved. Existing community environmental programs such as solid waste recycling will be reviewed and enhanced where possible to achieve Integrated Solid Waste Management. Other waste reduction related programming available to agriculture business and individuals also will be provided in the demonstration area. The goal of these programs is to provide a uniform awareness in the community of the need for environmental compliance and means for coming into compliance. This awareness will then be applied to the candidate manufactures to encourage them to come into compliance.
Joint Work with DNR: Small Business Initiative
Working with DNR Sector Specialists and compliance assistance personnel, UW-Extension will provide specific training for business sectors on environmental regulation and compliance. Using the existing resources of the Small Business Development Centers and the newly developed Small Business Guide for Pollution Prevention, small businesses in the demonstration area will be provided with information and education so that they become aware of their environmental compliance responsibilities and how compliance can be achieved.
Joint Work with DNR: Training Firms
Working with the DNR, UW-Extension will provide training to industries in the demonstration area. This training will take the form of seminars, workshops, and industrial assessments and will be promoted by the compliance assistance program of the DNR. These training sessions will be developed in cooperation with the WI-Clean Air Act Small Business Assistance Program and the WI-Manufacturing Extension Partnership to ensure maximum effectiveness in this project area.
Develop New Approaches for Community Based Environmental Protection
In addition to coordinating and focusing existing services and resources, this project will develop new and innovative approaches to providing community based environmental compliance programs. UW-Extension will work with community leaders and volunteer groups such as Chambers of Commerce to develop ongoing community environmental programs for business. These programs will train and encourage merchants and other small businesses to evaluate the environmental performance of their businesses, to achieve the maximum attainable level of environmental awareness and to mentor other businesses on environmentally responsible business activities. Organizations in the project area that have an interest in improving the sustainability of their communities will be identified. Organizations so identified will be educated to improve their effectiveness and their ability to work with other similar organizations in the project area.
Evaluation of Outcomes
Limited testing of potentially successful methods will be done to determine which engender the strongest support and community acceptance of this effort, which improve community-based environmental protection most effectively. UW-Extension will work closely with the DNR to develop and implement a means for evaluating the outcomes of this project. Pre- and post-activity surveys will be used to measure changes attitude and behavior. Correlations will be drawn to illustrate the impact on educational programs, based on the level of compliance with environmental regulations in the project area. Working with the DNR, UW-Extension will draft reports that describe the outcomes of this project in terms that will assist other states in adopting similar practices based upon this effort.
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