Washington Headquarters Service desires to obtain LEED certification and requested SCS to provide technical services to improve their recycling rate.  The Pentagon currently recycles 30% of their 3,300 annual tons of solid waste.  The goal of this task was to improve recycling in order to meet an internal recycling goal of 50%, exceeding the Department of Defense (DoD) goal of 40%.  The work under this contract included a Waste Characterization Study and technical support to implement Recycling Program Improvements.  Tasks included:

• Two-season Waste Characterization Study.  Each season consists of waste sampling and sorting over a 10-day period.  Waste streams targeted included office waste, kitchen (food preparation) area waste, dining area waste, retail waste, and bulky items.
• Critical Review of Current Recycling Program Operations.  Describe and characterize the current recycling program, identify deficiencies, and offer suggestions for improvement.
• Recycling Promotional Activities.  Develop an inaugural Earth Day workshop to educate and promote recycling programs, design outreach materials (displays, posters, and tent cards), facilitate Green Team meetings, develop Pentagon recycling logo, and conduct a recycling slogan contest.
• Recycling Program Communication Tools.  Author articles for Pentagon newsletters and building circulars, prepare routine email messages and reminders on recycling and green practices, develop orientation brochure on recycling, and design recycling webpage. 
• Recycling Bin Placement and Signage.  Develop standardized recycling bin signage, correct placement and dispersion of recycling containers, and prepare map of recycling containers.

Deliverables include:

• Current Recycling Program Evaluation Report.
• Final Standardized Recycling Program.
  
• Recycling Handbook for Building Managers.
• Recycling Database to track all recycling data for reporting to county and state agencies.

SCS assisted Bechard & Associates in meeting the Materials & Resources credit in association with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Construction Waste Management section for the SmartCorner Project located in San Diego, California.  The project included commercial and retail uses and transportation services. 

SCS provided the following services:

• Preparation of Waste Management Plan.  SCS developed the Waste Management Plan for the project, highlighting recycling and salvage requirements, goals, and methods.  SCS prepared a materials estimate of the types and quantities of materials generated during project demolition and construction, and estimated the types and quantities of materials that potentially can be recycled or salvaged. 
  
• Development of Resource/Reuse Vendors and Facilities.  In order to facilitate the maximum amount of materials to be recycled and/or salvaged, SCS identified local facilities or vendors that would accept and/or collect specific materials, and provided a list of best-cost options for diverting the various recyclable and salvageable materials.

SCS provided project management, Phase I and Phase II oversight, and regulatory liaison for the San Diego Padres ballpark and ancillary development.  This $1 billion redevelopment project is the largest ever conducted in San Diego County, and is regarded by many in the industry to be a model of “smart growth” and urban infill development.  Our work began with a Phase I site assessment of 35 blocks within the redevelopment district.  The Phase I research revealed a history of commercial and industrial uses dating back to the late 1800s.  There were more than 100 underground storage tanks in the project area, for example.

Subsequently SCS conducted Phase II investigations, coordinated and reviewed work performed in the district by other environmental consultants, and acted as liaison and single point-of-contact for regulatory agencies.  We prepared a Master Workplan, including a project-wide health risk assessment, risk-based corrective action (RBCA) cleanup levels, a Community Health and Safety Plan for the Phase II investigations and remediation of releases of hazardous substances, and coordination of remediation activities with future demolition and construction plans.  The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) specifically requested that SCS remain the project manager for environmental issues through the completion of the proposed ballpark redevelopment project.

Specific project activities were as follows:

• Conducting Phase I site assessments of 35 city blocks, including providing recommendations by address and assessor’s parcel number for each block.
  
• Conducting additional Phase I work and Phase II investigations on 10 parcels while concurrently coordinating, reviewing, and approving Phase I and II investigations by other consultants.
  
• Preparing a Master Workplan, RBCA cleanup levels, and Community Health and Safety Plan for the project.
  
• Acting as liaison and single point-of-contact for regulatory agencies to provide a consistent evaluation of environmental conditions throughout the ballpark district.
  
• Assisting in community outreach, including helping the media with coverage of project activities and progress.

The East Village Redevelopment project received the prestigious Phoenix Award in 2005 as the outstanding Brownfields project in EPA Region IX.  In addition, the Urban Land Institute recognized the project as one of the outstanding smart growth projects in Southern California.

SCS was hired to perform several tasks at an old closed 55-acre landfill that was being redeveloped into a regional shopping center.  The landfill consisted mostly of vegetation and C&D debris and was approximately 55 feet thick.

The northern third of the landfill footprint also contained a sub-surface fire.  Site conditions included extensive areas of exposed waste debris, 1:1 side slopes and visible venting of smoke.

Initially, SCS personnel prepared the overall site H&S plans and performed full-time monitoring of all construction activities for five months, without any injuries.  SCS designed and constructed more than 300,000 square feet of sub-floor methane venting and control systems for the buildings.

SCS also installed fire probes to delineate the extent of the subsurface fire, monitored for carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, temperature and carbon dioxide, and then designed a method for controlling and extinguishing the fire.  The subsurface fire was effectively controlled by a series of carbon dioxide injections at injections wells spaced throughout the affected area.

SCS’s work was well coordinated and took place during the construction of the major buildings, installation of all underground utilities, roads, the dynamic deep compaction of building pads and traffic areas and the installation of thousands of steel piles for support of the largest buildings. 

The shopping center included formation of a unique Tax Assessment District to help finance remediation of the property.  Today, instead of an underutilized combination flea market and dump, the site is held out by Acworth and Cobb County as a leading example of smart growth, placing needed retail space and restaurants in an area already served by good transportation and other public infrastructure.  The public-private partnership extended to creation of a sports field complex in an area used as the source of soils for closure of the old dump.

Since 2002 SCS has been assisting General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) with implementing and maintaining its Environmental Management and Health and Safety Management Systems at facilities across the U.S. and in Canada.  Corporate General Dynamics is dedicated to having all its business units continually improve their environmental performance, thus leading to improved sustainability practices.  SCS has led 12 GD-OTS facilities through design, implementation, and registration of ISO 14001 conforming management systems and currently is working with five additional GD-OTS facilities to assist in implementing their management systems.  SCS has deployed a team of trained sustainability professionals to provide this assistance.

Specific services performed by SCS include awareness training of upper management and key personnel responsible for improving environmental performance, auditing of environmental systems components within the GD-OTS facilities, internal auditor training, assistance with third-party registration audit response and corrective actions, and on-going consultation on continual improvement.  At all the GD-OTS facilities, SCS has guided development of procedures that result in objectives and targets to reduce environmental impacts, with a key issue being reduction of natural resource depletion.

SCS has provided EMS services to a wide range of other clients since 1996.  Rather than describe all these services, the following table lists and summaries the services performed.  In nearly all cases, SCS has either trained organizations or directly assisted organizations in developing processes that reduce the depletion of natural resources by the organization.