Each year, Illinois EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention recruits upper-level university students to work on both pollution prevention (P2) and energy efficiency (E2) projects during the summer. While students have been placed primarily at manufacturing facilities, they have also worked at small business development centers, trade associations, local government facilities, environmental groups and military installations. The purpose of the program is to help facilities identify, research and pilot P2 technologies and practices. In the area of E2, companies can realize overhead cost savings due to increased energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Michael Simpkins
Water conservation\Reduction
BASF Corporation, Kankakee, IL
Chemical Engineer – University of Missouri, Columbia, MO; expected graduation is May 2016
Lucas Roat
Zero Waste; Cradle-to-Cradle Packaging
Clarke Mosquito Control Products, Inc. – St. Charles, IL
M.S. Environmental Engineering – IIT, Chicago; Expected graduation is December 2015
Kyle Berkhof
Greenhouse gas inventory; High efficiency vehicle survey with Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN)
IGEN – College of Lake County; Grayslake, IL
Mechanical Engineer – NIU, DeKalb; Expected graduation is May 2017
Taylor Gawthorp
Water reduction; Billion Gallon Water Challenge
Moraine Valley CC – Palos Hills, IL
Mechanical Engineer – Bradley University, Peoria; Expected graduation is May 2016
Keith Cordero
Material & Energy Balance; closing waste loops
Plant Chicago – Chicago, IL (formerly known as Back of the Yards neighborhood)
Mechanical Engineer – IIT, Chicago; Expected graduation is May 2015
Allan Tucker
Cardboard Recycling, net zero waste
University of Illinois at Chicago, Sustainability Office – Chicago, IL
Chemical Engineering – University of Illinois at Chicago; Expected graduation is May 2016