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Staker Parson Boosts Environmental Awareness and Efficiencyby ADAM MADISON AN AWARDING EXPERIENCEStaker & Parson has a philosophy when it comes to environmentalism. It's efficiency with a green paint job, which translates into bigger profits. "If you improve the efficiency of a process, you are going to save, A: money and B: automatically gain environmental improvements," says Staker & Parson Environmental Advisor Patrick Clark. "Environmental improvements make good business sense." Even minor adjustments can go a long way with large-scale operations such as Staker & Parson. The Oldcastle Materials company says it is the largest construction materials supplier in the Intermountain West. It encompasses sand and gravel, quarry, ready-mixed concrete and asphalt operations in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada. In 2007, the company was recognized by the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association with three gold-level and two silverlevel Environmental Excellence Awards. Most were for operation adjustments that translated into big energy reductions. SAVE ENERGY, MONEY The prime example is the Beck Street Quarry in Salt Lake City. This operation, which produces about 2 million tpy, now operates without diesel-chugging haul trucks. Two were replaced with 3,100 feet of electric conveyor, saving $300,000 in fuel costs (at $4.00 per gallon) and reducing road and combustion emissions by nearly 25 tpy. The conveyor was manufactured by Continental Conveyor and was installed by Staker and Parson. The Brigham North Operation in Brigham City, Utah, earned gold-level status with a state-of-the-art loadout system built from three bins and hoppers recycled from an asphalt operation. The truck drivers, guided by traffic signals, position their trucks onto the scale and under the bins. A swipe card is used to communicate with the scale system, and the ticket is delivered to the driver through a pneumatic system similar to a bank's drive-thru. There are many benefits to this system. First, there are fuel and man-hour savings earned by replacing a pit loader. And less time is spent idling as drivers no longer have to wait at stockpiles. More importantly, particulate matter has been reduced by 26% and overall emissions have been reduced by 68%. Staker & Parson also cut emissions miles away by consuming less energy from the power plants. Clark says, wherever possible, the company installs variable-speed motors for crushing and screening. Going electric reduces pollution, but the high-efficiency motors also save money. At just one site, the company saved 129,000 kilowatts in one year, which added up to $13,000, Clark says. VISUALLY APPEALING Not all of Staker & Parson's efforts are energy related. Clark says the Brigham North facility recently invested in beautifying the perimeter of the facilities. Using scalped overburden, the company built a berm around the operation, measuring 20 feet high and 3,500 feet long. It is landscaped with crested wheat grass that grows to one foot and never needs to be cut; so it is not a maintenance cost or environmental issue because there are no gas-powered mowers. The berm changes the residents' perspective of the quarry and reduces their exposure to dust and ambient noise levels. Dust is well under control at the South Weber Operation in South Weber, Utah, Clark says. This operation raked in the third gold-level award from the NSSGA. Big Gun water cannons spray more than 200 feet and cover the active mine sites and stockpiled concrete used for recycling. The manually operated cannons are supplemented with a water truck for hard-to-reach areas. Cannons were supplied by Nelson Irrigation. AWARDS TO THE VICTORS Additional silver-level awards were achieved by Staker & Parson's Keigley Quarry in Genola, Utah, and Maguire Operation in Willard, Utah. Launched in 1992, The Environmental Excellence Awards program was created to provide national recognition for producers that meet and exceed technical, environmental and regulatory requirements. Following the NSSGA recognitions, Staker & Parson realized the benefits of award programs and has since created its own. In 2007, the company introduced The Presidents Award for Environmental Sustainability as part of its environmental management system. It incorporates the entire gamut of its operations including asphalt and concrete. The operations are rated based on their compliance with air-quality regulations, water-quality regulations, spill prevention control, counter measure regulations and aesthetic improvements. This program helps the company rank plants as well as managers and operators. What's more, it publicly recognizes the employees that are doing the job right. As a result, each operation is now vying to be the best plant in the company, Clark says. "It basically took the environmental audit results from just a piece of paper to an actual score system," Clark says. "It really made people take notice to where we are at as a company and how individual plants compare to other plants in the company." SUSTAINABLE PROFIT Industries increasingly are creating environmental initiatives that reduce energy consumption, increase profits or simply maintain positive community relations. The aggregates industry is a leading example. |
The landscaped entrance at the Brigham North Operation incorporates an employee picnic area and storm-water management structure.
The Brigham North Operation won a gold-level Environmental Excellence Award for itsemissions reductions achieved by replacing a pit loader with this automated loadout system.
Former NSSGA Chairman Louis Griesemer presents S&P's Paul Glauser, vice president environmental affairs & human resources; Patrick Clark, regional environmental advisor; and Mike Dalley, regional environmental advisor with an Environmental Excellence Award (left to right).
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