Environmental Excellence Award

Community College of Rhode Island Recognized for Cutting Wastes

On May 9, 2001, the Community College of Rhode Island was chosen to receive a Narragansett Bay Commission 2000 Environmental Merit Award for its efforts to remove hazardous wastes from its sewage discharges and to properly dispose of other hazardous materials generated at its campuses in Warwick, Providence, and Lincoln.

Under the leadership of chemical-safety coordinator Emanuel G. Terezakis, the college trained faculty and laboratory personnel to collect excess silver from the school’s darkrooms and dental programs so it doesn’t go down drains and interfere with the sewage-treatment processes.

Heavy metal wastes, along with formaldehyde and organic solvents used in CCRI’s biology and chemistry labs, are collected in hazardous-waste storage areas. Even grease from kitchens is collected with special grease-recovery systems.