The small business pollution prevention (P2) loan program-conceived and promoted by MEC as part of the 1998 Clean Michigan Initiative (CMI) bond approved by voters-has now funded 17 loans totaling over $1.2 million as the program enters its third year of operation. Half of those loan monies come from the CMI Bond fund proceeds set aside for the loan program. Through a loan participation arrangement with the DEQ, banks provide the other half of the loan proceeds.

The program is designed to help small businesses with the initial investments needed to install processes or technologies or to upgrade practices to prevent pollution.

A wide variety of businesses have applied for loans, including dentists, metal finishers, agricultural operations, automotive firms, dry cleaners, an abrasives manufacturer, a plastics manufacturer and a printer. The diversity of applicants attests to the program's attraction to all business sectors.

The most recent loan applicant is Allegra Print & Imaging in Grand Rapids, which plans to install a computer-to-plate system. The company reports that the equipment will eliminate the need for negatives and metal plates and significantly reduce the need for the chemicals (from 280 gallons to 21 gallons per year) used with its old printing technology. The company estimates that changing to the newer technology will save it almost $10,000 per year, which translates to a three- to four-year payback for investment in that technology.

Alpha Plastics of St. Louis, Michigan has implemented a successful project with P2 loan proceeds. Alpha is a custom plastic profile extruder operating ten separate manufacturing lines and processing roughly two million pounds of plastic resin annually. Previously, Alpha's once-through cooling system utilized about 1.5 million gallons of water per month, which was filtered and discharged to a river. With the help of the loan program, Alpha was able to purchase and install an integrated computer-controlled, closed-loop water recycling system that dramatically reduced its water usage, eliminated wastewater discharges to the river and improved process, material and energy usage efficiencies. The improvements reduced water consumption by 90%, reduced electricity use by 10%, reduced solid waste from defective product (over 80,000 pounds) and eliminated the discharge to the river.

The P2 loan program provides an opportunity for small businesses interested in implementing pollution prevention to apply for loans of up to $100,000 at an interest rate of 5% or less. Any small business that employs 100 or fewer people, is independently owned or operated and not dominant in its field is eligible to apply for a P2 loan. Loans are available to all private business sectors, including manufacturing, farming, retail and service.

Persons interested in learning more about the low-interest loan program can contact Sharon Goble at (517) 241-8280 or by e-mail: gobles@ michigan.gov.

Environmental gains from the loan program

So far, some of the waste, water and energy reductions reported or estimated include:

Waste Reduction

• 735 cubic yards manure waste.
  
• 10,382 lbs perchloroethylene stillbottom waste.
  
• 84,800 lbs solid waste.

• Over 22 million gallons per year.

Energy Conservation

• 1,435,200 watts per year.
  
• 30% reduction natural gas.

Source Reduction

• 4,170 gallons/year of perchloroethylene (over 28 tons).
  
• 428 gallons/year of x-ray photo developing chemicals.
  
• Reduction of make-up plating chemicals.

The greatness of the lakes

Volume:

The Great Lakes contain six quadrillion gallons of fresh water, one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water (only the polar ice caps and Lake Baikal in Siberia contain more). Spread evenly across the continental U.S., the Great Lakes would submerge the country under about 9.5 feet of water.

Total area:

The Great Lakes include more than 94,000 square miles of water (larger than the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined, or about 23% of the province of Ontario).

Total coastline:

In the United States and Canada, there are 10,900 miles of coastline, including connecting channels, mainland and islands. Great Lakes shoreline is equal to almost 44% of the circumference of the earth, and Michigan's Great Lakes coast totals 3,288 miles, more coastline than any state but Alaska.

Source: Michigan Sea Grant.