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November 16, 2009                                                                              Laura Melrose or Fred Salisbury   (360) 674-2381

Port of Bremerton Airport/Industrial Park Earns EnviroStars Five-Star Rating

Bremerton (WA) –

The Port of Bremerton's airport and industrial park has earned a five-star rating in Kitsap County Health District’s EnviroStars program, becoming the first airport/industrial park to be recognized in the five-county EnviroStars region for its environmental stewardship practices.

The five-star rating is the highest level of certification in the EnviroStars program, which has certified more than 600 businesses since 1995 in Kitsap, King, Pierce, Jefferson and Whatcom counties for practices that reduce hazardous waste and encourage environmental sustainability,

Niels Nicolaisen, EnviroStars program coordinator, said, “No other airport or industrial park has even submitted itself for certification -- demonstrating the Port of Bremerton's leadership in support of the program and its values of protecting natural resources and contributing to healthier communities. Coming into the EnviroStars program at a 5-star level further illustrates the Port’s leadership on a variety of environmental issues.”

Previously, the Port had earned five-star ratings at both its Port Orchard and Bremerton marinas.

To earn certification for the airport and industrial park, operations of Bremerton National Airport and Olympic Park Industrial Park were evaluated by a specialist from the Kitsap County Health District. The Health District cited the Port for practices that include:

• Proper management and handling of hazardous wastes.
• Extensive training and preparation for possible hazardous waste spills.
• Reuse of waste oil to heat the airport and industrial park maintenance shop.
• An energy efficiency study now underway for the Port's airport terminal and administration building.
• Management and inventory control for chemicals and other potentially toxic supplies.

EnviroStars was designed to give government agencies and businesses incentives for reducing hazardous materials and waste, in order to protect public health, municipal systems, and the environment.

Program representatives work with applicants to evaluate and improve hazardous waste management practices that minimize environmental impact, and may also lead to a range of economic benefits.

EnviroStars provides the public with an easy way to identify and support businesses using environmentally responsible practices, based on an objective third party assessment.

The EnviroStars Program was honored with a Washington Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention & Sustainability. It has also received the prestigious Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Program award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, in Washington, D.C.

For information about EnviroStars in Kitsap County, contact Niels Nicolaisen at Kitsap County Health District, 360-337-5604, .