WELCOME
Greeting from Junta de Calidad Ambiental & Autoridad de Desperdicios Solidos (Environmental Quality Board & Solid Waste Management Authority)

Speakers:
Pedro J. Nieves Miranda, President, Junta de Calidad Ambiental
Antonio Rios, Special Assistant to the Executive Director, Autoridad de Desperdicios Solidos

OPENING REMARKS
State of the Puerto Rico Environment

Speaker:
Carl Axel Soderberg, Director, Caribbean Environmental Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 - View Presentation [PDF]

INDUSTRY PANEL
How can Pollution Prevention & Sustainable Business Strategies Create Economic Value for Companies While Improving the Environment?

Hospitality Industry Panelists:
Ada Torres-Ramirez, President, BusinessWise & Conservation Committee Chair, Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association - View Presentation [PDF]
Juan Lopez, Tropical Inns Puerto Rico - View Presentation [PDF]

Manufacturing Industry Panelists:
Juan Forteza, President of the Environmental Work Team, Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association
Jose Torres, Engineering Manager, Baxter

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 1

Track A: Making the Business Case for Green Hospitality
Translating sustainability initiatives in hospitality into economic value for a company is affected by a number of factors. Understanding green travel trends as they relate to consumer choice and speaking to consumers' needs is key. Also, being able to effectively measure environmental outcomes, translate them into dollars and cents, and communicate results to the public is crucial to being able to differentiate your business in the marketplace. This session will provide information on market research regarding consumer choices and green travel trends.
Moderator:
Joe Bergstein, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2

Speakers:
Ada Torres-Ramirez, BusinessWise / Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association - View Presentation [PDF]
Joyce Martínez-Roldán, Roldán Consulting - View Presentation [PDF]
Eddie Ramirez, Caribe Hilton Hotel - View Presentation [PDF]

Track B: P2 Planning and Environmental Excellence in Puerto Rico
This session will include lessons learned under the Puerto Rico’s P2 Planning Law including any priority chemicals that should be targeted for reductions.  Also included in the session will be case study presentations from PRMA award winners for Excellence in Environmental Performance and Environmental Leadership, highlighting elements of their overall environmental programs.
Moderator:
Geannette Siberon, G. Siberon PE & Associates / PRMA Environmental Work Team

Speakers:
Brenda Gonzalez, Pollution Prevention Program, Autoridad de Desperdicios Solidos - View Presentation [PDF]
Evet Vera, Environmental Manager, Baxter - View Presentation [PDF]
Jose Arroyo Rivera, Safety Officer and Energy Manager, Baxter
Hector Macias, EHS Manager, Pfizer - View Presentation [PDF]

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 2

Track A: How to Establish & Expand a Sustainable Lodging Program
This session will focus on common elements of successful sustainable lodging programs.  It will also include instructions for performing a site assessment and identifying opportunities for measuring success.
Moderator:
Ada Torres-Ramirez, BusinessWise / Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association

Speakers:
Jeff Sama, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - View Presentation [PDF]
Peter Cooke, Maine Department of Environmental Protection - View Presentation [PDF]
Juan Lopez, Tropical Inns Puerto Rico - View Presentation [PDF]

Track B: Environmental Management Accounting in Practice
This session will provide an overview of Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) as well as a demonstration of a software tool designed to help facilities track material flows through their process. The session will conclude with a demonstration of an online materials exchange to help promote the reuse of materials and the diversion of these materials from the solid waste stream. 
Moderator:
Brenda Reyes Tomassini, U.S. EPA - Caribbean Environmental Protection Division

Speakers:
Kris Pierre, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OPPT Pollution Prevention Division, Green Suppliers Network - View Presentation [PDF]
Terri Goldberg, Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association - View Presentation [PDF]
Vivian Guzman, Autoridad de Desperdicios Solidos - View Presentation [PDF]

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 3

Track A: Water Conservation Strategies for the Hospitality Industry
This session will provide information on water conservation strategies for hotels, including implementing a towel/linen reuse program, upgrading to water-conserving fixtures, and using water conserving landscape and irrigation practices.  Information about potential funding, rebate programs, incentives, and tax credits will also be shared.
Moderator:
Walter Schoepf, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2

Speakers:
Dan Cook, Conservation Solutions Corp.
Jeff Lebedin, AquaRecycle - View Presentation [PDF]

Track B: Practical Applications of Green Engineering/ Definition of Solid Waste & Solvent Recovery PART 1
In the world of industrial materials, the importance of capitalizing on their intrinsic value is often underrated. The environmental co-benefits of doing so are likewise understudied. This session will share new economic and environmental models making the case for extending the useful life of materials used in Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical industry. EPA will demonstrate its decision support tool and will focus on three streams exported as hazardous waste. EPA will show several alternate process scenarios, some under current RCRA regulations, and some under EPA’s revised Definition of Solid Waste rule, and will quantify their projected financial and environmental benefits.  EPA is working to link this decision support tool to its measurement tools that support grant and other funding awards.
Moderator:
Andy Bray, Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association

Speakers:
Sharon Austin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Chemical Engineering Branch - View Presentation [PDF]
Kathy Davey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Pollution Prevention Division
Nhan Nguyen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Chemical Engineering Branch

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 4

Track A: Energy Efficiency for the Hospitality Industry
This session will provide practical information on energy management for hotels, including low cost / no cost energy conservation measures, and information about how to benchmark energy use using EnergyStar Portfolio Manager. Presentations will include examples of successful energy management programs at hotels, and a discussion of the special challenges for Caribbean hotels, return on investment of major energy improvements, and long term success.
Moderator:
Terri Goldberg, Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association

Speakers:
Joe Bergstein, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 - View Presentation [PDF]
Richard Lubinski, Think Energy Management, LLC - View Presentation [PDF]
Alexis J. Miranda-Ramirez, Energy Affairs Administration, Public Policy & Research Department

Track B: Practical Applications of Green Engineering/ Definition of Solid Waste & Solvent Recovery PART 2
This session is a continuation of Session 3 Track B. It is designed to be a panel discussion focused on the new Definition of Solid Waste.  Brief presentations will be made by EPA and a State that has adopted the new definition to provide background on regulatory aspects and programmatic implications.  This will be followed by a facilitated discussion between panelists, local authorities, and industry.
Moderator:
Andy Bray, Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association

Panelists:
Amanda Geldard, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Recycling and Generator Branch
Mike Hastry, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Nhan Nguyen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Chemical Engineering Branch
Carlos J. Fernandez Lugo, McConnell Valdes LLC and PRMA-member
Pedro J. Nieves Miranda, President, Junta de Calidad Ambiental

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 5

Track A: Source/Waste Reduction for the Hospitality Industry
This session will begin with an overview of Puerto Rico’s Local Recycling Planning Law and will include a case study of a company that has submitted a successful recycling plan.  A case study of a facility that has implemented a zero waste plan will also be presented.
Moderator:
Carolina Morales Gonzalez, Puerto Rico Tourism Company

Speakers:
Noemi Paulino, Environmental Educator, Autoridad de Desperdicios Solidos - View Presentation [PDF]
Cristina Algaze, U.S. Green Building Council - View Presentation [PDF]
Andy Bray, Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association

Track B: Lean & the Environment
This session will provide an overview of lean manufacturing, including information about leaning environmental operations and identifying opportunities for incorporating green into lean.
Moderator:
Rachel Smith, Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association 

Speakers:
Paul Lockwood, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services - View Presentation [PDF]
Rafael Pagan, Puerto Rico Manufacturing Extension (PRiMEX) - View Presentation [PDF]
Erick Garcia, Pfizer - View Presentation [PDF]

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 6

Track A: Organics Management & Composting
The challenges surrounding solid waste capacity in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands require creative solutions. Focusing on individual waste streams and engaging all relevant stakeholders to help define the issues and brainstorm solutions is an effective means of crafting solutions that work. This session will provide a forum for such a dialogue around organics management in the hospitality sector. The panel will include brief presentations on efforts in other localities as well as existing local infrastructure in place to support organics diversion and composting. The presentations will be followed by a facilitated discussion to further define local barriers and explore the possibility of setting up a local composting program and collection route.
Moderator:
Linda Barfield, Puerto Rico Tourism Board

Panelists:
John Connolly, JFConnolly & Associates - View Presentation [PDF]
Reed Hepperly, Hepperly Enterprises - View Presentation [PDF]

Speakers:
Bill Orthwein, U.S. Department of Energy - View Presentation [PDF]
Jan Maduro, Energy Affairs Administration - View Presentation [PDF]