Wisconsin Green Tier Bavaria 2004 Delegation

by Jenna Kunde, Executive Director, WasteCap Wisconsin

I was given an amazing opportunity this Fall - to participate as part of a delegation to Germany and learn how they have become international leaders in balancing both business and environmental interests - a position Wisconsin is pursuing. This delegation was led by Senator Neil Kedzie, sponsor of the Green Tier Law, Secretary Scott Hassett of the DNR, and attended by leaders from the printing industry, the linear infrastructure industry and the building industry.

The trip helped me understand better the intent and the possibility of the Green Tier legislation. Instead of environmental regulators having to micromanage and provide enforcement just to maintain a minimum environmental standard (one which probably is not sustainable), it allows a vision of continually improved environmental performance by businesses, and a cooperation sometimes unknown to both the business community and DNR staff of working toward larger goals of moving toward a sustainable future.

I equate Green Tier to good management - in your work, you probably prefer to set goals and be left to achieve them and then report back on progress rather than be told which pen (read form) to use for which task with which paper on which day - time-consuming, unnecessary and leading to lots of complaints about "the boss." This is a system which allows good management on a larger scale - and if you don't achieve the goals you set out to achieve, you can be "fired."

What kinds of improvement does this lead to? My favorite moment of my trip: I stood on top of a green roof (required of all roofs with less than a 7% grade). The building under me was a bicycle rental shop and place where you could drop off your bicycle - because next to it was the hub of every possible form of public transportation which conveniently and cleanly took you to where you wanted to go. Surrounding me were solar panels, and in the distance were two high-rises that had been retrofitted with solar panels running along their entire side. In the distance were spinning wind mills.

For you recycling enthusiasts like me - it was inspiring. First, they do not have room for landfills. They have waste-to-energy plants. Their waste-to-energy plant operators were not pleased - they don't have enough waste to run at full capacity. Instead, they do an excellent job of reducing in the first place (although available, there's much less use of disposable items and packaging), reusing and then recycling. In businesses and from households, glass bottles are returned for reuse and only recycled if they can't be reused. Curbside separation includes not only cans and bottles and paper, but also organics (that which I saw was used for biogas and then compost). On construction sites they recycle as a regular course of business. Convenient, well-labeled recycling bins are on the street, in the train station, in the airport, in shopping areas - nearly everywhere you went. Manufacturers and suppliers, including computer manufacturers and suppliers, share in the responsibility for the end of life of their products.

Germany has created a culture and an opportunity for businesses that are good environmental stewards. We toured the businesses of builders, energy companies and others who make their living from environmental stewardship. This can be Wisconsin's future, and the intent of the Green Tier legislation is to take us in that direction. The Wisconsin DNR has already received four applications for Green Tier agreements. For more information on Green Tier, see the DNR web site at: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cea/environmental. For more information about our trip, including video from the trip and presentations, see http://www.greentierwi.info/index.asp.

WasteCap's trip was sponsored by American Transmission Corporation and we are grateful to them for providing us with the opportunity to be a part of this delegation.