Survey shows business spending more time, money on environmental issues.A survey recently conducted by The American Institute of Plant Engineers (AIPE AIPE Asociación de Instituciones de Promoción y Educación (Bolivia)AIPE American Institute of Plant Engineers AIPE Accuracy in Parameter Estimation AIPE Asphyxia-Induced Pulmonary Edema ) revealed that a wide variety of U.S. businesses spent more time and money in 1992 dealing with environmental issues related to their operations. The survey also revealed that many of these businesses are realizing significant operational cost savings in the process of becoming more environmentally sensitive. A total of 113 responses were received from the survey of 500 randomly-selected AIPE members who are plant engineers or facilities engineers. Respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. included engineers representing a wide range of facilities, from large, multinational manufacturing corporations to smaller, service-oriented businesses such as medical centers or hotels. Almost 85 percent of respondents indicated that the amount of time their departments spent dealing with environmental issues increased during 1992, while only two percent of respondents said environmental issues took less of their time last year. Similarly, only two percent of respondents indicated that their budgets for dealing with environmental issues decreased in 1992. Almost 60 percent said their budgets increased from one to 30 percent. When survey respondents were asked to name which environmental issues received priority in 1992 their answers were split almost evenly among: reducing CFC CFC See: Controlled foreign corporation emissions; reducing energy consumption; reducing air and water pollution; and reducing the volume of solid wastes. Other priority projects mentioned included reducing and effectively dealing with hazardous wastes Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. and improving indoor air quality Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) deals with the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants. The IAQ may be compromised by microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), chemicals (such as carbon monoxide, radon), allergens, or any mass or energy stressor in facilities. When asked if their employers saved money during 1992 by becoming more environmentally sensitive, 19 percent indicated that $25,000-$100,000 was saved. Six percent responded that over $100,000 was saved, with one respondent In Equity practice, the party who answers a bill or other proceeding in equity. The party against whom an appeal or motion, an application for a court order, is instituted and who is required to answer in order to protect his or her interests. reporting $10 million in savings, while another indicated savings in the $1 to $3 million range. "The survey results suggest that American businesses invested more time and money on environmental issues during a year characterized char·ac·ter·ize tr.v. character·ized, character·iz·ing, character·iz·es 1. To describe the qualities or peculiarities of: characterized the warden as ruthless. 2. by significant corporate budget cutbacks. They discovered that becoming more environmentally sensitive is in their best interests and can actually have a positive impact on their bottom lines," says Michael J. Tillar, executive director, AIPE. "The results also made it clear that comprehensive recycling recycling, the process of recovering and reusing waste products—from household use, manufacturing, agriculture, and business—and thereby reducing their burden on the environment. programs usually save money if they are properly instituted." |
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