The Indiana Department of Environmental Management yesterday handed out the Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence to six recipients who were honored for extraordinary initiatives in protecting the environment. One of them was Columbus, Ohio-based power generation company Cummins.
“Our 2020 Governor’s Award winners have made great strides in improving Indiana’s environment,” said IDEM Commissioner Bruno Pigott. “By using innovative environmental practices, they have reduced waste, saved money, and contributed greatly to environmental protection efforts for Hoosiers.”
Cummins’ award came in the “Five-Year Continuous Improvement” category.
According to the IDEM, Cummins’ Engine Plant in Columbus, Ind., was recognized for its “Environmental Management System Projects.”
Cummins has implemented five environmentally beneficial projects at the facility as part of its environmental management system (EMS). The EMS projects include: an LED lighting upgrade in 2017; manufacturing controls project from 2017-2019; test cell process improvement projects from 2016-2019; zero waste to landfill initiative from 2017-2018; and Community Recycling Day held annually since 2010.
Some of the highlights from Cummins EMS projects include test cell process improvements which resulted in water usage reductions of 3.4 million gallons per year. The LED lighting upgrade resulted in a reduction of electricity usage of 82,247 kilowatt hours per month. As part of its Zero Waste-to-Landfill initiative, Cummins diverted 136,820 pounds of waste per year from the landfill. And the company’s Community Recycling Day, which is open to all Columbus residents, has diverted another 740,000 pounds of material from the landfill from 2015-2019.