State and Local Climate and Energy Program
Integrating ME3 and BPS to Reduce GHG Emissions and Landfill Disposal While Conserving Energy and Materials
Columbus, Ohio (Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, Ross and Union Counties, Ohio)
Federal Funding: $498,824
Project Timeline: February 2011 – January 2014
Latest Update
Companies are lining up to support the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s (MORPC) ME3 (Economy, Energy, and Environment) program. MORPC continues to work with Duke Energy and help coordinate ME3 participation agreements, scheduling of services, and communications with Duke’s customers. Duke is providing incentives and assistance for qualified customers receiving on-site energy assessments. MORPC has enlisted seven participating companies to date, and has established a partnership with Magnet, a company that provides E3 assessment services in northeast Ohio. Six of the seven participating companies have completed energy assessments, and three are undergoing lean and green assessment services, which include a three-day site visit. Final reports have also been completed for three companies. MORPC continues to reach out to companies throughout the region to identify potential candidates for ME3. Future work involves continuing company recruitment using their new E3 video 
, improving and conducting energy assessments for participating businesses, coordinating with participating companies who have results to share, and completing and delivering E3 assessments for all currently participating companies.
Project Summary
Combining Programs to Multiply Benefits
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) is integrating two previously independent initiatives, the national Economy, Energy and Environment (ME3) program with the Ohio By-Product Synergy (BPS) Network. Linking these two initiatives will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and landfill waste, while also saving energy.
ME3 is a coordinated federal and local initiative designed to help communities work with their manufacturing base to improve sustainability. ME3 provides manufacturers with customized hands-on assessments of internal production processes in order to identify opportunities for improvements. The Ohio BPS Network matches under-valued by-product streams with potential users, creates new revenues and savings for the organizations involved, while simultaneously addressing social and environmental impacts. This generates revenue while reducing both virgin material and energy consumption, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Internal operations (ME3) and external material flows (BPS) are usually investigated separately, meaning environmentally beneficial opportunities are often overlooked. Coordination and joint operation of an ME3 and BPS program reveal these opportunities, and attract more participants by offering “one-stop shopping” for sustainability evaluation and assistance.
MORPC is recruiting 25 companies to participate in both the national ME3 program and the Ohio BPS Network. The ME3 reviews are combined with the BPS synergy assessment, and participating companies become members of the BPS Network. Participants receive an assessment of their operations, feedstock needs, and waste streams, as well as guidance on actions to achieve cost-effective reductions in energy usage, material consumption, and waste disposal. Wherever feasible, participants are urged to acquire recycled feedstock materials from other members of the BPS Network. Participants are also providing or selling waste streams as feedstock to other members of the Network.
MORPC will educate other communities on the benefits of this initiative by producing a manual to motivate other communities to adopt and integrate ME3 and BPS networks.
The coupling of the ME3 and Ohio BPS initiatives will result in numerous benefits. By adopting new projects that increase energy efficiency and/or substitute wastes for virgin feedstock, businesses reduce greenhouse gas emissions; reduce operational costs for energy, material acquisition, and waste disposal; reduce energy consumption; reduce demand for virgin production materials; divert waste from landfills; reduce manufacturing costs; create jobs; and promote local economic development.
Community Characteristics
| Population | 1,986,829 |
|---|---|
| Area | 6,010 square miles |
| Government Type | Regional |
| Community Type | Rural, Urban, Suburban |
| Median Household Income | $40,249 to $85,054 |
Program Results
| Reported Results (as of September 2012) | Projected Cumulative Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual GHG Reductions | 15,486 mt CO2e | 60,000 mt CO2e |
| Businesses Involved in Program | 7 | 12 |
| Landfill Material Diverted, Annually | n/a | (60,000 mt) 5,000 mt per business |
Project Websites
- ME3 program website
- E3 Project Spotlight: Columbus, Ohio
- Ohio By-Product Synergy Network, ME3 program