September 4, 2013 - Norfolk, Va. – Officials at Roanoke Cement Company are thrilled to announce that last week RCC was accepted as an Exemplary Environmental Enterprise (E3) participant in the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP) through the Department of Environmental Quality.
During an extensive tour of Roanoke Cement Company's (RCC) main campus last week, the Commonwealth's DEQ Director, David Paylor, formally recognized the plant as an Exemplary Environmental Enterprise within the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP). VEEP was established to encourage superior environmental performance by encouraging facilities and organizations within the Commonwealth - that have strong, established environmental records - to go above and beyond what is environmentally required by regulations, and establish even better benchmarks of performance.
The Virginia Environmental Excellence Program was established to encourage superior environmental performance. VEEP drives environmental excellence by encouraging facilities and organizations within the Commonwealth that have strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal requirements.
VEEP was established in 2000 and RCC was "accepted" as its initial cement producing facility. The facility-based track promotes the use of environmental management systems (EMS) and pollution prevention and serves to help organizations minimize the affect of their operations on the environment.
The DEQ recommends that an EMS model consider the three pillars of sustainability: social, environmental and economic, and emphasize a
continuous improvement philosophy. RCC has implemented "Envirolis," an EMS system that ensures all regulatory requirements are met on time. The certification included several audits and visits to the site by the DEQ, including a full day with DEQ's Pollution Prevention team touring and auditing the facility in June.
The certification as an Exemplary Environmental Enterprise by the Virginia DEQ is the latest in environmental recognition for RCC. This year was the seventh consecutive year the U.S. E.P.A. awarded RCC an Energy Star. For the second year in a row, the Troutville plant was the winner of Portland Cement Association's Cement Industry Energy and Environment "Outreach" Award. The Wildlife Habitat Council also certified the site.