The Ontario Government is building an information infrastructure to promote innovation and support the growth and development of entrepreneurs who are commercializing and adopting new technologies. Regional Innovation Networks (RINs) have been established to serve as the foundation of the knowledge, technology transfer and commercialization strategy. Multi-regional commercialization strategies will focus on key technology areas or industry sectors such as medical devices, bio-products, IT and environmental technologies.

With support from Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, OCETA undertook a study of the Ontario Environmental industry. It includes private companies, public research institutions, economic development offices and government funding programs. The information is organized geographically around the RINs established by the Ministry of Research and Innovation to "support partnerships among business, institutions and local governments to promote innovation." It is hoped that these documents will assist innovators in finding the necessary support and partners to bring their ideas to the marketplace.

The reports cover five primary environmental sectors: Air, Water and Wastewater, Waste and Soil Remediation, Climate Change (alternative energy, energy efficiency, biofuels), and Environmental Monitoring Systems and include information on private sector companies, university and college research groups, public sector research institutions, economic development corporations and venture capital and angel investors.

These reports are meant to be dynamic documents and will be updated regularly. We would greatly appreciate any feedback on the reports to help make them as user-friendly and comprehensive as possible. This may include comments on the structure of the reports as well as information regarding companies or programs that are either not included, or are included but are no longer in existence.

Visit www.oceta.on.ca/OEIA.htm to view the reports and please send any comments or input to jmullin@oceta.on.ca.

The Ontario Minister of the Environment, Laurel Broten, recently stated that her #1 environmental resolution for 2007 would be to see a reduction in consumer packaging, which is seen as a waste of non-renewable resources and a considerable burden on landfills. One solution, aimed at helping solve this issue, has been developed by Macro-Systems Packaging, Ltd. of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The company has developed STRAPT-PAK®, an innovative packaging system for the food and household chemical industry. STRAPT-PAK® is a patented, multi-pack shipping and display system intended for consumer products sold in, but not limited to, glass, plastic, paperboard and metal containers. This system uses primary packaging containers and packaging components in innovative combinations to create an integrated monolithic structural package which, because of underlying design principles, requires less packaging material (i.e., corrugated cardboard or "corrugate"). The technology can impact all multi-pack packaging applications and it reduces raw material components without diminishing package integrity. This is an example of Reduced Format Transit Packaging® which has measurable economic and ecological benefits at every level of the value chain.

STRAPT-PAK® eliminates a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions and water usage associated with corrugated box production. The premise is simple and the effect is direct – STRAPT-PAK® reduces the demand for packaging materials by 40 – 60 %. Ancillary benefits include forest preservation, reduced transportation costs, fuels savings and lower waste management costs for municipalities. Based on a life cycle analysis of corrugate production and usage, undertaken by OCETA, STRAPT-PAK® eliminates over 3 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, 600 kg of solid waste and 17,000 litres of effluent for every tonne of corrugate taken out of the system. The configuration of STRAPT-PAK® corrugate will also facilitate handling by the retailer and encourage more effective recycling. The design results in an uncontaminated material stream, using a single material strap and corrugate flat sections, without extensive gluing.

STRAPT-PAK® is being rolled out as a 'Made in Canada' initiative that will define Canada's commitment to environmental stewardship and establish Canada as the world environmental packaging leader. Macro-Systems Packaging is currently undertaking a series of tests to assess the long distance transit durability of a STRAPT-PAK® system with a major packaging company. Using this technology as the replacement packaging for a single line of household chemical products for this company has the potential to save 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ per annum. Macro-Systems Packaging focuses on socially responsible package materials and has developed five new patented environmental packaging systems for the food, beverage and household chemical industry. The company also sells glass, plastic and metal containers and equipment to the food, dairy and beverage industry in Canada. Macro-Systems' President is Michael Whiteside who can be contacted at 705-739-8860.

Please contact Jay Mullin, Project Analyst, OCETA at 905-822-4133 ext.238 , Email: jmullin@oceta.on.ca for more information.

For more information on STRAPT-PAK®, see: www.straptpak.com.

In keeping with its vision to advocate brownfields redevelopment, the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN) co-ordinated a joint submission to Premier Dalton McGuinty and Ontario Provincial Ministers to indicate support for the principles of the legislative changes outlined in the Province of Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) posting # AF07E0001 Proposal - Potential Components for Legislative Brownfield Reform. Signed by 16 organizations, the joint submission commends the Province of Ontario on their initiative to prepare this Legislative Brownfield Reform Proposal and to identify the potential components of a reform package. It notes that the proposed legislative changes identified in the EBR posting do not respond to all barriers that have been identified by stakeholders but the group supports the intent and direction of the legislative changes proposed at this time. The group urges the government to ensure that this matter is placed on the legislative agenda and earmarked for passage in the spring session. Visit www.canadianbrownfieldsnetwork.ca to download the joint submission. The EBR posting is available for viewing at www.ene.gov.on.ca/envregistry/029222ea.htm.

For more information, contact Joanna Hickling, Project Coordinator and Client Services, at OCETA. Tel: 905-822-4133 ext.237, Email: jhickling@oceta.on.ca.

Since inception in 1994 OCETA’s core mandate has been to provide business services to entrepreneurs and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to assist in the commercialization of new innovative environmental technologies. In the summer of 2006, the Government of Ontario awarded OCETA $1 Million over a three year period through the Ontario Research and Commercialization Program (ORCP) to promote commercialization of publicly funded research. This complemented OCETA’s existing mandate and extended support services from the beginning of the innovation chain to the achievement of successful commercialization.

Research that is initiated in partnership between university or college faculty and private sector partners, with clear market targets, has an increased chance of successful commercialization. OCETA will be cooperating with the Ontario Centre of Excellence – Centre for Earth and Environmental Technologies (OCE-ETech) to deliver "Discovery Workshops" bringing industry and academia together to create research partnerships over a range of environmental issues, while assisting in accessing funds.

The "Route to Market" for new technology is made easier if the standards of technology performance and test procedures are clearly defined by stakeholders that include regulators, industrial buyers and provincial and national accreditation agencies. OCETA and ETV Canada will deliver "Performance Benchmarking" initiatives that will create these "road maps" in a number of environmental sectors. Third party independent verification of technology performance also assists in market entry by creating credible evidence for regulators and customers and ETV Canada will utilize ORCP funds to assist clients with obtaining technology verification.

OCETA, as an Environmental Sector Innovation Network (SIN), will work with the Regional Innovation Networks (RINs) to provide a broad range of services to regional environmental SMEs.

Lastly, a new "Proof of Principle Domain Alliance" program has been created through a three-way partnership between, Precarn Incorporated, OCETA and the Ontario Centre of Excellence to provide funding for environmental research with a high content of information technology (IT) or intelligent systems (IS).

These new ORCP funded initiatives will lever additional contributions from other stakeholders such as SME clients, research organizations and government partners. OCETA is excited by this opportunity to play a stronger role in the provincial commercialization process thus contributing to environmental sustainability of the economy.

For more information, contact Ed Mallett, CEO, OCETA at Tel: 905-822-4133 ext.246, Email: emallett@oceta.on.ca, or Kevin Jones, COO, OCETA at Tel: 905-822-4133 ext.232, Email: kjones@oceta.on.ca

For innovation chain figures, please visit: www.oceta.on.ca/newsletter/winter2007/ innovationchain.htm.

More than 1,200 stakeholders from all walks of life have been engaged in pollution prevention (P2) outreach activities during the last two years through the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) funded York Sustainability Program delivered by OCETA.

P2 awareness generating stakeholder workshops have been a major component of the community outreach activities through this program.

OCETA, in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention (C2P2), has delivered seven successful workshops in Richmond Hill, Markham, Newmarket, Vaughan, Whitchurch-Stouffville, East Gwillimbury and Aurora. The overall objective of these workshops was to provide York Region stakeholders (i.e. industry, governments, institutions, school boards, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), and local citizens) with a forum to discuss and share information on pollution prevention activities occurring locally and foster P2 partnerships across York Region communities. Overall, these workshops were highly rated by over 250 participants who attended the workshops over the course of two years, with over 30% of stakeholders attending more than once.

Local politicians from hosting municipalities supported the events by attending and giving welcoming remarks to kick-start the workshops. A wide array of speakers from industry (e.g. IKEA, IBM, local manufacturers), governments (all levels), ENGOs (e.g. Windfall Ecology Centre, Clean Air Partnership, Hydrogen Village), and institutions (e.g. York Region District School Board, Trillium Health Centre) were also invited to share their environmental initiatives. The workshops provided an opportunity for participants to network and share ideas and viewpoints in a concluding roundtable discussion.

After the first six workshops, OCETA and C2P2 surveyed all the participants to examine the outcomes of workshops. For the majority of the attendees, the information provided in the workshops on what other communities and businesses were doing with respect to protecting the environment motivated them to implement P2 practices in their day-to-day activities. Examples shared in the surveys included minimization of household chemicals at home, making smart purchasing choices, and switching to energy efficient lighting sources. Many local manufacturers who attended the workshops were also motivated to carry out P2 assessments through the Toronto Region Sustainability Program to improve manufacturing process efficiencies and eliminate pollutant/waste streams at the source.

Partnership development was also identified as a key outcome of the workshops as many attendees indicated that they had communicated or collaborated on projects with their networks after the workshop.

For more information on the workshops or to view the presentations and roundtable proceedings, please visit: www.oceta.on.ca/TORSUS/workshops.htm.

The final workshop in this series of York Region workshops will take place on April 20th, 2007 at York Regional Headquarters in Newmarket, Ontario. More details will be posted on the above website as they become available.

For more information on P2 workshops in York Region, contact Meena Hassanali, York Sustainability Coordinator, OCETA, 905 822 4133 x233, E-mail: mhassanali@oceta.on.ca.

Prokleen Washing Services has eliminated five tonnes/year of methylene chloride, five tonnes/year of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 30 tonnes/year of hazardous wastes, 550 tonnes/year of process wastes, and decreased water consumption by 5,000 tonnes/year with an overall payback of five months. The opportunity and incentive to make these environmental improvements was made possible with financial and technical assistance through the Toronto Region Sustainability Program. Prokleen management agreed to undertake a pollution prevention assessment conducted by Enviro-Stewards Consulting, which led to a number of solutions to address areas of environmental concern. Prokleen implemented the process optimization solutions highlighted below, which are now saving the company $198,000 annually.

Prokleen operates a 20-person tanker truck and bulk tank cleaning facility in Oakville, Ontario, consisting of eight chemical and food grade wash bays. When clients bring their tankers to Prokleen for cleaning, the tankers contain a small amount of residual material. These residual materials were a problem for Prokleen because of their heavy burden on the company’s wastewater treatment system. By diverting and collecting a portion of the food and chemical residuals for reuse, their impact on the system is significantly reduced, bringing the cost of wastewater treatment down by $180,000 annually. This improvement of the wastewater treatment system is a direct result of reduced biological oxygen demand (BOD), VOC-contaminated chemicals, solid waste, and sludge which originated in residual materials from the wash bays.

Enviro-Stewards also identified an opportunity to reduce the amount of water used for cleaning. Because Prokleen utilizes a succession of rinses to clean tankers, the final rinses are usually relatively clean, and can therefore be reused as the initial rinses for dirty tankers. This solution results in a 5,000 tonne reduction of water consumption annually. Furthermore, by using an alternative cleanser and installing a solvent reuse sink, Prokleen could eliminate its use of methylene chloride (five tonnes per year), which is a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

For more information on the Toronto Region Sustainability Program and Prokleen’s participation in the TRSP visit www.oceta.on.ca/TORSUS and www.oceta.on.ca/TORSUS/ProkleenOakville.pdf .

Prokleen’s website can be viewed at www.prokleenwash.com.

In December 2006, OCETA became the sole owner and operator of aboutREMEDIATION. New content management software has been enabled to provide greater value to our website visitors, sponsors, and subscribers. OCETA will continue to enhance website features that highlight industry and government initiatives; increase knowledge by providing updates on news, upcoming events and new approaches; deliver education and training workshops; and develop capacity building tools. about REMEDIATION is Canada's leading information resource on site remediation and brownfield redevelopment. Visit www.aboutremediation.com.

Organizations can access a variety of opportunities to become actively involved in aboutREMEDIATION. Visit www.aboutremediation.com/PDFS/
AR%20Sponsor-Advertising_Term_Sheet%20_Jan_2007.pdf to view the Advertising / Sponsorship Term Sheet, which provides information on "One-off" advertising items and one year sponsorship levels.

For further information on AR, contact Wayne Coutinho, Project Manager, Remediation and Brownfield Services at 905-822-4133 ext.235, Email: wcoutinho@oceta.on.ca.

There are a number of technologies and products which claim to reduce engine emissions and fuel consumption. These technologies and products include fuel additives, catalysts, engine modifications, auxiliary power systems and other devices. In some cases, the performance claims for these technologies and products are not supported by adequate data. The end result is that the variables which cause the claimed reduction in emissions and fuel use are unclear. To establish market credibility, technology proponents need to base their performance claims on test data which are reproducible and verifiable.

To address this issue, ETV Canada is convening a meeting of qualified experts from recognized testing organizations to help determine how vehicle engine technologies and products should be tested, the level of testing needed and other requirements. Participants will include the Emissions Research and Measurement Division of Environment Canada, the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) and Bodycote Materials Testing Canada Inc. These organizations have extensive knowledge and experience in testing engine emissions/fuel use reduction technologies and verifying performance.

The principal outcome of the Expert Meeting will be a discussion document which can be used to support future engagement of vehicle fleet managers, technology providers and other stakeholders in the development of environmental performance criteria and the application of relevant test methods for vehicle related technologies which claim to reduce emissions and/or fuel use. A standardized set of appropriate test methods would be a major step in ensuring a level playing field for fair testing of technologies and products which claim to reduce the environmental impacts of vehicles in Canada. It would also assist fleet managers and government agencies with establishing performance criteria and corresponding test methods for technologies that reduce mobile source emissions.

For more information, please contact Andrew Houlson, Assistant Technical Director, ETV Canada at 905-822-4133 ext.240 , Email: ahoulson@oceta.on.ca.

On November 30 and December 1, 2006, a Workshop on the Role of Environmental Performance Verification for Safe Water in Nepal was held at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was supported by the Government of Nepal, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Canadian Cooperation Office in Nepal (CCO), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The workshop was organized principally by ETV Canada, a division of OCETA, with valuable assistance from the above stakeholders.

The Government of Nepal has made commitments to ensure the availability of safe water and increase the accountability of water service providers. As part of this, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works has constituted the National Arsenic Steering Committee (NASC), which is charged with providing advice to the Government of Nepal on various aspects of water quality, particularly arsenic.

In undertaking this workshop, stakeholders in Nepal wanted to explore how an environmental performance verification system could help address the arsenic problem in Nepal, as well as other issues related to water quality. Accordingly, as a result of the workshop, the following recommendations were made:

1. The NASC should assist Government to develop adequate environmental performance verification (EPV) processes for arsenic removal technologies. This should include how a technology or process is deployed.
2. The development of environmental performance verification protocols will be required. This should include the development of protocols to ensure quality control in the course of deployment.
3. The NASC should identify institutions that could manage the EPV Process in Nepal.
4. Arsenic removal technologies currently used in Nepal should be submitted to the EPV process as soon as possible.
5. There is a lack of research in Nepal to underpin policies on hazardous substances in water. Irrigation water and irrigation management require study, from the standpoint of arsenic risks. Finally, all research results should be captured and applied to policies and practices in Nepal.

OCETA and ETV are following-up on this successful workshop to help establish and build the capacity within Nepal to verify the performance of arsenic removal technologies. It is recognized that the verification process that would be established for arsenic removal systems could also be expanded to address a wider array of water and sanitation treatment needs, as well as other environment and health protection needs, in Nepal.

Photos courtesy of Peter Fowlie, OCETA.

For more information, please contact John Wanczycki, Vice President International Development, at 902-475-3610, Email: wanczycki@oceta.on.ca.

In the last edition of this newsletter, an overview was presented of OCETA's largest single initiative in South Asia: The Bangladesh Environmental Technology Verification-Support to Arsenic Mitigation Project (BETV-SAM).

In this edition, the focus will be on one facet of this project: institutional capacity-building.

In the BETV-SAM project, OCETA is working with the Government of Bangladesh to verify the performance of arsenic removal technologies that have been proposed for use in villages affected by widespread groundwater arsenic contamination. This project is being carried out with a funding contribution from the Canadian International Development Agency.

The Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR)

BCSIR is a Government of Bangladesh scientific research organization headquartered in Dhaka. It reports to the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology. In 2001, the Government of Bangladesh issued a gazetted decision to the effect that no arsenic removal technology could be sold in Bangladesh before its performance is validated by BCSIR. This validation process is being performed through the arsenic removal technology verification program (BETV-SAM).

When this project comes to an end, BCSIR will need to have trained staff in place to carry out the verification of these technologies, unaided by OCETA, in the event that a proponent comes forward with a new candidate technology. As such, this project needs to develop BCSIR’s capacity to plan and execute verification for a given technology on a free-standing basis.

In addition, BCSIR wants OCETA to train its Dhaka analytical laboratory staff in ISO 17025-based procedures. Good lab data is a cornerstone of the performance verification process. OCETA’s training program will enable the BCSIR Dhaka laboratory staff to act as a reference laboratory for the analyses of specific water sample parameters.

The following are examples of OCETA’s approach to building BCSIR’s capacity in Performance Verification.

• Delivering both "on the job" and more formal classroom-type training in Bangladesh and in Canada to BCSIR technical staff, in all technical elements of performance verification. This includes designing a field test for a candidate technology, testing logistics and statistical analysis of test results.
• Training BCSIR managers in the management of the performance verification process. This includes ongoing training on how to strike the right balance between:

1. BCSIR’s role as a regulator, ensuring that only safe and effective arsenic removal technologies are allowed for sale in Bangladesh; and
2. BCSIR’s role as a catalyst/facilitator, working with technology manufacturers/agents, NGOs and others to create an environment that enables safe and effective arsenic removal technologies to be introduced to Bangladesh market.

• Ensuring that BCSIR staff and a local Technical Expert Committee play the lead role in all decisions related to the management of the verification process. This includes technology screening, field testing and whether a particular technology gets certified for sale in Bangladesh, based on its verification results.
• Delivering training to BCSIR staff in field test methods, including the use of field test kits, field sample chain of custody, overseeing field test crews, etc.
• Delivering training to BCSIR Dhaka laboratory staff in the elements of the ISO 17025 laboratory management standard.
• Developing for BCSIR the schematics and specifications needed to physically upgrade their Dhaka laboratory. (Subsequently, the World Bank provided the financing needs to upgrade BCSIR’s Dhaka lab, based upon the schematics and specifications provided by the OCETA Team.)
• Working with BCSIR to brief aid donors, large NGOs and others about the performance of the arsenic removal technologies that have been verified and certified by BCSIR. These briefings provide those organizations with the knowledge they need to make informed procurement decisions.

Finally, project stakeholders will be examining whether this project should extend BCSIR’s skills in verification to other types of technologies in order to broaden and deepen BCSIR’s skills in performance verification. In so doing, BCSIR would be even better equipped to help address the broader health and environment needs of Bangladesh, particularly those related to water quality.

For further information on BETV-SAM, contact John Wanczycki, Vice President International Development, at 902-475-3610, Email: wanczycki@oceta.on.ca.