I - Purpose of the Pollution Prevention Communication Plan
II - P2 Program History and Goals
III - P2 Communication Structure
IV - Commitment from City Management
V - Approach
VI - Challenges
VII - Conclusion
Mayor's P2 Week Proclamation (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view file)

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I. Purpose of the Pollution Prevention (P2) Communication Plan

The P2 Communication Plan describes methods that are used to raise employee awareness about P2 and achieve effective communication on program goals and elements. This document describes program outreach elements that are used to encourage program participation and facilitate information exchange.

The overall objective for the Communication Plan is to enhance awareness of the P2 Program by teaching employees about P2. With increased understanding of P2 goals and activities, employees can participate in identifying P2 opportunities and can promote the P2 Program to other employees.

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II. P2 Program History and Goals

In July 1992, the Phoenix City Council passed an innovative Environmental Resolution that established preferences for recycled content products in city purchasing decisions and called for 1) an expansion of existing recycling and reuse programs, 2) pilot programs to test new uses for waste products in municipal services and 3) studies of potentially beneficial product reconditioning programs. The resolution also led to the adoption of a citywide pollution prevention program designed to limit city use of products which could have an adverse impact on the environment, reduce waste, enhance compliance, and improve worker safety.

A Pollution Prevention(P2)Team was formed in April 1993 at the request of the city manager, consisting of management representatives from most city departments. These team members developed a citywide P2 Plan that recommends programs including environmental training, development of purchasing procedures, conducting facility assessments, computer automation of record keeping and additional staff requirements. The citywide P2 Plan to reduce the amount of all wastes generated by city facilities was approved by City Council in December 1994. Plan implementation began in September 1995 with the hiring of P2 staff in the city's Office of Environmental Programs.

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III. P2 Communication Structure

The P2 Program is coordinated in the Office of Environmental Programs (OEP) by the OEP manager and the city P2 coordinator. In addition, two environmental quality specialists were hired in September 1995 to staff interdepartmental P2 subcommittees, review environmental compliance at city departments and help coordinate efforts to identify pollution prevention opportunities. Three more staff were added, including a trainer and database manager. The environmental quality specialists work with specific departments to better understand those departments' operations.

The P2 Team serves as a steering committee to provide general oversight and to direct program policy. The P2 Team continues to serve as a coordination and communication mechanism. The team is composed of 17 management-level staff and is chaired by a deputy city manager. The P2 Team is responsible or reviewing and approving recommendations from the subcommittees and addressing issues related to overall environmental policies, organization and funding.

In addition to the P2 Team, four interdepartmental subcommittees helped guide the development of specific program elements. The subcommittee members included city staff from the operations level. These subcommittees were Facility Assessment, Hazardous Materials Purchase and Management, Waste Minimization and Environmental Training. Staff members with an interest in these various areas shared their time and experience to create the elements of the program. Participation from the operating level has helped overcome some of the obstacles to instituting changes.

The major operating departments who use chemicals have designated a P2 coordinator to assist with program implementation. The P2 coordinator is the primary liaison who facilitates implementation of the P2 Program within their department.

To insure communication throughout the city, members of the city Communications Editorial Board participate as communications liaisons for the P2 Program. The Editorial Board members understand the most effective method of communicating within their respective departments. These liaisons are instrumental in coordinating the dissemination of new P2 activities and promotions.

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IV. Commitment from City Management

Successful P2 programs are based upon a strong commitment from management. City Manager Frank Fairbanks signed a policy statement that strongly supports the P2 Program, which has been distributed to all employees. The policy statement also reinforces the city's commitment to environmental protection.

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V. Approach

Experts in the communication field suggest that to communicate a message effectively an organization must use every medium available at every possible opportunity. By developing a wide variety of techniques to raise awareness, city employees will continue to receive new information about the P2 Program. This will reinforce the P2 message that will be communicated using two categories of outreach: general outreach and media "waves."

A. General Outreach
The general outreach approach informs departments that through the P2 Program, resources and tools are available to provide general P2 education. Examples include:

• Informal P2 presentations at facilities discussing the program history, structure and goals;
• Preparing a traveling display board on P2 topics for a facility;
• Conducting topic-specific workshops or brown bags (Suggested topics include presentations on P2 opportunities for specific operations such as small equipment maintenance or warehouses);
• Coordinating field trips to facilities that have implemented successful P2 programs;
• Coordinating hazardous materials exchange between departments;
• Consulting on environmental projects; and
• Serving as a catalyst for networking between city staffs through P2 Subcommittee meetings, open houses, P2 opportunity analysis meetings and other activities.

B. Media Waves
A media wave is a method of outreach that is intended to regenerate renewed employee interest in the P2 Program. This section discusses the waves which have been identified to date. Waves are being introduced to departments periodically to remind employees about the program and to encourage Program participation.

First Wave: An annual outreach element is the Awareness Campaign conducted during National P2 Week, the third week of September. The city of Phoenix has opted to move its recognition of National P2 Week to the second week in October when temperatures are cooler and outdoor activities can be planned. The 1996 National P2 Week included the following activities:

• Publication of City Manager Environmental Policy Letter ;
• Development of Mayor's P2 Week Proclamation ;
• Development of P2 Poster ;
• Presentation of City Manager directive and information packets to department directors;
• Presentation of information packets distributed to Editorial Communications Board members (department communication liaisons);
• Presentation to City Council on P2 Program status;
• Open house at a model P2 city facility; and
• P2 display in the foyer of City Hall.

Each National P2 Week will provide a backdrop for the annual Awareness Campaign, including such features as the P2 Contest (see below) and a week-long celebration of city P2 efforts such as water conservation, recycling, urban forestry, household hazardous waste and others.

Additional Waves: As employees become familiar with the P2 concept, there's a need to provide education and opportunities for them to become active participants in the process. Several approaches already have been introduced.

• OEP's bi-monthly EnviroNotes newsletter highlights P2 Program progress, a calendar of P2 events, successful hazardous materials exchanges between departments, and more;
• City Connection, the citywide weekly newsletter, conveys P2 highlights;
• A two-tiered employee incentive/suggestion program includes 1) periodic contests with prizes offered for successful P2 ideas; and, 2) On the Spot P2 awards recognize employees who offer suggestion or help implement P2 Program elements at their facilities;
• P2 at Work stickers to identify P2 activities already in place at work;
• P2 poster flyers are being distributed monthly discussing new P2 topics. Facilities whose poster is current when visited by P2 staff receive a case of soda for their participation in the program;
• Training programs
  Two types of training have been identified as part of the Pollution Prevention University (P2 U) to educate employees on P2 ideas:
  
  1. Formal classroom training offered through the Employee Development Catalog, with attendance recorded in the Comprehensive Human Resource System (CHRIS).
     • P2 Awareness
     • Supervisor's Guide to P2
     • Environmentally-Preferable Purchasing
     • Hazardous Materials Management
     • Evaluating Your Waste Streams
     • Employee's Guide to P2
     • Web-based Chemical Inventory Management
     
     
  2. Informal tailgate training utilizing tipsheets with condensed information about P2.
     
     • Container Management Tips
     • The Reviewed Product List (RPL)
     • Chemical Inventory Managment Tips

A P2 video was produced and distributed in 2000 that highlights air quality, Clean Water Act (404) and Pollution Prevention programs. This 11 minute video was provided to each department or function to be used at staff meetings or other training opportunities.

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VI. Challenges

Challenges to the Program's success

Early in the P2 program, various stakeholders were asked to identify issues they felt critical to the success of the P2 Program. Concerns included how to convey messages that employees need to understand concerning roles and responsibilities of centralized and decentralized departments and others. The results of those focus groups are addressed in this document. This section highlights those most-repeated challenges and proposes messages intended to address the concern.

1. Challenge: P2 is another program that takes time away from our real responsibilities.
   Message: P2 is beneficial to the departments.

   Through the P2 process, employees are empowered with the ability to look at their operations and suggest alternatives that are environmentally preferable, yet meet the needs of the job. Frequently, these alternatives are no more expensive, reduce regulatory constraints and make the operation more efficient.

2. Challenge: Employees are happy with how we do things now.
   Message: P2 creates a safer workplace and a cleaner environment.

   Generally, products and processes that are less polluting also are safer for employees to use. Though the networking process created by specific focus groups or workgroups, employees with similar job functions have the opportunity to discuss alternative products and processes. The P2 staff are available to research further options, however, the ultimate decision on what changes will occur continues to rest with the department.

3. Challenge: Management doesn't understand how our operation works; how can they know what affect this program will have on our work?
   Message: Employee input is critical to the success of the P2 Program because P2 is a program created by employee innovations.
   
   The P2 Program is not created by management; employees themselves discuss the activities they conduct and determine which areas have the potential for change. The P2 Program provides a framework for identifying opportunities to make environmentally friendly changes within an operation. This is done through the P2 Opportunity Assessment. The recommended changes are also developed by the employees, again without compromising operational efficiency. The level of success of this program component is based on the amount of input received from the employees. Without employee participation, this element of the program cannot exist.

4. Challenge: We've seen this before... another "flavor of the month" Program. It won't last.
   Message: The P2 Program needs to become an integral part of how we do business, just like safety.
   
   Employees voiced concern that this is another program that initially received a large amount of attention, but lacked follow through. Management commitment to this program, however, was demonstrated by implementation of the P2 Plan including the hiring of dedicated P2 staff in the OEP, the City Manager Pollution Prevention Policy Statement and assignments of department staff to subcommittees. Also, departments have allowed employees to devote large amounts of time to various P2 projects to assure their success. Once this commitment was seen by the employees, the concern that P2 would be a transitory program diminished. Additionally, employees have begun to see the value of applying P2 in the workplace, which provides them with the motivation to follow through on the program elements.

5. Challenge: The program won't work without management support.
   Message: P2 is actively supported by management.
   
   The Parks and Recreation Department piloted many of the Pollution Prevention projects, and issued a Statement of Commitment to Environmental Excellence less than six months into the implementation of the P2 program. In 2007, the Parks Department implemented a department-wide P2 Certificate Program that encourages P2 course attendance and P2 project implementation. The city manager signed the city Pollution Prevention Policy Statement and issued it to all departments in September 1996, during National Pollution Prevention Week. Other activities that occurred during that week included a Mayor's Proclamation declaring the third week of September as Pollution Prevention Week and a presentation to City Council. The Interim Purchasing Policy for Hazardous Materials, signed by the city manager, also was issued that week. These activities are all indicative of the commitment of city management to a successful P2 Program. Because of these commitments, employees have begun to voice a change in perception of the P2 program.

6. Challenge: Departments don't want to be controlled by a centralized function; they all have different issues which affect them.
   Message: Departments will continue to have the final say in their internal operations.
   
   While the OEP provides centralized coordination of the P2 Program, subcommittees consisting of employees from many departments provided the guidance that determined how the program is implemented. When regulatory issues may require resolution, the method of resolution is usually determined in conjunction with the department.

7. Challenge: Purchasing policies are an obstacle to good P2 practices.
   Message: P2 is important enough to city management to issue an interim purchasing policy which addresses these issues.

The interim purchase policy puts in place the mechanism to select products and vendors that are environmentally oriented. Highlights include:

• Requiring vendors to accept empty containers;
• Requiring vendors to accept returned unused product that has not expired;
• Allowing departments to choose environmentally friendly products over low bid when reasonable;
• Identifying a mechanism for departments to review products prior to purchase which can be tailored to each department.

As other purchasing issues have arisen, the Finance Department and the Office of Environmental Programs have willingly addressed these topics and worked in concert with departments to implement changes that are mutually beneficial.

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VII. Conclusion

To help this program succeed, the city of Phoenix has developed a specific Communication Plan to help overcome the primary obstacle of communicating with and involving all levels of city staff. This document, while identifying current communication tools of the Pollution Prevention Program, is not intended to be static. As new ideas and opportunities for outreach are identified, this plan will be amended to reflect those changes.

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