Excavating Contractor Accepted to Wisconsin Green Tier Program

The excavation and construction firm C.W. Purpero Inc., based in Milwaukee, has been accepted into Wisconsin’s Green Tier program for recycling and using industrial materials in projects.

The Green Tier program is a voluntary program that encourages businesses and other organizations to collaborate with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to move beyond compliance with regulations and achieve superior environmental performance. Applicants are required to have a good environmental record, commit to exceeding environmental minimums and implement an internationally accredited environmental management system.

Cathy Stepp, secretary of Wisconsin’s DNR, welcomed the company into the program during a ceremony held Dec. 15, 2011. “I am privileged to welcome C.W. Purpero into the Green Tier family of Wisconsin businesses. You are building southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and infrastructure with an environmental mind-set.”

“We are proud of the accomplishments that made this possible, and we also look forward to the challenge ahead to substantially up our game in our sustainable practices,” said Phil Purpero, president of C.W. Purpero, during the ceremony. “We will be working with the DNR in a way that will bring added value to our projects that just wasn’t possible before. This commitment is central to fulfilling our company’s mission to stand out as a valued partner in the construction industry.”

C.W. Purpero works on both public and private sector projects throughout the state. Its projects include site development and road work to shoreline rehabilitation and environmental restoration. According to the DNR, the company also maintains a firm commitment to sustainability in its own operations, including upgrades to LED sign lights, recycling waste oils and using emission reduction scrubbers on older equipment.
The company also works aggressively to recycle a range of material it handles, including the following:

• Pavement materials, which are crushed on site when possible and reused in the project
• Metal building materials, including structural steel, metal decking and copper wiring
• Fly ash and kiln dust, used for moisture reduction in engineered soils
• Foundry sand, used as foundation or utility pipe backfill or structural fill for paved areas

As part of its acceptance into Green Tier, C.W. Purpero will implement an Environmental Management System (EMS) tool that helps companies understand their environmental impacts. An EMS will set benchmarks to measure environmental improvements and allow C.W. Purpero to monitor its sustainability performance with indicators such as greenhouse gas emission reductions, energy conservation, and recycling practices.

As a participant in Green Tier, C.W. Purpero will expand its network of recycling partners, help identify additional reuse options for construction and industrial waste, and will continue to share these reuse options with others in the industry.