Penn State's progress in pollution prevention recently received national acclaim.

Efforts in pollution prevention by Penn State received recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the 2005 Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Conference in Baltimore with the EPA Partnership award.

Penn State has recently been making several major initiatives toward preventing pollution within the university.

Maurine Claver, director of environmental health and safety at Penn State, said two of the most important and widely recognized of these are the regulation of chemical waste and the replacement of aging mercury thermometers.

These initiatives have an effect on the health of the community and the safety of the environment at Penn State.

According to the EPA website, "Exposure to mercury may result in severe damage to the nervous and reproductive systems and may ultimately be fatal."

The thermometer initiative focuses on preventing these harmful consequences, Claver added.

"It impacts our environment and our quality of life here," she said.

The hazardous chemical and waste program has seen several advancements since it's inception, including the fields of training, oversight and inspection.

These upgrades facilitate the enhanced safe handling of possibly harmful chemicals.

Additionally, 553 pounds of mercury have been recycled in the process of replacing 9,293 mercury thermometers with safe, nontoxic ones in an ongoing project since June 2001, according to the Penn State Environmental Health and Safety Web site.

There are many different standards regarding environmental and health protection, including regulations at both the local, state and federal levels, she said.

"I think we are doing a really good job of complying with them," Claver said.

However, these initiatives only encompass a small amount of Penn State's responsibility to the environment, according to Penn State's student environmental organization Eco-Action.

"I think that replacing mercury thermometers is just one aspect of it, but being such a large university we have bigger fish to fry," Eco-Action co-secretary Johanna Mirenda said.

Other Eco-Action members said renewable energy is important for Penn State.

"We in Eco-Action think it is great that Penn State is taking steps in pollution prevention," Eco-Action President Maura Cowley said. "However, 4,000 students have said that they want to see Penn State become a national leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions."