A new survey suggests six in 10 Connecticut businesses are tightening their environmental policies, up from just under half a year ago, even as a new report indicated Connecticut municipalities must double their rate of recycling to meet state goals.
Nearly 120 Fairfield County companies numbered among the 475 who completed the Connecticut Business and Industry Association”™s second annual Sustainability/Green Business Practices Survey, published last month.
Connecticut businesses gave themselves their highest marks on recycling on the CBIA survey, with 86 percent running a company program.
A separate report published by the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality found municipal recycling as a percentage of solid waste fell between 2002 and 2004, the most recent year on record. At less than 25 percent in 2004, recycling fell well short of the state”™s goal of 40 percent recycling, which rises to 58 percent by the year 2024.
Connecticut made strides in several other areas including air pollution, which reached its lowest level in decades. In mid-June, Pfizer Inc. agreed to pay $1 million to resolve a federal suit that alleged the pharmaceutical company violated the Clean Air Act at its Groton facility after sensors used to detect harmful emissions failed.
The Council on Environmental Quality also cited reductions in nitrogen discharges into Long Island Sound, with a beneficial impact on water habitats. Some 80 rivers in the state still receive raw sewage from overflows during rain storms, however, and the state last year preserved just 3,000 acres of open land toward its annual goal of 11,000 acres.
To meet its overall environmental goals, the state would have to spend an additional $340 million annually, according to the Council on Environmental Quality, which does not have a Fairfield County resident on its board.
In the CBIA survey, businesses gave themselves their lowest marks for oversight of their suppliers, with just 27 percent addressing environmental issues with vendors.
Â
In the CBIA survey, nearly two-thirds of businesses indicated a “green” ethic benefited their business, up from half last year. Of those that did not improve their practices, however, 56 percent cited high costs as the biggest obstacle.
CBIA recently launched a “green business” Web site that includes information on tips, incentives, programs, and vendors. CBIA”™s environmental policies council is in its 25th year. Separately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month released its new  Business Guide to U.S. EPA Climate Partnership Programs.
Â
