Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1038326
98 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2018 you can find a number of episodes in which we were not environmentally responsible. Howev- er, as the environmental impact became appar- ent, a certain reverence for our region and our planet has come to the fore." There isn't as much government involve- ment in the green movement as one might think. Lazzara points out that no specific gov- ernment programs require zero waste. He adds, "There's no government group leaning on us, no specific government advocate, no tax breaks for zero emissions. In fact, it's a risk- mitigation strategy. When we go zero emis- sions, then the opportunity for a pollution vio- lation goes away entirely." But does it cost more to protect the environ- ment? Lazzara says no. "We save money by being zero waste. Our wastewater plant gener- ates all the deionized [DI] water our processes consume, so I don't have to pay for DI. Hazmat storage, transportation, and offsite treatment go away, too, which saves us money and po- tential environmental liability." "We're the first ISO 14000 certified PCB fab in New Hampshire [editor's note: ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmen- tal management]. Customers will ask us about ISO 9000 or our other certifications, but no- body seems to make environmentally green processes a deciding factor in selecting their supplier," he explains. So zero-waste, environ- mentally-friendly manufacturing isn't neces- sarily a selling point. Nevertheless, the payoff is there inside the business and outside in the community. La- zzara makes this final observation, "Whelen Engineering and other 21st century compa- nies—like Circuit Connect—are making it their responsibility to overcome the past. We are the stewards." A wise perspective for PCB fabricators around the world. PCB007 Figure 1: Environmentalism and pollution prevention is a necessary part of the New Hampshire PCB industry.