EPA honors R.I. organizations, former URI researcher at Merit Awards

THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY has honored Hasbro Inc., the Junior WIN Team at the Westerly Innovations Network and former University of Rhode Island Researcher Scott W. Nixon at the 2013 Environmental Merit Awards.  / COURTESY U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY has honored Hasbro Inc., the Junior WIN Team at the Westerly Innovations Network and former University of Rhode Island Researcher Scott W. Nixon at the 2013 Environmental Merit Awards. / COURTESY U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

BOSTON — Two organizations and one Rhode Island resident were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the 2013 Environmental Merit Awards ceremony on Wednesday, the federal agency announced Thursday.

The Environmental Merit Awards, which are given annually by the EPA, honor the efforts of groups and individuals to protect or improve their region’s environment.

The three Rhode Island honorees were among 28 recipients from the New England region.

Hasbro Inc., earned recognition for its environmental initiatives, which include sustainable paper sources and plans to cut down on materials used in product packaging.

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Hasbro’s East Longmeadow, Mass. facility utilizes vegetable-based printing inks and aqueous coatings for parts for the company’s games and toys, as well as boxes and instructions. Hasbro also began phasing out PVC – a plastic noted by the EPA for being hazardous to humans – from all new packaging.

Joining Hasbro was the Junior WIN Team of Westerly Innovations Network, which earned an award in the “Environmental, Community, Academia and Nonprofit Organizations” category.

The Junior WIN Team began in 2008 with a recycling project by students from Westerly to turn used cooking oil into biodiesel that would heat the homes of people in need. Their efforts were aided by the Warwick Sewer Authority under the auspices of Westerly Innovations Network, a student-led community service team.

Finally, The EPA awarded a posthumous lifetime achievement award to Scott W. Nixon, prominent researcher and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. Nixon, passed away in May 2012, first arrived in Rhode Island in 1968.

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