July 2025

Inside the Newsletter:

Intern Program | Water Projects | Waste & Pollution Projects | Energy Projects | Events | Funding Opportunities

2025 MnTAP Intern Program to Wrap Up with Symposium

The summer has flown by in Minnesota! Here at MnTAP, we are working with our 2025 MnTAP Intern Cohort to wrap up their projects and summarize all the recommendations made. MnTAP staff are grateful that in collaboration with our sponsors, host companies, and interns, we have been able to carry out safe, high-impact projects for pollution prevention, energy, and water efficiency during the 2025 MnTAP Intern Program. Help us celebrate the accomplishments of these interns by joining us at the 2025 MnTAP Intern Symposium.

This year’s event will feature 17 projects that span a variety of industries and focus areas. MnTAP’s Intern Cohort has been hard at work identifying solutions and best practices that bring savings to Minnesota businesses, organizations, and communities.

Don’t miss out! The 2025 MnTAP Intern Symposium is scheduled for Wednesday August 20, 2025 from 12:00 – 5:00 pm CDT at the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota. If you have other commitments during this time, consider joining us for just a portion of the event! If you are unable to make it in person, the event will stream live from the Symposium venue, as well. Register now and get this fun, informative event on your calendar!

Contact:

Matt Domski – Intern Program Manager
  mdomski@umn.edu
612-624-5119

Water Efficiency Projects

Although Minnesota has an abundant supply of clean water, the costs and impacts of consuming water can add up quickly for companies. With the economic and environmental impacts in mind, many businesses are considering how to conserve more water in their operations and improve the efficiency of their facilities. MnTAP strives to help companies optimize water use to save money, avoid additional charges, and reduce environmental impact. This summer, MnTAP interns have been mapping facility water use and identifying opportunities for reuse and conservation.

Here are several projects with water efficiency components:

• Bailey Nurseries, Woodbury, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• BeaconEmbedded Works, Eden Prairie, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Ever-Green Energy, St. Paul, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation.
• Liberty Packaging, Brooklyn Park, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Liberty Packaging, Golden Valley, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Michael Foods, Gaylord, MN – Lead a project focused on wastewater loading reduction, chemical use minimization, and water conservation.
• Minncor Industries at Minnesota Department of Corrections, Faribault, MN – Lead a project focused on energy efficiency and water conservation.
• Rust-Oleum, Brooklyn Park, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and waste reduction at a coating manufacturer.

Waste & Pollution Prevention Projects

Interns are targeting a variety of sources of waste and pollutants through this year’s projects. Multiple sites are investigating opportunities to minimize product loss and food waste. Others are targeting reuse opportunities for equipment and supplies. Sites are also targeting wastewater loading pollutants and finding ways to cut down on the use of chemicals in processes. Addressing these waste and pollution prevention opportunities is not only good for our environment, but it can also result in cost savings associated with purchasing, production, and handling as well as disposal of byproducts and wastewater discharge.

Here are several projects with waste and/or pollution prevention components:

• Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, MN – Lead a project focused on medical device reuse and waste reduction.
• Alkali Earth, Dundas, MN – Lead a project focused on repurposing alkaline industrial byproducts to capture CO2 while minimizing energy and water usage.
• Fairview Hospital, Minneapolis, MN – Lead a project focused on how to reduce waste in the operating room of a hospital.
• Metro Transit, Twin Cities, MN – Lead a project focused on multi-site waste reduction and water conservation strategies.
• Michael Foods, Gaylord, MN – Lead a project focused on wastewater loading reduction, chemical use minimization, and water conservation.
• MN Direct Care and Treatment (DCT), Vadnais Heights, MN – Lead a project focused on waste reduction and diversion solutions for multiple specialty care facilities in MN.
• OlymPak, Mora, MN – Lead a project focused on waste reduction in a manufacturing facility in the printing and packaging industry.
• Rust-Oleum, Brooklyn Park, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and waste reduction at a coating manufacturer.
• Silgan Containers, Savage, MN – Lead a project focused on metal waste reduction, energy efficiency, and continuous process improvement.

Energy Efficiency Projects

All businesses, especially manufacturers, can benefit greatly from implementing energy conservation solutions. Doing so can reduce costs and give your facility a competitive advantage. This year, three intern projects place a significant focus on energy efficiency opportunities, while many other projects have brought in energy solutions as a secondary focus to water efficiency and pollution prevention efforts. Analyzing process energy efficiency, compressed air systems, potential lighting upgrades, and more will help companies identify energy efficiency solutions at their facilities. Interns are busy defining these opportunities for their host sites and quantifying the impacts that implementation can have on their business bottom line.

Here are several projects with energy efficiency components:

• Aveda Corporation, Blaine, MN – Lead a project focused on energy efficiency.
• Bailey Nurseries, Woodbury, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• BeaconEmbedded Works, Eden Prairie, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Ever-Green Energy, St. Paul, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Liberty Packaging, Brooklyn Park, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Liberty Packaging, Golden Valley, MN – Lead a project focused on water conservation and energy efficiency.
• Minncor Industries at Minnesota Department of Corrections, Faribault, MN – Lead a project focused on energy efficiency and water conservation.
• OlymPak, Mora, MN – Lead a project focused on waste reduction and energy efficiency in a manufacturing facility in the printing and packaging industry.
• Silgan Containers, Savage, MN – Lead a project focused on metal waste reduction, energy efficiency, and continuous process improvement.

Events

Salt Symposium
Bolton & Menk

August 5, 2025, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM  CST
Livestream only, $200 

The 26th Salt Symposium will be held Tuesday, August 5th, 2025. It is a day-long virtual event bringing together professionals around the world to share their expertise on current research, planning, and initiatives surrounding chloride: including snow and ice management, low salt design, water softening, wastewater, and agriculture.

The Salt Symposium is an annual event focused on understanding the concerns, research, solutions, and management of chloride use and innovation that can move us to a lower salt future to improve community sustainability and protect vital freshwater systems and infrastructure. Learn More and Register.

Funding Opportunities

• Freight switcher locomotive grant (MPCA): Deadline is 4:00 pm CT on July 3, 2025.
• Environmental assistance loans for capital costs associated with environmental processes and technologies (MPCA & private financial institutions)
• Small business environmental improvement loans [0% interest for capital equipment purchases] (MPCA)
• Business Pollution Prevention Program [Up to $50,000 or up to 75% of project costs] (Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy and MN Chamber of Commerce Waste Wise):  Consider this opportunity if your business uses or produces any of the following chemicals with volatile organic compounds (VOCs); perchloroethylene (PERC); trichloroethylene (TCE); ground level ozone; fine particulate matter (PM2.5); or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
• Safety Grant Program [Up to $10,000] (MNOSHA WSC): For projects designed to reduce risk of illness or injury to their employees. Applications are reviewed in two month durations.
• Funding for brownfield investigation (MPCA)
• BizRecycling’s Food Recovery Grant (BizRecycling): Deadline is August 15, 2025. Open to businesses (e.g., food donors, including food producers, distributors, grocers and cafeterias); nonprofit organizations; and college food shelves in Ramsey and Washington counties. This grant covers equipment (e.g., fridges and freezers), software (e.g., inventory software), staff time, and more to support your efforts to recover and donate food that would otherwise go to waste.