W. James McNerney, Jr. 3M Chairman presents Environmental Health and Safety Leadership award to Michael D. Garcia
3M Telecommunications recently awarded one of its highest honors to Michael D. Garcia, P.E., site environmental engineer for the 3M Telecom Access Division in Austin, Texas. He is only one of two persons to receive the 3M Company Chairman's Environmental Health and Safety Leadership Award to date.
Garcia's recycling efforts at 3M's Research Boulevard plant in Austin helped reduce the site's percentage of outgoing materials sent to landfills, exceeding official targets. He also helped the facility meet or exceed city requirements for wastewater pretreatment for six years in a row.
As senior environmental engineer for the 3M Company, Garcia says he is responsible for improving environmental performance of the facility through site programs such as the environmental management system; a sustainable development program, which aims to "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"; and voluntary employee initiatives, such as the company-wide Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) program, which received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development in 1996.
Garcia implemented a system to review the processes for environmental effectiveness at the Austin Research Boulevard facility.
"My motivation to go beyond the requirements is that I want to make sure my facility has a minimum impact on the surroundings…thereby fostering the well-being of our community and employees," Garcia says. "My approach to problem-solving is to get the affected people involved in the resolution process."
Garcia says he enjoys working with the community and with a very diverse group of 3M employees. He credits his success to the contributions, dedication, and commitment of his coworkers.
Garcia holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with an environmental specialty from Texas A&M University, College Station. In addition to volunteering with the Austin/Travis County EMS Corporate First Responders and the Round Rock Volunteer Fire Department, he is vice president of the Austin Sustainable Business Council, a nonprofit group that promotes sustainable business practices.
