KS E-Tips August 2025

Kansas E-Tips

PPI News and Events

If you have environmental compliance questions, call 1-800-578-8898 or email us.

ICT Food

Rescue

Wichita, KS

The Upcycle Program

This project reduces food waste and supports food-insecure families by rescuing surplus produce and ingredients from local farms, restaurants and grocery stores. Rescued food is transformed into nutritious, oven-ready meals for local nonprofits, while staff educate partner organizations on repurposing surplus food.

331,430 pounds of food rescued, equal to 276,192 meals
Over $639,000 in savings for partner nonprofits
Prevention of 192,000+ pounds of CO₂ emissions annually
Meals provided to 6,500 individuals in need

This innovative, scalable model diverts food from landfills and builds sustainable food systems that can be replicated in communities everywhere.

The University of Kansas Health System

Kansas City, KS

HVAC Controls and Building Retro-commissioning Project

This project upgraded aging building control systems and conducted space-by-space retro-commissioning across multiple campuses to optimize airflow and energy use.

Westwood campus: 28% reduction in peak power use, 20% annual energy savings, 30% heating reduction
Olathe Cancer Center: 25% energy reduction
39th & Rainbow campus: 7% reduction in utility spending

These improvements cut operational costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions while improving comfort for patients and staff. These measures are expanding across additional facilities, providing a model for other organizations to reduce energy use and environmental impact.

The 2025 PPI Intern Symposium will be Friday, Sept. 5 from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Carl R. Ice Conference Room in Engineering Hall, 1701 Platt St., Manhattan. Please register to attend in person or to receive a Zoom link to attend virtually.

Tyler and Brayden will share their summer internship experiences and source-reduction recommendations, highlighting how their host companies can conserve natural resources, reduce waste, and ultimately boost operational efficiency and profits.

PPI is still offering free, confidential technical assistance to help Kansas businesses identify cost-saving and sustainable solutions.

PPI specialists will visit your facility for 1-2 days to collaborate with your team, focusing on practical ways to reduce:

Energy and water consumption.
Hazardous and non-hazardous material usage.
Air emissions.

Within two months of the site visit, you will receive a custom report outlining:

Financial and environmental costs of current operations.
Alternative approaches to improve sustainability.
Estimated implementation costs and payback periods.

Email us or call 800-578-8898 to start today!

Featured case study:

Solvent Alternative Testing: Evaluating Safer Substitutes

Many manufacturers rely on solvents like TCE, PERC and MEK for cleaning and degreasing. However, these chemicals carry serious health, safety and environmental risks. With support from the EPA, PPI partnered with the Toxics Use Reduction Institute to evaluate safer alternatives. The collaboration demonstrated that companies can maintain cleaning effectiveness while reducing worker exposure, liability, and environmental impacts, helping industries move toward more sustainable and responsible practices.

Check out the full case study here >

Be aware of HABs

KDHE recently shared public health advisories for Kansas lakes due to blue-green algae, urging Kansans to remain vigilant while engaging in activities taking place in or on the water.

A HAB may look like foam, scum or paint floating on the water and be colored blue, bright green, brown or red. If water appears suspicious, avoid contact and keep dogs away. If you or your pets come into contact with algae, rinse the area with clean water and report it as soon as possible on the KDHE website.

PPI developed a toolkit to provide HAB education and resources for privately owned, nonagricultural waterbodies, including homeowners' association, campground and golf course ponds. The HAB toolkit offers helpful resources, including downloadable materials and laboratory screening resources.

Visit the KDHE HABs webpage for a list of current active advisories.