n 2010, MnTAP staff assisted more than 120 companies in Minnesota; more than 25 of those companies were able to implement cost saving pollution prevention and energy efficiency measures that resulted in more than $1.3 million in first-year savings.

Minnesotans looking for examples of results-oriented programs within the University of Minnesota need to look no further than the School of Public Health’s Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP).

Founded in 1984, MnTAP is an outreach program that helps Minnesota businesses develop and implement industry-tailored solutions that prevent pollution at the source. These solutions improve public health and our environment by maximizing efficient use of resources and reducing energy usage. They also help reduce costs.

The program is so effective that its pollution prevention and energy efficiency efforts helped Minnesota businesses save more than $1.3 million in 2010, reports the agency.

In 2010, MnTAP's experts worked with 120 Minnesota businesses on cost-saving solutions. The organizations that made changes based on MnTAP's recommendations realized environmental reductions of 163,000 pounds of waste, 17 million gallons of water, 3.5 million kilowatt hours, and 307,000 therms of energy.

MnTAP success isn’t just a recent phenomenon. Over the past five years, MnTAP—which is housed in the SPH and funded primarily by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency— has helped new partners achieve more than $8 million in first-year savings. MnTAP offers assistance at no cost to state businesses.

"When we help Minnesota businesses reduce waste and cost, they save money that can be invested back into their organization. This helps them retain jobs, and improve the state's overall economy, all while improving our environment," says Laura Babcock, MnTAP director.

In 2010, MnTAP staff members conducted more than 330 site visits and eight student interns were placed with companies. The interns spent months researching pollution prevention and energy efficiency projects that are projected to save $1.7 million annually. MnTAP's materials exchange program diverted some 82,000 pounds of waste from landfills in the past year.