NEW YORK - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 2 honored Medford Township Public Schools in Medford, NJ, with its highest public recognition on May 13, 2016. Medford’s comprehensive environmental initiatives, which include the use of many biobased products such as BioStripe^® traffic paint in addition to benchmark testing of various blacktop sealer starting point formulas made with Reichhold’s BECKOSOL AQ^® 510 alkyd latex resin, earned the 2016 Environmental Champion Award.

In April 2015, Medford applied BioStripe in two of its parking lots. A USDA Certified Biobased Product, BioStripe is the first waterborne traffic paint made with soybean oil, a rapidly renewable ingredient, that reduces its petroleum content. It is low VOC and available in standard zone marking colors.

Later that year, Medford carried its commitment to sustainability into student education when a select group of seventh- and eighth-grade students, who are part of Medford’s Citizen Science Education Program (CSEP), participated in a hands-on experiment comparing soy-based blacktop sealers made with BECKOSOL AQ 510 to sealers made with asphalt and other non-biobased materials. The students applied five different blacktop sealers to a middle school parking lot and continue to monitor the sealers’ appearance and durability and provide data to Reichhold. They are thrilled that the biobased sealers are not only an environmentally friendly option for this application, but that they are also outperforming the non-biobased sealers.

Reichhold Coatings Technology Director Scott Cooley commented, “The test application of Reichhold’s blacktop sealer formulations was a great opportunity to be able to demonstrate the performance and green profile of soy-based BECKOSOL AQ alkyd latex resins to the future generation of buyers and scientists. The experience was mutually beneficial to both parties and allows Reichhold to use the data gathered to further develop and promote its products.”

Medford’s transition to biobased products resulted from its success with biodiesel fuel and other sustainability initiatives, such as on-site solar electric generation and geothermal HVAC systems. Many of these biobased products use soybean oil as an ingredient to replace or reduce petroleum content. 

“It was a natural progression to biobased products,” explains Medford’s Director of Operations and Technology Joe Biluck who led the effort. “Using biobased products creates a healthier environment for the building occupants and reduces and/or eliminates the presence of volatile organic chemicals in our schools.”

The majority of Reichhold’s BECKOSOL AQ product line has USDA BioPreferred certification. Visit http://www.reichhold.com/default.aspx for more information.