CASA identified pollution prevention and continuous improvement as one of its four key focus areas in its strategic planning framework. Pollution prevention and continuous improvement (P2/CI) are consistent with the CASA vision, can be used to implement various elements of CASA’s strategic planning framework, and are consistent with CASA’s other key focus areas. The CASA board approved the formation of the P2/CI project team in March 2000, giving it a broad mandate to identify and recommend P2/CI strategies that other CASA project teams and stakeholders could use to reduce pollution at its source.

The P2/CI team project identified potential P2/CI tools and reviewed approaches to P2 programs that have been used in other North American jurisdictions. The team found several P2 success stories in Alberta and elsewhere. It also provided advice to Alberta Environment on that Ministry’s development of a P2 program. The team held a major workshop to examine public education and outreach strategies, and also compiled an inventory of pollution prevention education and outreach programs available in Alberta. 

CASA acknowledges that a PPCI approach has potential to produce desirable environmental outcomes beyond what can be achieved through regulation. This section highlights how PPCI can be a win-win approach that takes advantage of innovative and creative solutions. 

CASA stakeholder organizations were asked in March 2004 to provide a short report describing their progress in implementing the recommendations directed to them in the 2002 report. They were encouraged to cite relevant resources and to identify contacts to enable board members and other readers to obtain more information. Their good spirited cooperation was appreciated and lead to the 
swift board approval of the 30 page Pollution Prevention/Continuous Improvement Progress Report at the June 2004 CASA board meeting. 

The progress report provides a valuable snapshot in time of stakeholders efforts to pursue P2/CI initiatives. The breadth and extent of P2/CI activities listed in this report represents an encouraging record of action. A report was prepared for the CASA board in 2006 to follow-up on further progress in the implementation of the recommendations in the 2002 report. 

The team believed there is considerable potential for Albertans to play a much more active role in preventing pollution, although they may not use those words when they begin to practice the concept. With the goal of engaging Albertans across all sectors, the Pollution Prevention/Continuous Improvement Project Team presented its final report with recommendations to the CASA board in June 2002. 

The team directed its recommendations to specific sectors for implementation; several of these sectors were chosen based on their emissions of criteria air contaminants and reports to the National Pollution Release Inventory. The team confirmed that many Alberta enterprises are already practicing P2/CI to some degree, even if they are not using that terminology. The team tested all its recommendations with the organizations to which the recommendations were directed and they found them to be acceptable. The team is relying on the commitment of these organizations, most of which are represented on the board, to implement the recommendations. There are no further funding implications for CASA. 

The CASA Board commended the P2/CI Team for its good work and by consensus, the board approved the recommendations in the P2/CI final report, with revisions. The Pollution Prevention/Continuous Improvement Team's work was complete and was disbanded at the June 2002 board meeting.