files/OwDZ9OWpRS2UzgNLB1oZ yp perspective
em • yp perspective
Young Professional Activities in the Mother Lode Chapter by Gwen Pelletier Gwen Pelletier works for environmental consulting company CDM Smith and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Mother Lode Chapter of A&WMA’s Golden West Section. E-mail: [email protected].
A&WMA’s Mother Lode Chapter (MLC) sponsors a Young Professionals Group (YPG). Started in 2012, the purpose of the MLC-YPG is to foster a sense of community and support for up-and-coming air and waste management professionals in the Sacramento and Northern California region. The MLC-YPG is a dynamic group that encourages interaction among all members through a series of local happy-hour social mixers, technical training sessions, and site tours. The group’s objectives are to: • host regular local happy hours and other soccial a eevents e ts to enable e ab e young you g professionals p o ess o a s in the t e
environmental field to meet one another and enjoy networking opportunities in a casual setting; • provide a strong information network concerning current air and waste management activities; • serve as a source of potential career opportunities; and • provide peer mentorship to one another. Our philosophy is that the MLC-YPG would be most useful to young professionals if it is developed by them, rather than dictated to them. We believe in hosting frequent, inexpensive events to provide a sense of community to young professionals in our region. While our happy-hour events primarily serve as a platform to enable young professionals in the area to meet each other and network, they also function as the main means of developing new ideas for future events. We also believe it is critical to encourage event attendance by both young professionals under the age of 35 and the young-at-heart; having an arbitrary age limit dissuades important mentorship connections that would otherwise occur. We have learned through experience that emphasizing program development from within the group is critical to developing a strong chapter and membership base. By switching from a model that emphasized infrequent dinner meetings at a moderate cost to frequent lunchtime meetings at a minimal cost, we have been able to reach out to a greater number of air and waste professionals in the community. By actively assessing the topics that would interest our members, we have seen the participation rate at our events swell from an average of 15–20 people to more than 30, with some events even approaching 60 participants. We have also successfully seen nonmembers convert to members by demonstrating value in the chapter through these events.
34 em may 2014
Copyright 2014 Air & Waste Management Association
awma.org
In the Next Issue...
State Perspectives on Climate Change Policy-makers at the federal and state levels are moving ahead to address climate change. The State of California has always provided a “laboratory” for many innovative legislative and regulatory approaches to managing air quality and climate change, so to coincide with A&WMA’s 2014 Annual Conference & Exhibition, which will be held in Long Beach, CA, next month, the June issue will focus on state perspectives on climate change, highlighting their actions on a variety of issues. Also look for… • A Summary of the 2014 Critical Review on the Effects of Black Carbon and Associated Co-Emissions Over Time • IT Insight • IPEP Quarterly • YP Perspective
Past technical training sessions have included an update of the new California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) Guidelines for Air Quality Risk Assessments, advanced techniques in Microsoft Excel, an introduction to MySQL, and a panel discussion on project-level management. Our chapter is fortunate to be located in the state’s capital and, as such, we have been able to tap into local government agencies, consulting companies, and private industries for event speakers. We also have an open invitation for young professionals to give a presentation on any topic of their choosing as a method of developing communication skills. Additionally, past site tours have included the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company sustainability tour, the Lodi Energy Center, the Control Center of the California Independent System Operator, the West Village Zero Net Energy Housing Development, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Solano wind farm. Site tours are valuable as inexpensive events that demonstrate real-world experience. awma.org
The MLC-YPG is currently in the process of developing its 2014 program and is planning on focusing events on two main areas: waste management and carbon dioxide emissions. Three or four events are planned for each topic that will consist of a mix of site tours and technical training. The goal is to provide introductory technical training on each topic and then follow up with site tours and/or in-house research (e.g., volunteers track their energy usage for a specific period) to provide a hands-on example of the topic. The first event planned for 2014 is a tour of the Western Placer Waste Management Authority Facility (WPWMA) in Roseville, CA. The WPWMA’s primary facility includes a landfill, materials recovery facility, composting operation, and household hazardous waste management facility. For more information about the MLC-YPG and for details on past and future events, visit www. awma-mlc.org. em
Copyright 2014 Air & Waste Management Association
may 2014 em 35
Young Professional Activities in the Mother Lode Chapter by Gwen Pelletier Gwen Pelletier works for environmental consulting company CDM Smith and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Mother Lode Chapter of A&WMA’s Golden West Section. E-mail: [email protected].
A&WMA’s Mother Lode Chapter (MLC) sponsors a Young Professionals Group (YPG). Started in 2012, the purpose of the MLC-YPG is to foster a sense of community and support for up-and-coming air and waste management professionals in the Sacramento and Northern California region. The MLC-YPG is a dynamic group that encourages interaction among all members through a series of local happy-hour social mixers, technical training sessions, and site tours. The group’s objectives are to: • host regular local happy hours and other soccial a eevents e ts to enable e ab e young you g professionals p o ess o a s in the t e
environmental field to meet one another and enjoy networking opportunities in a casual setting; • provide a strong information network concerning current air and waste management activities; • serve as a source of potential career opportunities; and • provide peer mentorship to one another. Our philosophy is that the MLC-YPG would be most useful to young professionals if it is developed by them, rather than dictated to them. We believe in hosting frequent, inexpensive events to provide a sense of community to young professionals in our region. While our happy-hour events primarily serve as a platform to enable young professionals in the area to meet each other and network, they also function as the main means of developing new ideas for future events. We also believe it is critical to encourage event attendance by both young professionals under the age of 35 and the young-at-heart; having an arbitrary age limit dissuades important mentorship connections that would otherwise occur. We have learned through experience that emphasizing program development from within the group is critical to developing a strong chapter and membership base. By switching from a model that emphasized infrequent dinner meetings at a moderate cost to frequent lunchtime meetings at a minimal cost, we have been able to reach out to a greater number of air and waste professionals in the community. By actively assessing the topics that would interest our members, we have seen the participation rate at our events swell from an average of 15–20 people to more than 30, with some events even approaching 60 participants. We have also successfully seen nonmembers convert to members by demonstrating value in the chapter through these events.
34 em may 2014
Copyright 2014 Air & Waste Management Association
awma.org
In the Next Issue...
State Perspectives on Climate Change Policy-makers at the federal and state levels are moving ahead to address climate change. The State of California has always provided a “laboratory” for many innovative legislative and regulatory approaches to managing air quality and climate change, so to coincide with A&WMA’s 2014 Annual Conference & Exhibition, which will be held in Long Beach, CA, next month, the June issue will focus on state perspectives on climate change, highlighting their actions on a variety of issues. Also look for… • A Summary of the 2014 Critical Review on the Effects of Black Carbon and Associated Co-Emissions Over Time • IT Insight • IPEP Quarterly • YP Perspective
Past technical training sessions have included an update of the new California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) Guidelines for Air Quality Risk Assessments, advanced techniques in Microsoft Excel, an introduction to MySQL, and a panel discussion on project-level management. Our chapter is fortunate to be located in the state’s capital and, as such, we have been able to tap into local government agencies, consulting companies, and private industries for event speakers. We also have an open invitation for young professionals to give a presentation on any topic of their choosing as a method of developing communication skills. Additionally, past site tours have included the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company sustainability tour, the Lodi Energy Center, the Control Center of the California Independent System Operator, the West Village Zero Net Energy Housing Development, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Solano wind farm. Site tours are valuable as inexpensive events that demonstrate real-world experience. awma.org
The MLC-YPG is currently in the process of developing its 2014 program and is planning on focusing events on two main areas: waste management and carbon dioxide emissions. Three or four events are planned for each topic that will consist of a mix of site tours and technical training. The goal is to provide introductory technical training on each topic and then follow up with site tours and/or in-house research (e.g., volunteers track their energy usage for a specific period) to provide a hands-on example of the topic. The first event planned for 2014 is a tour of the Western Placer Waste Management Authority Facility (WPWMA) in Roseville, CA. The WPWMA’s primary facility includes a landfill, materials recovery facility, composting operation, and household hazardous waste management facility. For more information about the MLC-YPG and for details on past and future events, visit www. awma-mlc.org. em
Copyright 2014 Air & Waste Management Association
may 2014 em 35
