EnviroForensics’ Senior Engineer, Collin Martin, PE, CHMM, shares some insights from the 35th Annual AEHS Foundation Soils, Sediments, Water, and Energy East Coast Conference.

We had the opportunity to attend and present at this year’s Association of Environmental Health & Sciences (AEHS) Foundation Soils, Sediments, Water, and Energy East Coast Conference in Amherst, Massachusetts. The AEHS Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 to facilitate communication and foster cooperation among professionals concerned with the challenge of soil, sediment, and water assessment, cleanup, and protection. They focus on helping the international community adopt and maintain environmental sound and sustainable practices.

The conference itself dealt with site investigation, remediation, risk assessment, sustainability approaches, and cutting edge technology from the environmental consulting industry. It was jam-packed with technical presentations, exhibits, and workshops from all the leading consulting and regulatory bodies in the environmental field.

Insights on the emergence of PFAS and PFOS

We sat in on a three-hour session specifically dealing with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These man-made chemicals have been top of mind in the environmental field because they were so widely used between the1940s through the early 2000s, and there is evidence that exposure to them may cause adverse effects in humans like low infant birth weights, immune system impacts, and cancer. Perhaps the biggest challenge PFAS presents is their persistent nature; they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time.

The session we attended talked about new regulatory guidance, release investigation, and remedial approaches to PFAS. It was intriguing to see how new compound modeling techniques combined with standard conceptual site model evaluations are opening a new path to source area identification for the challenges we will face with this emerging contaminant.

Presenting research and key findings to our peers

We also had the opportunity to share our own research and findings with our peers in the environmental field. We presented a poster entitled “Using soil gas concentration mapping to predict soil vapor extraction radius of influence variances and optimize remedial system design.” 

Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) is one of the most commonly used technologies for the remediation of unconsolidated soils impacted by chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs). Even with a lot of data, an SVE system can run into unforeseen problems. Our objective was to see if the key to filling some of these data gaps was through soil concentration mapping. 

Along with presenting our findings, we also pioneered a new format of scientific posters. Our poster featured a more concise, condensed presentation of our findings with a QR code to a webpage that offered a deeper dive into the data. At conferences like AEHS, there can be hundreds of posters displaying seemingly endless amounts of data. Our poster addresses the main findings of our study, gives the conference attendees an opportunity to look into the underlying data sets at their leisure, and affords them more time to see other posters.

For a deeper dive into the data, check out our webpage for “Using soil gas concentration mapping to predict soil vapor extraction radius of influence variances and optimize remedial system design”

Continuing education and affirming remediation methods

It is our objective as scientists to have curiosity and be relentless in our pursuit of verifiable truths. We attend events like this to gain new perspectives on ongoing and emerging remedial challenges and affirm our own understanding of standard remedial planning practices. In this regard, a conference like AEHS is a net positive to both EnviroForensics and the entire environmental industry.

Learn more about the AEHS Foundation. Visit aehsfoundation.org.

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Collin Martin, PE, CHMM
Collin Martin is a Senior Engineer and Technical Group Manager at EnviroForensics, and has over 14 years of diversified professional experience in environmental consulting. He has a focus on remedial technology assessment, mechanical system design, and remediation implementation oversight. He has designed and implemented over 20 remediation systems using a variety of remedial technologies, including air and ozone sparging, hydraulic fracturing, soil vapor extraction, multi-phase extraction, and thermal remediation. Mr. Martin has experience in all phases of remediation planning, feasibility studies, pilot testing, and mechanical system data analysis and optimization efforts. 

 

EnviroForensics’ Account Executive, Joe Miller, shares some insights from the 2019 NorthEast Laundry Association’s Annual Meeting and Fall Conference.

We were pleased to attend the 107th NorthEast Laundry Association (NELA) Annual Meeting and Fall Conference in Newport, Rhode Island. Established in 1911, NELA is one of the longest operating associations for textile supply and service companies in the country. NELA member companies clean and maintain reusable textile products like uniforms, sheets, table linen, shop and print towels, floor mats, mops and other items to businesses in all industries. 

This year’s Annual Meeting and Conference was packed with opportunities for laundry operators to network, share ideas, and learn new ways to maintain and promote their businesses, and cultivate relationships.    

Annual Meeting Overview

Breakfast and “Cracker Barrel” Session

Saturday started bright and early with the breakfast and “Cracker Barrel” session. All conference attendees gathered in the Newport Marriott’s Grand Ballroom to partake in the most important meal of the day and hear each vendor give a 30-second overview speech about their company and how they work hand-in-hand with the laundry operators. This was a useful session to get to know the players in the industry and break the ice in the process. 

Educational Sessions

After everyone had a chance to reacquaint themselves, it was time for the education sessions. EnviroForensics had the honor of presenting on environmental investigations and insurance recovery. Our presentation, Environmental Investigation and Cleanup: Getting Into the Driver’s Seat, talked about the complex environmental investigation and cleanup process and how to minimize out-of-pocket costs and add value to your business.

After the presentation, we had the opportunity to learn more about individual NELA members concerns regarding environmental issues.

Learn how insurance archeology can find historical insurance policies that help protect businesses from environmental liability claims.

Capping off the educational sessions was the President of Fortune Web Marketing, Jennifer Rae Stine, who talked about digital marketing and how it can be applied to the textile industry. Her presentation focused on leveraging social media and search engine optimization (SEO) to “win the web,” and create new business in this mobile-driven, user-centric landscape in which we live.

Networking and Forging New Relationships

The conference ended with a formal dinner and reception where laundry owners and operators had another opportunity to mingle with vendors and sponsors in attendance and create new business connections. We talked with some laundry business owners about their own concerns with potential environmental liability, and answered questions about the process. As usual, it was rewarding to see small business owners come together around a common cause and talk about how they can continue to support one another.

If you want to become a member of the NorthEast Laundry Association, visit nelaundry.org.

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Joe Miller, Account Executive
Joe Miller brings 15+ years of account management and environmental due diligence experience. He is a licensed mitigator and understands the technical aspects of contaminated sites as well as the associated business liabilities. As an Account Executive, Miller conducts preliminary assessments to help determine if historical coverage can be a funding option and provides proven solutions to private business owners including dry cleaners, small-large manufacturing facilities, municipalities, and redevelopment coalitions.

EnviroForensics’ Northwest Indiana Branch Manager, Michele Murday, and Account Executive, Joe Miller, share insights from the 2019 Lakeshore Chamber Business Expo. 

We were pleased to attend the 15th annual Lakeshore Chamber Business Expo put on by the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s mission is to be the voice for business and a forum for the exchange of ideas to promote and strengthen economic vitality throughout East Chicago, Hammond, and Northwest Indiana.

The Lakeshore Business Expo was packed with insights about workforce development, retention and helpful tidbits for local businesses. It started with a luncheon featuring keynote speaker, Blair Milo who is the Indiana Secretary for Career Connections and Talent. There was also an exhibition and networking section for attendees to share ideas and establish new connections.  

Business Expo Overview

Luncheon with Keynote Speaker, Blair Milo

In her presentation, Building a 21st Century Workforce, Blair Milo talked about her role as Indiana’s “Chief Talent Officer.” In 2017, she was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to the office of Secretary for Career Connections and Talent where her main responsibility is to help facilitate the governor’s promise to fill one million job openings over the next decade. The former La Porte, Indiana Mayor, and Navy veteran talked about her work with the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, and the efforts they’re making to ensure the Hoosier State has the highly skilled workforce required to meet the demands of an ever-changing economy. She expressed enthusiasm for the job creation efforts in the Northwest Indiana region. 

Exhibition and Networking

The main part of the Lakeshore Chamber Business Expo was the three-hour networking session. We had the opportunity to meet with dozens of businesses in attendance. There were representatives from local banks, human resource companies, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and engineering firms to name a few.  

As usual, it was great to see how the business community in Northwest Indiana continues to grow and what our colleagues are doing to meet the increasing demands of the area. It was also nice to meet new potential partners, catch up with old acquaintances, and learn more about how we can all support each other.

If you want to become a member of the Lakeshore Chamber, visit lakeshorechamber.com.

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Michele Murday, Northwest Indiana Branch Manager

Michele Murday has 5+ years of experience in environmental consulting with a focus on investigation and remediation projects involving dry cleaners and petroleum impacts. Her experience includes preparing 3D site visualizations, environmental remediation, geologic and hydrogeologic data collection, data analysis and interpretation, reporting on all phases of projects from investigations through closure, proposal scoping and budgeting, project management, due diligence research, vapor intrusion assessments, and risk communication with property owners. Her previous field experience includes plume investigation, delineation, and remediation at dry cleaner/chlorinated solvent and petroleum impacted facilities. Murday has employed remediation techniques including soil excavation, chemical injections, soil mixing, multi-phase extraction systems, and sub-slab depressurization systems. She has also worked closely with clients and subcontractors, as well as state and federal regulators.

Joe Miller, Account Executive

Joe Miller brings 15+ years of account management and environmental due diligence experience. He is a licensed mitigator and understands the technical aspects of contaminated sites as well as the associated business liabilities. As an Account Executive, Miller conducts preliminary assessments to help determine if historical coverage can be a funding option and provides proven solutions to private business owners including dry cleaners, small-large manufacturing facilities, municipalities, and redevelopment coalitions.

 

This Saturday, September 21st, is World Cleanup Day, a day dedicated to rid the planet of litter and mismanaged waste. 380 million people across the globe are expected to band together with their neighbors, roll up their sleeves, and clean up their communities one trash bag at a time. 

We celebrated early by going around our neighborhood in the Indianapolis North Meridian Corridor on Friday to pick up wrappers, aluminum cans, cigarette butts, plastic bags, and other litter. It’s an easy way to show neighborhood pride, and it’s one of the many things we do as a company to protect the environment and give back to the community.   

We clean up environmental contamination

We’re a national full-service environmental consulting firm solving complex environmental issues. We investigate and clean up environmental contamination for small business owners, large multinational organizations and governments including dry cleaners, municipalities, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, legal, banks and lenders, manufacturers, industrial launders and textiles, petroleum and agribusiness. The ultimate goal of our work is to use our collective expertise in environmental science, geology, and engineering to clean up properties for our clients and the surrounding community.

We’re bound together by our common value to look after the environment 

We’re a group of inspired scientists, geologists, and engineers that cares deeply for the planet and understand the importance of protecting our environment. This passion fuels us both inside and outside the office. Our employees regularly volunteer their own time to events that protect the environment and enrich the community. We’re also a proud member of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) Partners for Pollution Prevention. 

Read more about the Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention and how we prevent waste at the office each day

Our commitment to the environment is what brings us together 

We are committed to protecting the environment, and this is part of the company’s DNA. Our employees inspire each other to be environmental stewards and commit to more sustainable behaviors. Here are three quotes to help inspire you to live an environmentally conscious life. 

You can download the below graphics and share them on social media with the hashtag #WorldCleanupDay and tag @EnviroForensics. 

 

 
 

 

We invite you to be environmental stewards every day

Making the world a cleaner place doesn’t necessarily require you to volunteer your time with a neighborhood cleanup group, although we highly recommend it. You can pick up litter during your daily routine, whether it’s on the morning jaunt from your car to the office, or your evening walks around the block with your dog. Here are three simple tips to incorporate litter pickup into your day-to-day life: 

1. Carry napkins: One of the biggest mental obstacles to picking up litter is the germ factor. Not wanting to touch it with your bare hands is a reasonable excuse. Carry napkins in your purse or pockets to give yourself an added layer of defense when you pick up that discarded beer can on the sidewalk. 
    
2. Carry hand sanitizer: If you don’t want to carry napkins around, a small bottle of hand sanitizer can go a long way in giving even the most fastidious germaphobe some peace of mind.
    
3. Know what you should and should not pick up: There are some things a napkin or hand sanitizer just won’t protect you from. For these items, it’s better to report them to the proper authorities. Things like:
   • Needles
   • Human waste
   • Personal hygiene products
   • Electrical items
   • Dead animals
   • Bottles of liquid
   • Unlabeled bottles

You can help cut down on the amount of waste being created. Check out our list of 10 things you can do to reduce plastic pollution.

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This post is brought to you by the EnviroForensics Sustainability Council

The EnviroForensics Sustainability Council advances education through community relations and implements sustainable practices in our operations and facilities.

The Indiana State Fair is a celebration of the state’s economy and has been running since 1852. Its roots are based in agriculture and are an annual recreational attraction for Hoosiers. It promotes agriculture through competitive exhibits of livestock and displays of farm products and includes carnival amusement rides and games to automobile racing and concerts. 

This year, EnviroForensics’ Sustainability Council, whose mission is to advance the education of sustainability through community relations and implement sustainable practices in our own operations and facilities, is partnering with the American Dairy Association of Indiana to replace plastic straws with biodegradable straws at the Dairy Bar. 

Cities and companies across the U.S. are starting to phase out or even ban plastic straws to start curbing the negative impact plastic pollution has on our oceans and marine animals. According to the National Park Service, “500 million plastic straws are used every day in America. That’s enough to circle the Earth twice”. For reducing plastic consumption, every bit counts and we’re at a crucial point to start changing our habits. If we keep at our current rate of plastic pollution, “by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish” (For A Strawless Ocean).

To combat this trend, the American Dairy Association is switching to biodegradable straws at the 2019 Indiana State Fair. If you’re going to the Indiana State Fair this year, stop by the Dairy Bar and support their switch from plastic to biodegradable straws.

For more tips on reducing plastic, please read 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Plastic Pollution.

Cleaning up contamination and protecting the environment is one of EnviroForensics’ missions, and for our employees, that mission goes beyond the job description. Protecting the environment drives how we conduct ourselves in our lives and habits. On June 12, EnviroForensics pledged to implement voluntary environmental initiatives at all our offices, share information and expertise with other businesses, foster environmental stewardship among our employees, and help raise public awareness. EnviroForensics is proud to join the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention program. The members are comprised of Indiana industries, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that volunteer for a public-private partnership with the IDEM. Each member takes the Partners Pledge to affirm their commitment to promote pollution prevention and environmental stewardship. The partner members engage in environmental stewardship within their business by promoting practices, procedures, and plans that aim to achieve measurable reductions of pollution.

As an environmental engineering firm, EnviroForensics creates healthier community through remediating and removing environmental contaminants. And by taking the Partners Pledge, we are committed to implementing practices and procedures that can lead to even better outcomes for the environment. 

As part of our pledge to raise awareness, we are sharing our internal procedures and best practices for reducing waste and our carbon footprint. 

6 Ways to Be an Environmental Steward

1. Recycling

We have clearly marked recycling bins in every common space in our office. Next to each recycling bin is a list of items that can be recycled for the purpose of continuing education. We also collaborate with the Indiana Recycling Coalition for recycling training seminars.

2. Paperless document prep and delivery

We are consistently refining our own approaches and encouraging regulatory agencies in using digital preparation and submittal methods to reduce the amount of paper used during project report submittals, which also reduces fuel consumption that would have otherwise been used to deliver the documents. Additionally, we recycle and shred our used paper, and have saved roughly 39 trees so far this year.

3. Reducing the generation of investigatory waste

We manage project implementation with an emphasis on reducing the generation of investigatory waste while maintaining remedial objectives. This is implemented through the refined boring selection to reduce the number of borings required at a site, and the implementation of the most appropriate drilling methods that will reduce waste generation.

4. Implementing appropriate site controls to prevent the release of contaminants during remediation

Environmental remediation can be the destruction and/or removal of contaminants from impacted media. We pride ourselves on designing and implementing efficient remedial systems that remediate the target media with minimal generation of waste. This is implemented through reuse of system components and includes research and identification of expendable components that are environmentally friendly upon expiration.

5. Partnering with a local high school

EnviroForensics has an outreach program with Herron High School that includes regular educational workshops at our office. Pollution prevention and remediation issues are discussed, and best practices are identified to educate the students.

6. Neighborhood Cleanup Days

EnviroForensics organizes neighborhood cleanup days to pick up discarded waste in the streets, parking lots, and blocks around each office. It shows that we take pride in keeping our corner of the neighborhood clean, and we hope it inspires others to do the same.

At EnviroForensics, we deeply understand the importance of sustainable business practices and encourage everyone to implement these practices in your own businesses and homes.  

For tips on reducing waste, check out our 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Plastic Pollution blog post. 

Take the pledge to reduce pollution

Help protect the environment in Indiana. The Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention program provides its members with a forum to network with other businesses, share their pollution prevention experiences and ideas, and discuss member integration into IDEM’s environmental policies and programs. 

Learn more about how your company or organization can join the Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention Program.