Women at Work 9349

Alice Jacobsohn

Members of the Environmental Industry Associations (EIA) Women's Council elected their 2009 board of directors as part of their Executive Round Table, held at the Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa in Phoenix in October. The new board is:

President: Nancy Bretas, Republic Services

Vice-Chair: Margie Campbell, New Waste Concepts

Treasurer: Christine Loch, Allied Waste

Secretary/Membership-At Large: Holly Waters, Harris Waste Management

Fundraising: Kirsti Nelson, Otto Environmental Systems

Education: Steve Smith, Hydro GeoChem

Community Relations/Marketing: Ashley Harris, Waste Management

Membership Committee: Holly Waters, Harris Waste Management

Scholarship: Mary Margaret Cowhey, Land & Lakes

The President's Tour

Every year since 2005, the president of the Women's Council organizes a tour for members. This year, President Melissa Gauger, marketing manager for International Truck, led 25 members on a tour of Dallas facilities.

The first stop was the International Truck plant in Garland, Texas, where 11 different truck models are assembled. This complemented last year's tour of International Engine's Chicago plant.

Next, the group toured Duncan Disposal's customer service call center in Arlington, where 12 agents field calls for the entire Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. The tour then headed to the Arlington City Landfill, which receives an average of 2,600 tons of waste per day. Duncan has managed the landfill since 2003.

From there it was on to the Independent Environmental Services Inc. (IESI) construction and demolition debris landfill in Fort Worth, a Type IV landfill that processes 2,000 tons of material per day. The group then toured Abitibi's material recovery facility in Arlington and the IESI Haltom City Transfer Station in Tarrant County. They wrapped up with a visit to IESI's recycling facility and collection operations, where they were briefed on the new Type I landfill, which is currently being permitted.

Education Program

The council provided a range of educational opportunities this year. In October, guest speaker Thom Metzger, EIA's director of communications and public affairs, discussed NSWMA's new public education campaign, "Environmentalists Everyday."

In November, as part of a webinar titled "Climate Change and Solid Waste Management," presenter Ruth Abbe, HDR's national practice leader for zero- waste planning, shared her knowledge and expertise about developing source reduction and sustainablity programs.

At Waste Expo 2009 in Las Vegas, the Women's Council will host a box lunch on June 8. Guest speakers Jim Perry, president and CEO of Waste Industries, and Jim O'Connor, chairman and CEO of Republic Services, will talk about positioning their companies for growth.

"Where Does My Garbage Go," a coloring book produced by the council, is a great environmental education tool for tours, municipal meetings and classrooms. Proceeds support the council's education and scholarship programs.

Finally, this is the third year of the EIA Women's Council scholarship. All NSWMA and WASTEC member company employees and their dependents are eligible (see below).

Membership in the Women's Council is open to all waste industry employees. To join, please contact Peggy Macenas at 800-679-6269 or [email protected], or visit www.eiawc.org and click on "Membership." Also visit the site for scholarship information or to purchase copies of "Where Does My Garbage Go?"