Excited members and invited guests gathered on Thursday evening, April 10th, to celebrate individual and organizational accomplishments on behalf of the Environmental Management Association (www.emaweb.org). Attendees networked, enjoyed the event, learned about some special students and honored those companies making great strides in the industry at the Detroit Athletic Club. This event brought together environmental management companies in Michigan and beyond for an evening of celebration, connection and sharing ideas on how achievements within their industry are making our region a cleaner, safer and better managed environment.
As attendees arrived, they were treated to hors d’oerves and an opportunity to view three special science projects prepared by students from local area high schools. Award winners for these projects included Halima Begum from Detroit International Academy for Young Women, whose science project covered “Fire Proofing Homes for Safer Communities and Cleaner Environment“ and Syed Raza from Dearborn Center for Math, Science and Technology, whose science project was entitled “Bioremediation of CO2 Utilizing Emanilia Huxleyi“. The first place award of the competition went to Katharina Grenn from Dearborn Divine Child, whose project was entitled “Sugar Beets: The New Gasoline”. All three projects were very impressive and had professionals from the audience and podium remarking they were far beyond anything they were used to seeing before at the high school level.
After a wonderful dinner, guests had an opportunity to hear from the evenings’ Master of Ceremonies, Elizabeth Gibbons, Secretary of the EMA and Environmental Compliance Coordinator for Marine Pollution Control. The ceremonies started with an honoring of Larry Russette, General Manager of The Environmental Quality Company and outgoing President of the association.
The incoming Environmental Management Association President, Kevin O’Mara, Owner of Midwest Analytical Services, also presented remarks and handed out the Environmental Science Scholarship Awards on behalf of the EMA. Awards were also handed out to exemplary organizations that have significantly contributed to the regional environmental industry who are setting the pace for future growth and expansion in the industry.
One of the 2013 EMA finalists at the event was World Medical Relief, which takes medical supplies and pharmaceuticals that would otherwise be discarded and sends them to organizations and third world counties that can use them. Another finalist included Brown Brothers Farm, who run a closed loop farm which grows the food supplied to their cows and milks the cows in a state of the art milking parlor. The third finalist was Great Lakes Filters, which treats industrial waste and turns it into environmental products, thereby avoiding any deposits of the waste into landfills. As one would suspect, this company is in high demand for turning waste streams into viable products and it currently has business with General Motors, Steelcase with more business to come from other large companies. Quite a technological accomplishment.
First Place and the Environmental Management Association’s Achievement Award winning organization for 2014 belonged to Advanced Surface Technologies (AST). Accepting on behalf of AST was John O’Brien, their President.
Mr. O’Brien spoke on behalf of AST and provided a brief presentation describing the company’s role in revolutionizing the auto industry paint shop maintenance and cleaning process, making it a safer and environmentally friendlier process. In providing a very tough, industrial resistant Teflon-like coating to the paint shop interior, less paint sticks to surfaces, allowing for easier recovery of sprayed paint, substantially easing the cleaning process of such equipment and making the very harsh environment for humans much more tolerable. Mr. O’Brien indicated companies can justify the expenditure for this new coating process based on less worker injuries, fewer medical days and less medical costs for employee injury. Truly an amazing product with vast implications for a formerly difficult and dirty process.
All who were involved in planning the evening deserve praise as the participants had a very enjoyable evening. The events’ Gold Sponsor, Environmental Quality Company, Silver Sponsor, Midwest Analytical Services and Mentor Sponsor, Sams Club, all deserve additional recognition for supporting this event and making it possible for participants to enjoy such a wonderful evening. Participants are looking forward to next years’ rendition of the Environmental Management Associations’ Awards Dinner. In the interim, check out the great upcoming events from www.emaweb.org and stay engaged to grow the organization throughout 2014 and beyond.
On behalf of www.GreeningDetroit.com ROBERT E. MATTLER, Associate Broker, Attorney and LEED AP BD+C, is Director of Green Brokerage at Armada Real Estate Services in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He speaks and writes about emerging green real estate issues in Michigan and elsewhere. For more information, contact Bob at Armada Real Estate (248) 855-1221; or by e-mail: bmattler@armadarealestate.com
