When people discuss mentoring, we think of an experienced and trusted adviser in a company or institution who trains and counsels new employees or students. Whether mentoring takes place at, or outside of work or school, it is invaluable, and will provide many benefits to both the mentor and mentee. Individual careers, businesses, our clients and the entire geoscience industry will all profit by sharing our expertise and experiences. I was fortunate to have several excellent mentors throughout my career, and I continue to learn and grow with them. As a mentor, I always learn more about myself and our industry with every mentoring experience. I get immense personal satisfaction from being a mentor myself and sharing my knowledge; one of many reasons I was excited for the opportunity to join the APGO Pilot Mentoring Program. Continue reading “Maximizing the Mentoring Experience”
Conducting a Better Phase I ESA
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Over the last 30 years of consulting I have reviewed a lot of Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) reports for a variety of purposes, including: due diligence, peer review, and for AESAC members seeking accreditation as a Certified Environmental Site Assessor (CESA). The majority of these reports have been satisfactory; a few have been superb, and a small number were of extremely poor quality. The worst offenders usually related to an improperly scoped project and/or poorly conducted research. As such, I thought a few suggestions for practitioners to conduct better Phase I ESAs would be helpful. Continue reading “Conducting a Better Phase I ESA”
Choosing an Environmental Consultant
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Should you find yourself in need of a consultant for environmental assessment or remediation, there are several things you should consider. The first step is to determine why you require an environmental consultant. A common reason is to conduct an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for purchase and/or financing of commercial and industrial properties; but it can also be required for regulatory compliance, or to address known or suspected contamination. The work required can become complex and expensive and it is imperative to confirm all regulatory, legal, financial and due diligence requirements. Costly remediation and loss of value at contaminated sites can turn your investment ‘nest-egg’ into a liability. It still amazes me the number of people that will invest millions of dollars in real estate, but refuse to spend the time and fees necessary to evaluate and understand their environmental risks. Continue reading “Choosing an Environmental Consultant”
The Importance of Life-Long Learning
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One of the many things I enjoy about teaching AESAC training courses is that I always learn something new each time – yes, even an old dog like me can acquire new tricks. This got me thinking about the importance of life-long learning. As science fiction author Isaac Asimov stated “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” Whether for personal or professional reasons; the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge is a fascinating and important task that can too often be neglected in our busy lives. Continue reading “The Importance of Life-Long Learning”
The Polluter Always Pays; Don’t They?
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One of the questions I hear often from clients and property owners is “If we didn’t cause contamination, why should we worry about responsibility for it?” Fairness and common sense dictates that the responsible polluter should be held accountable; however, recent court rulings and ministerial orders show this is not always the case. The scenarios below demonstrate that apparently “innocent” third parties should indeed be worried. Continue reading “The Polluter Always Pays; Don’t They?”
