August Mack Environmental

ASTM Standard E 1527-05, the standard by which all Environmental Professionals conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, is currently under review for revision and update. A significant revision in the works pertains to agency file reviews, and when they should be included. The current standard lends itself to subjectivity on the matter, with many consultants falling back on the "reasonably ascertainable" definition as justification for a change order to cover the additional expense of an...

Did you miss Earth Day this year too?  Earth Day was April 22nd and I'm not going to lie, I missed it. But, really? Shouldn't we make every day Earth Day?  

If you are interested in finding Earth Day(ish) events in your area, check out http://act.earthday.org/events/search/distance/18940

About half way down the page on the right hand side, type in your zip code and get to tree-huggin!

I was excited to find out that Nicole Collett and I were selected to speak at the upcoming 2012 National Safety Council Congress.  This year's event is in Orlando, Florida and we will be speaking on Tuesday, October 23rd in the 4:00-5:30pm sessions.  Nicole works for August Mack Environmental and is located in our Pennsylvania office. The is the second consecutive year that Nicole and I will be co-presenting at this conference.

Don't forget to register for and attend the webinar tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. titled "REACH Requirements for Manufacturers." The requirements of REACH will be presented in this webinar including the specific requirements for substances, preparations (mixtures), and articles along with the Declaration of Intent, prohibited substances, compliance milestones, and the input of components and chemicals into the International Material Data System (IMDS).

Yesterday kicked off the 2012 National Work Zone Awareness Week, which is held during one week every April to increase awareness regarding safety concerns for both workers and motorists in construction or work zones. This year’s theme is “Don’t Barrel Through Work Zones! Drive Smart to Arrive Alive.” The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), along with the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)...

Today one of August Mack's employees, Kent Johnson will be speaking on a panel on the topic of Environmental Deal Killers for Revitalization and Affordable Housing Projects at the Building Michigan Communities Conference (formerly known as the Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing). This conference, in it's 14th year, will be held at the Lansing Center in Lansing, Michigan on April 23 - April 25, 2012. For more information on the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, visit the MSHDA...

Register now for the free August Mack webinar covering the important topic of recordkeeping. This webinar will be on Thursday, May 17th at 10:00 a.m.

August Mack - Dublin, Ohio representatives, along with "Green Columbus" sponsors participated in a Cleanup of the Olentangy River Bike Path this past Saturday.  The cleanup was part of Green Columbus' 6th Annual Earth Day, titled Root Down, and resulted in the collection of trash you see here, as well as wheelbarrows full of recyclables, not pictured.  Special thanks to our friends at BHDP Architecture for  hosting this workgroup!

If you missed my recent webinar on Due Diligence: Phase I vs. Phase II explaining the differences in these types of Environmental Assessments.  You can view the presentation slides at:

http://www.slideshare.net/camander/environmental-due-diligence-12561597

Don't forget that Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22, 2012. Consider how you and your family might celebrate this unique holiday by taking steps to be more "green" minded this weekend. The things that you can do to reduce your impact on the environment are endless, but here are a few quick ideas:

• Ride your bike or walk instead of always driving
• Plant a tree or some spring flowers
• Stop using paper goods
• Eat more locally grown food
• Print on both sides of the paper
• Pay bills and read magazines online

The Roch Rockets are at it again! They are battling cancer through the American Cancer Society's DetermiNation endurance event program. Seven team members will be participating in the 2012 Indianapolis Mini Marathon and collecting donations that go to the American Cancer Society. Five of the seven team members are August Mack employees. We are so proud of their commitment to this worthy cause. To donate to their efforts, go to the TEAM DONATION PAGE. Pictured to the left are several of the team...

Last week August Mack's Lancaster, Pennsylvania office hosted a career day for a middle student in the local community. The student, who demonstrated a strong interest in a future career doing environmental work, was able to experience many daily tasks in the life of an environmental consultant. For example they began the day with a working group conference call, prepared information for meetings, learned about health and safety training and emergency action/fire prevention plans. By the end...

A lot of the Phase I ESA's we perform are conducted as a result of a property purchase or lender risk management practice prior to financing/refinancing. However, requests from savvy business owners looking to acquire a competitor are also becoming popular. What I admire about the situation (hence the savvy compliment) is that the business owner isn't necessarily looking to acquire the property, just the business. So they're performing a Phase I ESA to establish a baseline condition...

The Indianapolis Star and WorkplaceDynamics recently named August Mack as the 15th best place to work in Central Indiana in the small business category. The list was published in the Sunday edition of the Indianapolis Star and is available for online viewing here. To learn more about the unique organizational culture at August Mack that led to this award, you can also read our company profile. Thanks to all of our outstanding employees for helping to make August Mack such an outstanding place to...

Don't forget to register for and attend the webinar tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. titled "The RCRA 2020 Universe." This webinar will focus on the program’s development and goals, requirements of inclusion to the 2020 universe, and the overall results intended to be achieved by the program.

I've written a number of posts over the last year about Phase I Environmental Site Assessment quality control from various angles. A seemingly hardy system of checks and balances, if you will. From defining the All Appropriate Inquiry standard and knowing your consultant to helping better understand what a Recognized Environmental Condition (REC) means. But as often happens, Bill Wagner writing for commonground (a social networking community for environmental consultants and commercial real...

Register here for the August Mack webinar on Thursday, May 24th at 10:00 a.m. titled "Phase II Subsurface Investigation & Commercial Real Estate Transaction". This webinar will discuss the additional investigative steps that are commonly conducted after environmental issues have been identified during the preliminary stages of a commercial property transaction. The discussion will include the varying scopes of a Phase II subsurface investigation, including a description of the process, the...

Did you realize that Earth Day is approximately a week away? Earth Day began on April 22, 1970 and has been tied to countless efforts around the world. In fact, some even credit this movement as being the starting point for the sustainability or "go green" campaigns and efforts that are now such a common part of our everyday life. Recognizing the ever-increasing importance of sustainability and "green" initiatives in business today, August Mack is also leading the way in developing and...

One tradition that many Hoosiers participate in every Spring is the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in downtown Indianapolis, which is the largest half-marathon in America. This unique race, in it's 36th year, is most known for it's loop around the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On May 5, 2012 several dedicated August Mack employees will be running in the race as part of the the American Cancer Society DetermiNation Endurance Program. DetermiNation is a movement by people all over the U.S. who...

Representatives from the Dublin, Ohio Transaction, Remediation, Closure, and EHS compliance teams will be participating in the Green Columbus' Earth Day 2012 "Root Down" Celebration and Workgroups.  Workgroup participation will include a variety of events on April 14th and 15th, as well as a collective effort on Saturday April 21st to clean up the Olentangy River Bike Path.  Find a workgroup for yourself at the Green Columbus website http://earthdaycolumbus.org/, then join us at the citywide...