When raising teenagers in the home, you ready yourself with ‘no’ or ‘I don’t think so’ as standard replies to the many requests that arise. Such a response is not taught; it is a natural defence to protect your wallet.
Number one daughter asked me this month week if she could go on a field trip with a handful of friends. ‘No,’ I replied. ‘You might want to read about it, Dad.’ ‘I don’t think so.’ Ending the conversation there would have been a bad move on my part, because it turns out that the activity was an all volunteer, two-day beach clean-up of solid waste debris, involving surrounding high schools, private waste companies and local municipal public works department, supported by various chapters of environmental organizations. And the composition and weight data obtained would be combined with other ongoing studies to compare seasonal and annual trends. Her reasons for going may have been suspect (boys), but such organised events bring me to the theme of this article: an often unrecognised aspect of the waste management field is the many examples of individuals giving back.
Beyond the numerous beach and highway clean-ups, armies of volunteers contribute in various ways to demonstrate concern for environmental matters, to educate and bring visibility to the public, to accomplish deeds and make improvements where many hands are required to do so and, importantly, to advance technical capabilities of the field itself.
Our professional associations, due to their typical non-profit structure, manage scholarship funds so as to supplement deserving high school and college students entering the engineering, science and environmental fields. Cash contributions to these funds typically come from come from the Association memberships (individuals, companies, institutions, etc.). Similarly, memorial funds are developed for those we remember for their excellence in the field and long-term contributions. Such set-aside funds often are linked to furthering research and/or education in the field.
Various organisations have initiated research foundations, gaining significant monetary and in-kind support from individuals, companies and other institutions to support academic and field research. Frequently, results are published for the benefit of the waste management field. Noted experts in our sector devote many hours to non-paid activities, including reviewing and writing technical publications, participation in regulatory and technical task forces or working groups, and serving on boards and commissions for the governance of groups. Let’s not forget the contributions for those serving in the difficult position as judges for the competitive contests and excellence awards which take place within our organisations.
These acts of giving yield fresh examinations of topics, new research and data and long-term partnerships with students and young professionals to give an encouraging perspective about solid waste management as an employment option or choice. Such acts also reflect on the leadership within our sector, as individuals and organisations seek to improve the present situation for the future. My thanks go out to this community, these unnamed volunteers, who serve to inspire others to continue this valuable process.
Greg Vogt is Managing Director of ISWA and ISWA Editor of Waste Management World.
e-mail gvogt@iswa.dk
