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7th Annual Student Summit

Your Future and the Planet's:
Environmental Careers and Graduate Education

Photos & Summary

Agenda

Institution Exhibitors

Career Exhibitors

Co-Sponsors & Contact

PHOTOS AND SUMMARY

On Friday, April 13, 2012, Manhattanville College hosted the the 7th Annual Student Summit of the Environmental Consortium: Your Future and the Planet's: Environmental Careers and Graduate Education. Over 75 student attendees participated, representing 23 institutions from around the region. During lunch, professionals from 10 different environmentally related fields talked candidly with students about their work and the profession in general. The Summit concluded with a career and graduate program fair with 32 exhibitors.

What students had to say:

“Talking to the professionals at lunch was the best part for me. I'm about to graduate and it was really great to be able to hear how folks from different sectors spend their time, and how they got to where they are.”

“There was a nice taste of what else is out there other than what I have focused on in my studies.”

“The location was amazing and the speakers were very interesting.”

AGENDA OVERVIEW

11:30am	Student Registration [Reid Castle Main Floor]
12:00pm	Welcome [West Room] Robin Cautin Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Manhattanville College Michelle D. Land Director Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges & Universities Meet and Greet Networking Lunch [West Room] Be inspired, informed, and gain new perspective as professionals from diverse environmentally related employment sectors will join students during lunch and visit each table to highlight different career paths and provide industry insight. Professionals from the following fields will network with students: Engineering, Planning & Design Kristine Ba [biography] Senior Cost Engineer Turner Construction Company Conservation Biology & Ecology Evon R. Hekkala [biography] Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences Fordham University Environmental Policy John Cronin [biography] Beacon Institute Fellow Clarkson University Senior Fellow for Environmental Affairs Pace University Academy for Applied Environmental Studies Communication & Journalism Stephen Fairchild [biography] Assistant Director, Television Department of Communications Wildlife Conservation Society Sustainable Farming Ken Kleinpeter [biography] Director of Farm and Facilities Glynwood Environmental Education Lisa Mechaley [biography] River of Words Program Manager/Educator Hudson Highlands Land Trust Non-Profit & Advocacy Lauren Hughes [biography] Policy Director Grassroots Environmental Education Sustainable Corporation Ben Larkey [biography] Senior Manager, Corporate Environmental Affairs Sharp Electronics Corporation Government Joseph (Bud) Nicoletti, Jr. [biography] Commissioner of Public Works / City Engineer City of White Plains Web Communications Andrew Revkin NYT Dot Earth Blogger Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding Pace University
2:00pm	Environmental Career and Graduate School Fair
4:30pm	Adjourn

BIOGRAPHIES

Kristine Ba
Senior Cost Engineer
Turner Construction Company

Kristine Ba received a B.S. in Art & Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a M.S in Civil Engineering from SUNY Buffalo. Kristine has worked at Turner Construction Company in Milford, Connecticut, for 7 years experiencing a variety of roles in estimating, superintendence, project engineering and cost engineering. She also is a LEED Accredited Professional and serves as the business unit Sustainability Manager. Her current position is Senior Cost Engineer.

John Cronin
Beacon Institute Fellow
Clarkson University
Senior Fellow for Environmental Affairs
Academy for Applied Environmental Studies
Pace University

For 37 years, John Cronin has dedicated his career to environment and innovation. Cronin has worked as an advocate, legislative and congressional aide, commercial fisherman, professor, author and filmmaker. He is known internationally for his Hudson River work, for which the Wall Street Journal called him "a unique presence on America's major waterways." He served as Hudson Riverkeeper from 1983-2000, a position that has inspired a legacy of 200 Waterkeeper programs that fight pollution on six continents.

Cronin, who helped found the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges & Universities, is the Senior Fellow in Environmental Affairs at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies at Pace University, where he is helping to create an interdisciplinary program of undergraduate and graduate studies in environmental innovation and policy.

Under Beacon Institute's alliance with Clarkson University, Cronin steps out of his five-year appointment as Beacon Institute director and CEO to be named the first Beacon Institute Fellow at Clarkson University. He will head the Policy and Information Innovation Project, a collaboration of Pace University, Clarkson and Beacon Institute, that will use technological innovation to improve and reform water policy, and train the next generation of environmental leaders.

Cronin co-authored The Riverkeepers, with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and has written numerous articles, including for the Op Ed page of The New York Times. He wrote and co-produced the film The Last Rivermen, named an outstanding documentary by the Motion Picture Academy Foundation. His many honors include Time magazine Hero for the Planet, an honorary Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law, the William E. Ricker Award from the American Fisheries Society, the Thomas Berry Environmental Award, and a national Jefferson Award, known as the "Nobel Prize for public service."

Stephen Fairchild
Assistant Director, Television
Department of Communications
Wildlife Conservation Society

Stephen Fairchild oversees all television and film projects that deal with WCS’s Global conservation programs and The Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Central Park Zoo and the New York Aquarium. He also oversees the production of all WCS promotional and informational videos.

Before coming to WCS in 2002 Fairchild’s firm, Drew/Fairchild Inc. created and produced science based programs in cooperation with National Geographic, the BBC, PBS, the Discovery Channel and Reader’s Digest

Evon R. Hekkala
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Fordham University

Evon R. Hekkala is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Fordham University. She earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University studying the sustainable management and evolution of crocodiles. Dr. Hekkala’s research interests lie at the intersection of behavioral ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation policy. These broad themes can be divided into four focal categories: 1) sustainable management of wild populations; 2) behavioral mechanisms of vulnerability including demographic susceptibility, hybridization and maintenance of species boundaries; 3) taxonomic status and its relationship to protection of biodiversity including areas of endemism; cryptic lineages and phylogeographic patterns; and 4) the identification of genetic change over time in response to anthropogenic factors including the utilization of archival DNA to identify baseline conditions for recovery and to predict genetic outcomes under climate change scenarios.

Much of Dr. Hekkala’s current research seeks to link long-term anthropogenic changes with changes in biological attributes of wild populations. In recent months, her work in rediscovering extinct species has been featured in notable peer-reviewed publications, in addition to being picked up by the mainstream press. First came her discovery last May with a team of scientists that the Rana fisheri, or Vegas Valley Leopard frog, was not extinct, as was generally believed. Her most recent discovery, published in September 2011 in the journal Molecular Ecology, offered proof of two separate species of the Nile crocodile—one that had been subsumed within the identity of the other for hundreds of years. Dr. Hekkala is currently at work on a project with century old chipmunk specimens from the American Museum of Natural History. She is using their DNA to measure whether their Sierra Nevada mountain populations have moved their habitats to a higher elevation in the last century due to climate change.

Lauren Hughes
Policy Director
Grassroots Environmental Education

Lauren Hughes, Esq. serves as Policy Director at Grassroots Environmental Education, a non-profit environmental health organization located in Port Washington, NY. She manages Grassroots’ EPA award winning program “The ChildSafe School,” working with state lawmakers, agency personnel and non-profit organizations to draft policies and organize educational campaigns regarding issues of diesel exhaust, green cleaning products and turf pesticides. Ms. Hughes has a B.S. degree in biology and philosophy from the University of Scranton. She received a J.D. degree from Pace University School of Law.

Ken Kleinpeter
Director of Farm and Facilities
Glynwood

Ken Kleinpeter is the Director of Farm and Facilities at the Glynwood Center in Cold Spring, NY. Ken was a founding partner of Hollow Road Farms, the first sheep dairy and artisan cheese making operation in the United States. He later set up and managed for 10 years, The Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, which became the largest sheep dairy operation in the United States. He was Farm and Genetic Center Manager for the Heritage Breeds Conservancy and also served as a consultant for USAID small farm projects in Macedonia and Bosnia.

Ben Larkey
Senior Manager, Corporate Environmental Affairs
Sharp Electronics Corporation

Ben has over 30 years of broad experience in sustainability and corporate responsibility, including: Fortune 500 (Waste Management, BFI Organics, Canon, Verizon); entrepreneurial/start-up (organic waste composting); minority ownership; A & E Consulting; government (Westchester County NY Recycling Coordinator); and non-governmental organizations (first Manager, National Recycling Coalition).

Since October 2011, He has been the Senior Manager of the Corporate Environmental Affairs Department of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC), a U.S. subsidiary of Sharp Corporation (SC), a Japanese manufacturer of energy efficient electronic products and solar energy equipment with net sales of over $35 Billion and about 55,000 employees in many countries. Sharp is celebrating its 100th year anniversary in 2012.

Mr. Larkey and his team’s responsibilities include: environmental and associated regulatory review, compliance, and metrics reporting for North American sales and operations including-facility and operations waste reduction, recycling (cartridge, e-waste, facility) and energy efficiency; review of environmental service vendors and corporate procurement; managing the ISO14001 program; support the completion of increasing customer sustainability surveys requiring information about Sharp’s sustainability initiatives and achievements; a Corporate Social Responsibility program; and recognition programs such as USEPA Energy Star.

He has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Hartford 1980 and an MBA, Marketing from the Pace Lubin School of Business 1991. A detailed background is available on Linkedin.com.

Lisa Mechaley
River of Words Program Manager/Educator
Hudson Highlands Land Trust

Lisa Mechaley has a quarter century of experience in education, including 18 years teaching science to 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at Eagle Hill, Greenwich Country Day and Rippowam Cisqua School. She also spent and 6 years as an environmental educator working with children and adults at Teatown Lake Reservation, Eliot Pratt Education Center, Greenwich Audubon, and College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor Me. Lisa was also a staff developer for Bank Street College in the Mt. Vernon School District. She ran workshops for elementary-school teachers from Mt. Vernon and other districts at Tiorati, Bank Street’s environmental outreach station in Harriman State Park and also helped run a graduate course in science education there. For the past 3 years, Lisa has been the Educator/Manager of the River of Words program at the Hudson Highlands Land Trust. She has a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Central Connecticut State University, and a M.S. in Science Education from Southern Connecticut State University. Lisa has lived in Garrison, N.Y. for 15 years with her husband Andy Revkin, their two sons, Jack and Daniel, and dog Oscar.

Joseph (Bud) Nicoletti, Jr., P.E.
Commissioner of Public Works / City Engineer
City of White Plains

Bud is the City Engineer and Commissioner of Public Works for the City of White Plains where, since 1985, he has been recognized for money saving environmental initiatives that have reduced emissions and encouraged then use of alternative fuels. As a result, in 1994, White Plains was designated the first Clean City in New York State, by the U.S. Department of Energy, and in 1996 was a municipal winner of the Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention; an honor usually bestowed upon commercial entities. Most recently the Commissioner accepted the award for his central role in the City's recognition as one of the "Greenest places in Westchester County” as per Grassroots Environmental Education and Pace University.

Commissioner Nicoletti and the 250 employees in the DPW, are responsible for the City's public water supply, storm water system, wastewater collection system, refuse and recycling collections, engineering and computerized mapping system, the entire fleet of 400 vehicles and all Municipal properties, buildings, parks, fields and facilities, highways, roads, bridges and public rights-of-way.

Prior to his employment with the City of White Plains, he was the Assistant Chief Engineer and Product Planning Manager for Volvo of America - Bus Division, where he oversaw the design and production of transit buses. He did a six year stint in the Air Force Reserves and received an honorable discharge in 1976. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Manhattan College in 1973 and has been a Licensed Professional Engineer since 1979. He was named NY State Society of Professional Engineers - Metro Chapter "Engineer of the Year" in 2007; American Public Works Association - New York Chapter "Public Works Official of the Year" for 2008; and "Outstanding Engineer in Government" in 2009 by the Lower Hudson Valley Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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INSTITUTION EXHIBITORS (List will be populated as exhibitors register.)

Spaces for environmentally related graduate programs are available solely to member institutions of the Environmental Consortium.

Providing leadership training to face today's profound environmental and social challenges, Bard's Graduate Programs in Sustainability offer qualified students the chance to realize their calling to change the world. Both our MS policy programs at the Center for Environmental Policy and the new MBA in Sustainability integrate cutting edge interdisciplinary curricula, faculty advising, professional training, and leadership development.

The twelve-month M.A. Program in Climate and Society at Columbia University trains professionals and academics to understand and cope with the impacts of climate variability and climate change on society and the environment. This rigorous program emphasizes the problems of developing societies.

The Sustainability in the Urban Environment program at City College of New York (CCNY) is a unique new interdisciplinary program. The overall aim of the program is to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills that 21st century workplaces will increasingly demand as the US - and the rest of the planet - undergoes a gradual energy transition stimulated in part by growing awareness of human-induced stress on our environment. We are confident that we are creating an educational program that will serve our graduates over the long haul. We offer a 30-credit Masters of Science (MS) in Sustainability degree curriculum centered on five core courses including a Capstone interdisciplinary team project - an in-depth exposure to a real-world sustainability problem. Our goal is to enable graduates to be innovative and flexible contributors to sustainability solutions for decades to come.

Fordham University, through its Department of Biological Sciences, offers three graduate degrees that allow students to explore issues associated with the environment, conservation, and urban ecology. Fordham offers well-funded and strong ecology-track M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Many graduate students in these programs focus their research on environmental issues, often taking interdisciplinary approaches that meld field and lab research with molecular approaches, such as genetics, stress physiology, and toxicology. Fordham also offers a one-year Graduate Certificate in Conservation Biology that includes two core courses (Conservation Biology and Conservation Law & Policy), two electives, and a practicum – an independent research project or an internship with a conservation or governmental organization. Fordham’s Center for Urban Ecology focuses on the ecology of urban landscapes. Current research takes advantage of Fordham’s locations along a major urban-rural corridor and addresses issues such as the ecological value of green roofs, effects of light and noise pollution, urban stopover habitat for migrating birds, water quality, invasive plants, and urban vector ecology. Fordham’s Louis Calder Center – Biological Field Station is located 25 miles north of New York City and consists of 113 forested acres, with multiple research and housing opportunities for graduate students.

At Green Mountain College, we've focused on teaching about the environment for over a decade. Our distance Master's of Science in Environmental Studies (MSES) program, fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC), is one of the only of its kind in the nation, and is designed to help working professionals develop expertise in environmental issues, then put it to work in their own communities.

Unlike other graduate programs, the GMC master's degree combines the best of online learning with intensive locally applied experience. We call it a bioregional approach to distance education. Rather than learning about environmental studies solely through examples in a textbook, students in each of our courses use their local ecosystems as laboratories in which to experiment with new concepts and skills.

Students choose between two concentrations--conservation biology and writing and communication--and graduate as experts in the workings of their own bioregions. This emphasis on practical application of knowledge prepares students for professional work, whether they are just launching a career or looking for growth in an established position.

Our MSES students graduate with the knowledge and confidence to become leaders. They join a cutting-edge community ready to make a difference.

Manhattan College is one of the oldest and most renowned Environmental Engineering graduate programs in the United States. Manhattan College offers both M.E. and M.S. degrees, and accepts students with Bachelor’s degrees in all Engineering and Science disciplines. The program offers paid Graduate Internships, Graduate Research Assistantship, Endowed Fellowships and Laboratory Assistantships to qualified full-time students. All of these positions include a monthly stipend and 70-100% tuition coverage. Part-time students can often receive tuition reimbursement from their employer or may be eligible for significant tuition discounts. In addition to the M.E. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Engineering, Manhattan College offers an Environmental Engineering option through its B.S. degree in Civil Engineering and an Environmental Engineering Minor for all other undergraduate engineering disciplines.

The New School offers some of the nation's most distinguished graduate school programs in sustainability management and environmental and public policy, international affairs, and design, among others in media and communications,humanities and the social sciences. Integrating the New School tradition of in-class and in-the-field work and interdisciplinary study, each program exposes graduate students to an exciting and challenging course of study headed by a faculty of artists, scholars, and professionals who practice what they teach.

The MS program in Environmental Engineering at Polytechnic Institute of New York University will train you to design water distribution and solid waste management systems, as well as provide you the background you need in environmental chemistry and microbiology.

Our goals for this program are to help you:

Fundamentally comprehend the science and engineering of natural and man-made environmental systems;
Functionally design air, water, and waste treatment systems and components;
Control and operate environmental facilities; and
Understand the modeling and simulation of environmental systems.

Pace University offers several graduate degree programs with an environmental focus. The Master of Science (M.S.) in Environmental Science degree program, offered on Pace University’s Pleasantville campus, prepares students for further graduate study or provides advanced training in a specialized area of environmental science to further careers in environmental consulting, environmental regulation and assessment, governmental agencies, and private foundations. The program also equips secondary school teachers with the appropriate background in order to introduce environmental science into their school’s curriculum or teach AP environmental science courses.

Pace offers Master of Public Administration degrees with tracks in environmental management, government, health care, and not-for-profit management, Students in the MPA program benefit from faculty who are experts in their fields, providing advanced professional training relevant to contemporary conditions. Valuable networking and internship opportunities, close mentoring, and career advisement ensure the professional success of our graduates.

Pace University School of Law is consistently ranked among the nation’s top programs in environmental law. It offers JD programs and the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Environmental Law, including the nation’s first and only graduate level programs with a Climate Change track; a Land Use and Sustainable Development track; and a Doctor of Laws (S.J.D.) degree in Environmental Law. Moreover, Pace Law School offers both full-time or part-time schedules, as well as a January Accelerated Program.

The Ramapo College Master of Arts in Sustainability Studies (MASS) is a ground-breaking program that unites the natural sciences, social sciences and business fields to develop leading practitioners in the emerging field of sustainability. Students, drawn from diverse backgrounds and experiences, will build upon their knowledge and skills to engage in scholarly discourse on sustainability and its professional applications. Students will collaborate with faculty and external partners to promote sustainability in a variety of institutional, organizational, cultural, commercial, and geographical contexts. The program is designed to engage students in the emerging professional practices and scholarly discourses of sustainability. This is an intensive program, with a graduate-level work load, that meets twice a week in the evenings, with once-a-month seminar sessions also held in the evening.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the nation's oldest technological research university. Located in the Capital District of New York State, Rensselaer offers a broad range of graduate programs from five schools - Engineering, Science, Lally School of Management and Technology, Architecture, and Humanities and Social Sciences. Unique programs include interdisciplinary degrees in information technology, the MFA and Ph.D. in Electronic Arts, and extensive opportunities in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and energy and the environment. Students also have the opportunity to choose from a number of dual-degree options.

CAREER EXHIBITORS: Jobs, Internships, Research, Volunteer, and Other Opportunities

Airtek is a full service environmental consulting firm that specializes in environmental management. The firm has provided continuous environmental consulting services including environmental site assessments, and lead, mold, asbestos, and PCB management in the Metro New York Region for over two decades. Since 1988 Airtek has progressively broadened its range of services to meet the expanding environmental needs of the public sector and clients in the real estate, construction and utility service industries. Airtek has completed over $80 million of environmental consulting projects and the firm’s continuous expansion is a testament to its commitment to its clients and its ability to provide straightforward, accurate information and discreet, cost effective services. Today, Airtek is one of the region's leading firms in the area of hazardous materials investigation and management.

Enroll in River University 2012! This July, immerse yourself in the Hudson River, the birthplace of the modern environmental movement, and earn nine Clarkson University credits in Ecology, Green Infrastructure and Water Policy. River University, a program of Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries | Clarkson University, in collaboration with Clearwater, is for any undergraduate student with an interest in the environment. Regardless of your major, you can broaden your experience and ease your academic workload by earning valuable credits over the summer from Clarkson University, a highly respected research institution.

Bruni and Campisi originally is a plumbing, heating and air conditioning company. We specialize in installation and service. This is a well-known established business that has been operating for 30 years. Recently, in the last 3-4 years, we added another division of the company called Bruni and Campisi Energy and Conservation Services. Through this division we assist and install geothermal and solar heating and cooling solutions. We also work with the NYSERDA program to install high efficiency Energy Star rated equipment in homes. This division has its own BPI (building performance institute) certification that allows us to conduct extensive energy audits in peoples’ homes and building to help reduce energy. We can do this by installing a high efficiency heating system or by upgrading your insulation in your walls to limit your heating system use, thus burning less fuel and energy. We use extensive testing equipment such as a blower door, infrared cameras, and balometers to determine a home’s energy loss. Through the NYSERDA programs, homeowners are encouraged and given incentives to complete the work. We provide a detailed report to the customer outlining energy savings measures they can make in their home.

Clearpool offers year-round nature-based education and adventure programs, seasonal activities, summer camp, and facilities for day or overnight excursions. Located on 350 acres of natural woodlands, just 60 miles north of Manhattan, Clearpool features countless ecological resources and extensive wildlife for exploration and discovery. We partner with school districts, educational institutions, and community organizations to provide enriching programs and activities for students of all ages.

Clearwater is an environmental organization founded in 1966 by folksinger Pete Seeger. The organization owns and operates a 106 ft. historic sailboat. The sloop Clearwater serves as a platform to deliver hands-on education programs about the Hudson River's ecology, history and environmental issues. Clearwater offers a variety of volunteer and internship opportunities on the boat, at our music festival in Croton, and through our office in Beacon, NY.

Connecticut Audubon Society conserves Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and habitats. Founded in 1898, Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) operates nature facilities in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury and Pomfret, an EcoTravel office in Essex and an Environmental Advocacy program in Hartford. Connecticut Audubon Society manages 19 wildlife sanctuaries around the state, preserves over 2,600 acres of open space in Connecticut and educates over 200,000 children and adults annually. Working exclusively in the state of Connecticut for over 100 years, CAS is an independent organization, not affiliated with any national or governmental group. Connecticut Audubon Society’s scientists, educators, Citizen Scientists, and volunteers work to preserve birds and their environments in Connecticut. Our work includes sanctuary management, advocacy, environmental education and activities at our Centers, scientific studies, and our Connecticut State of the Birds project.

Elyssa Rothe will be representing NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority)'s Energy $mart Communities Program. She will have information about how to become certified to perform energy audits, understanding the whole-house-approach when conducting or receiving a comprehnesive home assessment, and the incentives available from New York State for enrolling in the proper training courses through the Building Performance Institute (BPI). She will also have information about grant opportunities availabe for On Job Training of energy auditing through the Department of Labor, as well as employers who are currently hiring apprentices.

In 1997, Green Mountain was founded with the mission to change the way power is made. Over a decade later, we remain 100% committed to this mission. From electricity products made using clean, renewable sources like wind to carbon offset products that help neutralize carbon emissions, every single product offered by our company has an environmental benefit. This makes Green Mountain the leading competitive retail electricity provider in the nation that's dedicated to cleaner energy.

Established in 2000, Groundwork Hudson Valley is a unique nonprofit dedicated to getting people and businesses involved in restoring and revitalizing their own neighborhoods, their urban environment, and their watershed (Saw Mill River & Hudson River). Our mission is to help communities help themselves and forging partnerships to increase our effectiveness. We are a "Do Tank"—and accomplish on-the-ground projects. We involve youth in almost every project and have several initiatives with senior citizens. Volunteers participate in all phases, helping plan, design, and install neighborhood and watershed improvements: building community gardens, clearing trashed vacant lots, river clean-ups, invasive vine cutting, planting trees, river and social research and communications projects, Science Barge education, programming relating to the daylighting of the Saw Mill River. We ALWAYS welcome interns and volunteers throughout the school year and summer, and have research that needs doing!

The largest cultural institution in Westchester County, the Hudson River Museum is a multi-disciplinary complex that draws its identity from its site on the banks of the Hudson River, and seeks to broaden the cultural horizons of all its visitors. It engages in the presentation of exhibitions, programs, teaching initiatives, research, collection, preservation, and conservation – a wide range of activities that interpret its collections, interests and communities.

Within the Museum is Hudson Riverama, an interactive exhibit on the ecology and history of the river which takes you on a journey from 5,344 foot Mt. Marcy, in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, to New York Harbor on the Atlantic Ocean.

Since 1973, IVI International, Inc. has provided a full array of integrated construction and environmental consulting services on behalf of real estate owners, investors, and lending institutions. We have conducted thousands of assignments throughout the U.S. and abroad. Our services are designed to protect your interests, mitigate the risks inherent in real estate positions, and to help you realize the maximum benefit of your investment.

IVI's practical and cost effective solutions to environmental risk are paramount in our approach to environmental due diligence. Our services range from Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, asbestos and lead-based paint surveys, to soil and groundwater testing and remediation. The depth and experience of our staff help our clients identify and alleviate environmental liabilities associated with commercial real estate transactions.

Mercury Solar Systems is one of the leading integrators of solar energy services on the East Coast. We have completed nearly 2,000 solar installations of varying complexity for our commercial, non-profit and residential customer base. Our installations reduce the need for fossile fuels to generate power and provide clean alternatives for electricity needs.

NATH Sustainable Solutions provides consulting services implementing cutting edge sustainable solutions to treat food waste onsite to universities, colleges, schools, hotels, nursing homes, corporate cafeterias, hospitals, supermarkets, prisons, among other organizations. As consultants, our main focus is to help our clients understand the facts, the consequences and the solutions to treat food & oil waste. We advise our client on implementing solutions that will help save money, reach their environmental and corporate social responsibility targets, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and provide environmental stewardship with clients, suppliers and communities served.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recognizes that the quality of our environment is fundamental to our concern for the quality of life. DEC's goal is to embrace the elements of sustainability - the simultaneous pursuit of environmental quality, public health, economic prosperity and social well-being, including environmental justice and the empowerment of individuals to participate in environmental decisions that affect their lives.

In order for DEC to accomplish this goal, it needs and offers employment and internship opportunities for qualified individuals looking to make a difference in environmental protection and natural resource management.

DEC's four environmental education centers offer naturalist training internships and volunteer positions. DEC offers summer jobs (directors, counselors and food service workers) and internships and volunteers (assisting staff) at its four residential Summer Environmental Education Camps. DEC offers an AmeriCorps program administered by the Student Conservation Association (SCA). SCA places AmeriCorps members at DEC facilities and non-profit organizations.

The Pfeiffer Center internship is intended for individuals who want to broaden and deepen their understanding of organic sustainable agriculture and the biodynamic approach. This full-time, one-year program combines academic work with hands-on field experience. A strong emphasis is placed on studying biodynamic principles and techniques, including agricultural handwork, plant care, pest management, soil amendment and bed preparation, crop rotation, succession and companion planting, greenhouse work, beekeeping, orchard management, and more. For those with the interest and ability, there is also the opportunity to work with our team of draft horses, both in animal care and fieldwork.

The Pound Ridge Land Conservancy (PRLC) is a private, non-profit corporation with the mission of preserving the semi-rural character of Pound ridge through the acquisition, conservation and stewardship of land in town. The Conservancy’s preserves are kept in their natural state for aesthetic, ecological and education purposes. The preserves are held in perpetuity i.e. they cannot be sold. Several interships are available. These include two bird surveys and one plant ecology internship with a focus on invasives. Several other possible internship/volunteer opportunities exist relating to our off-the-grid green residence- its energy systems- monitoring and data capture- as well as web-based research, outreach and writing. We are also interested in designing volunteer and internship opportunities based on students' interests.

Riverkeeper's mission is to protect the environmental, recreational and commercial integrity of the Hudson River and its tributaries, and safeguard the drinking water of nine million New York City and Hudson Valley residents.

For more than 45 years Riverkeeper has been New York’s clean water advocate. Riverkeeper helped to establish globally recognized standards for waterway and watershed protection and serves as the model and mentor for the growing Waterkeeper movement that includes nearly 200 Keeper programs across the country and around the globe.

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) provides pathways to conservation careers for members with hands-on conservation service opportunities in virtually every field imaginable; from tracking grizzlies through the Tetons, to restoring desert ecosystems in the southwest, to teaching environmental education at Washington, D.C.’s Urban Tree House. We are truly building the next generation of conservation leaders.

SCA’s Hudson Valley Corps members serve at 1 of 23 different sites throughout the region, from Saratoga Springs to New York City. Internship positions range from teaching elementary students about the Hudson River in an After School Conservation Club, to surveying Catskill streams for large woody debris. Members hail from all over the U.S., but the one common denominator among our Corps is an enthusiasm for learning about the environment, for getting things done in our communities, and having fun doing it! The entire group gathers each month to participate in trainings, service projects, and celebrations.

SunBlue Energy designs and installs Solar Energy Systems (Photovoltaic or PV and Solar Hot Water) for both residences and businesses in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The Conservation Division of the Westchester County Parks Department is committed to safeguarding the biological diversity and habitat integrity of the 18,000 acres under its jurisdiction. We operate five nature centers - Marshlands Sanctuary, Lenoir Preserve, Cranberry Lake Preserve, Read Sanctuary, and the Trailside Museum in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation - which are used for environmental education and as the stations from which research projects are run. The nature centers host school trips, scout groups, and the Children's Summer Ecology Program. Paid positions available for those interested in environmental education. Internships are available at several parks assisting with habitat monitoring and restoration, assessing the impact of deer on forest understory, invasive monitoring and eradication, and more. Recently hosted independent research projects include hydrological studies, coyote monitoring, and bird migration patterns.

The Westchester Green Business Challenge (WGBC) is a friendly competition open to all 35,000 businesses in Westchester County, New York. Developed by Westchester County in partnership with The Business Council of Westchester, the WGBC is a public-private partnership designed to help companies move down the path toward environmental sustainability while improving performance and saving money. The program also provides one large umbrella under which green companies throughout Westchester can promote their goods and services.

NOTE: Participation of exhibitors in this event does not constitute endorsement of exhibitors, their products, services, or programs, by the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges & Universities or its members, supporters, partners, or affiliates.

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INQUIRIES

For inquiries, contact Donna Kowal, 914-773-3093, or email info@environmentalconsortium.org (include "Student Summit" in the subject).

Co-Sponsors