ECA host third annual environmental conference

The Environmental Contractors Association (ECA) hosted their third annual environmental conference entitled "Managing Risk From Environmental Threats in the Built Environment." The conference featured a keynote address by Caswell Holloway, the city's deputy mayor for operations. He spoke about the need for a strong partnership between the city and the ECA's environmental contractors in making sure that N.Y. is prepared for any emergency or environmental catastrophe. He went on to mention that N.Y. was preparing for Hurricane Sandy—a reference that later proved to be one of the first urgent clean-ups after the event. (The ECA later partnered with the city's dept. of environmental protection only days after Hurricane Sandy made landfall.) Additional speakers included Kay Gee, OSHA area director for Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens and Carter Strickland, Jr., commissioner of the dept. of environmental protection. Remarks were given by Dan Walsh, director of the office of environmental remediation, and Cosmo Servidio, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Launch of the ECA's Environmental Advisory Council The conference was also marked by the formal announcement of the ECA's Environmental Advisory Council, an elite group of environmental remediation professionals working toward advancing the remediation industry by creating an open dialogue for best practices and sophisticated methods. The Council has been put in place to address issues ranging from asbestos abatement to pathogen contamination and reducing risk for all facilities through effective, safe remediation. The Council's mission is to identify environmental issues and mitigation plans through best practices that promote environmental wellness. Additionally, the conference brought together three panels to discuss the current state and the future of environmental remediation. The first panel, "Identifying Health and Safety Risks" was led by: Dr. Michael Berg, Technical Director, EMLab P&K Mark Drozdov, Technical Director, Creative Environment Solutions (CES) Corp. Uday Singh, Hygienist, IH Consultants Richard Tobin, Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention, New York City Fire Department The second panel, "Managing Environmental Risks" was led by: Gary DiPaolo, Vice President of Safety, Structure Tone, Inc. Douglas Glorie, Senior Project Manager, STV Incorporated Morris Napolitano, President, Degmor Inc. Steve Pirovolikos, Director of Safety, Structure Tone Inc. Kathy Roye-Horn, Director of Infection Prevention, Hunterdon Medical Center The last panel "Legal and Financial Implications" featured: Marlene Linders, President and CEO, Philders Group International Inc., Costa Constantinides, Democratic District Leader, 36th Assembly District Part A For more information, please contact Joyce Nastasi, Executive Director of the ECA, at (212) 682-0062 or [email protected]. About the Environmental Contractors Association (ECA) The Environmental Contractors Association (ECA) is New York's premier trade association of environmental contractors. The ECA has grown from just a handful of contractors in 1996 to over fifty member firms today that specialize in hazardous materials removal, emergency response, asbestos removal and infectious detection and clean-up among other environmental services. The ECA works with a wide range of clients and has built a strong reputation through partnerships with public agencies that shape environmental policy. For more information about the ECA and its services, visit www.ecanyc.org or contact Joyce Nastasi at (212) 682-0062 or via e-mail at [email protected]. ###