Friends, family, and community members joined the CHMM Chapter and Milwaukee Riverkeeper on Saturday, April 23rd for the annual Earth Day clean-up.  A total of fifty volunteers enjoyed the sunny spring morning while cleaning up trash at Krueger Park in Brookfield.  The deer were also active, creating a number of sightings and a few close encounters.  In addition to collecting 32 bags of trash, the park was the source of the winning entry for “most unusual item found” (pictured right) presented at the Hoyt Park after-party – a moss covered baseball that strangely resembled a chia pet.

Are you interested in being considered as a Speaker at one of the 2016 Conference session slots?  Now is the time to prepare and submit your papers on  a wide variety of topics, including:  Pollution Prevention, Greenhouse Gas Regulations, Air Rules and Regulations, Recycling, Storage Tanks, Emergency Planning and Right-to-Know Issues, Hazardous and Solid Waste Transportation, Treatment and Disposal, Groundwater Issues, Training in an environmental or safety discipline, Health and Safety Requirements, Sediment Projects, Sustainability, Resource Recovery, Wastewater Treatment, Stormwater Enforcement, Environmental Management and other topics relevant to the EHS field.  Please note that the papers should not be sales-oriented.

Submissions will be peer-reviewed by the Conference Committee.  Note the deadline of February 12th.  For more detailed information on how to submit the information, click here: http://fetinc.org/website/call-for-papers/

Keeping your CHMM credential requires recertification every 5 years.  CHMMs must file using the on-line tool at the IHMM website www.ihmm.org/certificants/chmm.  A minimum of 200 Certification Maintenance Points (CMPs) is required; up to 100 CMPs can come from active practice – 20 points per year for continuous full time employment.  A minimum of 100 CMPs must be earned for Professional Development such as continuing education, seminar attendance, mentoring, earning a new degree or a new professional certification.  Did you know that serving in a leadership position in the FET or the CHMM Chapter can earn up to 20 recertification points each year?  Contact the FET office or any FET CHMM officer if you’d like to serve in a leadership position. We are always looking for people to help. New ideas are always appreciated.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  The IHMM recently upgraded its web applications.  Some recertification information did not transfer properly.  Individuals who filed for recertification in early 2015 are advised to sign into the IHMM website and check the status of your certification.  Contact the IHMM if there are any concerns.

A big Thank You to everyone that stopped by the WI CHMM Chapter booth at Environment 2015.

It seems inevitable that at any CHMM chapter meeting, the most commonly asked question is about CHMM re-certification.  One easy way to help meet your re-certification requirements is to attend Environment 2015 at the Country Springs Hotel & Conference Center held on October 27-29, 2015 in Pewaukee, WI.

By attending the 2-day conference and one of the Tuesday Professional Development Courses, you have the opportunity to earn CMPs toward required annual certification maintenance points for professional development activities for the 2015 calendar year.

Earn 10.0 hours for attending the conference which includes 31 sessions over two days covering such topics as GHS, Emergency Response, Storage Tanks and SPCC, plus much more.  In addition, FET will host six Professional Development Courses on Tuesday, October 27th which can earn more CHMM credits:

• Environmental, Health & Safety Primer – 6.75 Hours
• DOT HazMat Training and Certification – 6.25 Hours
• Air Quality Course– Up to 6.25 Hours
• Journal to Sustainability – 2.5 Hours (Half Day)
• Stormwater Course – 3.0 Hours (Half Day)
• OSHA’s New Global Harmonization Rule – 3.0 Hours (Half Day)

Visit the FET website:  www.fetinc.org to review each course agenda.  This 2015 Conference meets the requirements as a qualified activity under IHMM’s Recertification Program for the CHMM credential.  For more information on CHMM maintenance points, visit http://www.ihmm.org/certificants/chmm

Check out all that Environment 2015 has to offer by checking out the conference brochure http://anyflip.com/iulz/ytqt and join us in October – plus don’t forget to stop by the WI CHMM Chapter /FET booth at the Exhibition and see the activities that are planned for CHMMs.  Contact the FET office at 262-437-1700 or info@fetinc.org for personal assistance.

It is my pleasure to announce the new officers of the Wisconsin CHMM Chapter.  The new president-elect is Bob Evangelisti, Robert Evangelisti, LLC and the secretary is Liz Schuller, Alpine Compliance.  Congratulations to both, we thank you for your willingness to continue your good work with the Chapter.  Kathy Bates, the current president-elect, will be the President for the next term from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.

– Cheryl Moran, CHMM, WI CHMM Chapter Nominations Chair

Thank you to everyone that joined our first “Lunch and Learn” on January 28th.

Wisconsin’s Green Tier program is designed to encourage, recognize and reward companies that are committed to superior environmental performance. Green Tier encourages businesses to voluntarily collaborate with the DNR, and applicants must also have a good environmental record as well as implement an Environmental Management System.  Using Green Tier, Wisconsin’s business community can apply new initiatives to improve environmental performance beyond current standards.  Click here to view the presentation: 2015 CHMM Webinar – Green Tier

Thanks to everyone who attended the CHMM breakfast meeting on Tuesday, December 16th.  We had a great discussion about potential upcoming chapter events, enjoyed good company and had delicious food as always!

Thanks to everyone that stopped by the WI CHMM chapter booth during Environment 2014 last month.  And a special thank you to all of the CHMMs that helped staff the booth and Liz Schuller for taking care of all of the booth set-up and take-down.

As a reminder, in May of 2013, The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) announced that IHMM certificants can now gain certification maintenance points (CMPs) for mentoring a colleague. This policy was approved by the IHMM Board of Directors and allows IHMM certificants, professionals holding either a CHMM or CHMP, to gain a maximum of 10 CMPs per year for mentoring a colleague on a subject associated with an IHMM credential blueprint. CMPs are awarded according to a scale of mentoring hours.

“Mentoring provides a great opportunity for individuals to advance their professional and personal development through interpersonal relationships,” said Atanu K. Das, Chair of the CHMM Recertification Committee. “Both the mentor and mentee benefit from this interaction and I am pleased that IHMM will now recognize and credit certificants for this activity.”

Certificants can start to submit recertification claims for mentoring starting July 1, 2013.