Although there are only a few months left in the fiscal year, we have a busy schedule planned for the next two months. I eagerly await next month's meeting where our panel discussion will focus on "Striving for Environmental Excellence: Consumer and Investor Demands." Other planned functions include a kick-off meeting for a QEP study group, combined elections and social meeting, ERG workshop, science fair judging, and a community service project. Look inside this newsletter and in future correspondence for more details on these upcoming events.

Looking back we have had some excellent program meetings this year. Topics included cogeneration facilities, air pollution control methods, alternative fuel vehicles, regulatory compliance issues and two plant tours - Trigen Energy's Cogeneration Facility and Hussman's Powder Coating Process. I would like to thank all of our speakers for sharing their technical and regulatory knowledge with us. In addition, I thank the officers, directors, committee members and others for making each program a success!

Over the past two years, both the Home Office and our Section have been emphasizing membership, membership! Realizing my term as Chair is almost over, I began reflecting on what A&WMA membership means to me. When I first arrived in St. Louis nine years ago, I was not only new to the community, but was also new to the environmental business. After spending five years in the exploration and production of oil, I decided to switch careers from finding oil to cleaning it up. My career path switch led to my master's degree in environmental engineering and moving to St. Louis. Although my education prepared me well in many ways, I was new to the regulatory front and the consulting business. Nona Hancock, 1992/93 Section Chair and a co-worker at the time, introduced me to the local A&WMA Section. In unfamiliar surroundings and without much environmental experience, I felt unsure. How could I, a rookie, contribute to this organization? At my first Section meeting, I remember admiring the members with years of experience and excellent regulatory knowledge. "Will they even want to talk to me?" I asked myself. After a few meetings, I found, however, that everyone was friendly and sociable.

Several years later, Tim Venverloh asked me to run for a position on the Board. I remember having to solicit a speaker for my first meeting program. I was so nervous! I just knew the speaker would say "no", but instead the person said, "I would be honored to speak for A&WMA." I came to realize that A&WMA is a very respected professional organization, and people really are honored when asked to do something for it.

An opportunity then came along for me to give back to the organization by becoming an officer. While I was giving my time and efforts to meet the challenges of an active organization, I realized I was also on the receiving end by improving my leadership skills. My membership has provided me many other benefits. I have grown technically and gained regulatory knowledge through both educational workshops and program meetings. Membership has provided me numerous networking opportunities. Through the people I have met in the environmental community and through the reputation of our Association, I feel I have access to a vast pool of resources that I can call on to help me broaden my skill base and further my professional development. Lastly, A&WMA has provided me with a social outlet to make friends and to enjoy the companionship of others with mutual interests.

To summarize, the more I became involved with the Association, the more I got out of it. If you are seeking further professional growth opportunities, I encourage each of you to become more active in the Association by either participating in local Section events or at the International level. In our Section, areas of activity include the board, officers, and six committees. For our local Section, nominations will be accepted in April for three board members and officers. Elections will be held in May. At the International level, there are four councils that coordinate activities to make the organization a success. These councils include the Technical Council, Education Council, Sections and Chapters Council, and the Environmental Commerce Council. If you have any questions on any of these areas, please contact Dennis Dubitsky or me. Become involved, you might just be surprised in the benefits waiting for you!

In addition, I thank you for assisting the board and me and for making this another successful year!

Cynthia Pavelka, Chair cpavelka@purina.com

To become a corporate environmental leader, each company strives for environmental excellence. Over the last several years, buzz words such as "environmental excellence, environmental sustainability, industrial performance metrics, environmental performance, ISO 14001" are commonly used to communicate environmental stewardship and to build public trust. Why is this important? With increasingly competitive markets and readily available information on the internet, consumers and investors can easily assess a company's environmental performance. With the extreme demand on stock performance, corporations not only have to look at financial returns, but also need to protect shareholder value through risk reduction and environmental stewardship.

At this month's meeting, we welcome Ms. Ellen Jaffe of Salomon Smith Barney, Mr. Robert Wilkinson of Thompson Coburn, and Mr. Hugh Share of Anheuser-Busch to share their expertise on this subject. In a panel discussion format, the following issues will be addressed:

• Why are consumers and investors interested in environmental performance?
• What are the legal requirements for reporting environmental performance and liabilities?
• External Reporting Methods - company websites, annual reports, SEC 10-K reports, government databases
• What methods can be used to promote your corporation as an environmental responsible organization?

Please join us on April 18 th at 11:30 a.m at the Cheshire Inn Restaurant. We have asked each panel member to speak for 10 -20 minutes. After their opening remarks, we will open the meeting to discussion and questions. Directions to Restaurant: From I-64/40 east, take McCausland Exit and go north to Clayton Road. Turn left on Clayton and make an immediate left into Cheshire Inn's parking lot. From I-64/40 west, take Clayton/Skinker exit, restaurant on left. Free parking is available in the Inn's parking garage. Telephone number for the Inn is 314-647-7300.

Ms. Ellen Jaffe is licensed to act as a Securities Broker by the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as in the States of Missouri and Illinois. In addition to holding licenses for Series 7, 63 and 65, she is also licensed to provide life and health insurance in Missouri and Illinois. As a consumer investigative reporter, Ellen followed business, environmental and social issues affecting local and global communities. In 1988, she took a break to raise her family. When she returned to the workforce as a financial consultant, she knew her backgound following the markets and simplifying complicated information would be helpful to clients. Ellen brings her own personal style to the job. She's found an investment niche that she's dedicated to-Socially Responsible Investing. "I'm passionate about it," says Ellen, noting that she derives satisfaction from helping her clients make money and support their beliefs at the same time.

Since 1998, Ellen has worked for Salomon Smith Barney as a financial consultant. She develops retirement, educational and investment plans for individuals, corporations, families and foundations. From 1975 to 1990, she has had multiple reporting responsibilities at the major TV networks, including news anchor, anchor morning cut-ins during "Good Morning America", investigative and consumer reporter, producer, and editor. Her local St. Louis affiliations since 1980 have been with KDNL-TV (ABC), KMOV-TV (CBS), and KTVI-TV (ABC). Awards and commendations include:

• United Press International: 1st Place, Investigative Reporting (twice)
• National Press Club: 1st Place, Top 25 Markets & Networks, Best Consumer Journalism
• Missouri Broadcaster's Association- 1st Place, Investigative Reporting
• Emmy Award Winner (twice) and seven-time Emmy Award nominee
• Investigative Reporters & Editors Annual Top Stories
• Honorary chairperson for scores of walks and fundraisers for various charities
• Listed in Co-op America's "National Green Pages"
• Member Social Investment Form

Mr. Robert (Bob) Wilkinson is a Partner in Thompson Coburn's environmental practice area. His practice includes environmental compliance, permitting and enforcement defense. He has extensive experience with air and hazardous waste compliance and has represented clients on wetlands, water, toxic substances (including PCBs) and other issues. Mr. Wilkinson has also represented clients in connection with complex corporate transactions (acquisitions, mergers and divestitures) and has advised clients on remediation issues. He has represented clients before a number of state regulatory agencies, U.S. EPA regional offices, as well as U.S. EPA headquarters. He has also spoken and written on various regulatory issues and has been active in various industry groups and rulemaking advocacy efforts.

Mr. Wilkinson was formerly an Environmental Attorney for Monsanto Company. He had primary responsibility for air pollution compliance issues for all of Monsanto's domestic locations as well as primary responsibility for boiler and industrial furnace regulation compliance issues at Monsanto. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Wilkinson was an environmental manager for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. in New Orleans.

Mr. Hugh (Bert) Share began his career with Anheuser-Busch Companies in 1982 at the Baldwinsville, NY brewery in wastewater treatment operations. He is currently the Manager of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Performance at corporate headquarters in St. Louis. Bert's primary responsibilities focus on many of the company's environmental integration strategies, including:

• Performance metrics and internal and external reporting
• Supplier environmental requirements
• Environmental review for capital projects, new packages, and new products
• Employee awareness and communications programs
• Environmental goal formation

He earned a B.A. in Biology from the State University of New York at Fredonia and is currently working toward a Masters degree in Environmental Policy and Management through the University of Denver. Bert and his wife have two children.

Meeting Sponsored by Sverdrup Civil, Inc.

13723 Riverport Drive Maryland Heights, Missouri 63043 314-436-7600 Website: sverdrup.com

The circle represents a perfect, unending balance. It promotes the image of a continuing dialogue, a roundtable forum for ideas. Using the circle as the basis for the Air & Waste Management Association logo visually communicates the idea that all ideas and opinions are welcome. The environment is represented in the logo as a two-part pattern of earth and air. A subtle motif of a mountain soars into the upper part of the logo as its reflection is cast into an imaginary pool of water below. The symmetry of a neutral balance of information about the environment is portrayed. The effect of technology is also conveyed in the logo. The striped elements that cross the upper and lower layers of the logo call to mind the impact that responsible technology can have on protecting the world around us.

Mark your calendars, an informative meeting on becoming a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) or an Environmental Professional Intern (EPI) will be held at the Engineers' Club on April 11. Mr. Ken Hagg of URS Corporation is the certifying representative for the Institute of Professional Environmental Practice (IPEP) in our area. Ken will be leading the meeting to help answer questions regarding applications, professional qualifications and exam requirements. To help prepare for the exam, several study guides are available through A&WMA. Samples of these study guides will be available to review at the meeting. In addition, you will have an opportunity to meet others who have expressed interest in forming a study group. If you are unable to attend, but are interested in the QEP or joining the study group, please contact Cynthia Pavelka at cpavelka@purina.com.

Why become a QEP or EPI? The QEP is the first and only credential of its kind. It is a multi-media, multi-disciplinary, fully accredited credential that requires environmental professionals to see "the big picture" and to have the skills and knowledge to solve "real world problems." Through the QEP certification, environmental professionals demonstrate the breadth and depth of their knowledge and experience. They also agree to abide by IPEP's Code of Ethics.

The QEP is distinguished from other certifications by its cross-disciplinary nature, its qualifying education prerequisites, its rigorous application and examination process, and by its continuing education requirements for recertification. The QEP establishes standards for the environmental professional and provides a career track for new professionals entering the field. It does not take the place of specialized certifications or registrations, but rather is a unique credential that serves to link and coordinate environmental practice. Six premier environmental organizations have recognized the worth of IPEP and its QEP certification. They are aware that a meaningful certification program is absolutely necessary in the profession today and actively continue to support IPEP. (Reference: Reprinted from IPEP.org website.)

Meeting Time:	5 - 6 pm
Date:	April 11, 2000
Location:	Engineer's Club 4359 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63108

ERG Teacher Training Workshop