The New Jersey Water Environment Association (NJWEA) provides education and training to help members obtain and maintain certification. Photo courtesy of Tom Grenci, NJWEA president.
The New Jersey Water Environment Association (NJWEA) has received the 2016 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award in the adult-led environmental education category. The award recognizes outstanding environmental performance programs and projects in the state.
“It certainly was an honor to receive the award,” said Tom Grenci, NJWEA president.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin (left) and New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (Lawrenceville) Executive Director David Zimmer (right) present the award to (from left) Rick Eustace, NJWEA past president; John Lagrosa, NJWEA executive director; Tom Grenci, NJWEA president; Jim De Block, NJWEA deputy executive director; and Joseph Bonaccorso, NJWEA continuing education manager. Photo courtesy of Grenci.
During the past year, NJWEA has provided approximately 50,000 hours of training to the environmental community. Its education program includes a diverse set of courses, and offers training and documentation that meets rigorous requirements of oversight organizations. In addition, these members of the Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, Va.) Member Association routinely volunteer to work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on policy matters and offer expertise to groups and programs outside the state, according to a NJDEP news release.
NJWEA received the 2016 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award in the adult-led environmental education category from the state of New Jersey. Photo courtesy of Grenci.
“What we do keeps our society safe,” said Grenci in an article published in the NJWEA magazine, Effluents. “The public needs to know of our profession if we expect them to support public funding for things like improved infrastructure, upgrades and maintenance, salary adjustments, and other initiatives. We have and will continue to reach out to the public, step by step, teaching the importance of our profession.”
NJWEA, founded in 1915, consists of about 2800 water sector professionals and student members. Volunteers working through NJWEA’s committees develop and deliver continuing education and training to members, educate the public about water quality issues with a focus on middle school through college students, and offer the Dr. Raymond M. Manganelli Scholarship Awards Program to support educational opportunities for future water sector leaders.
March 29, 2017
Achievements, Featured