December 2019 Newsletter, Issue 3 P a g e | 1

Thanks for reading the SWEP Three Rivers Newsletter! This is a semiannual publication and offers a closer look at SWEP, our members, and events. If you would like to contribute to our next issue, please contact our Communications Committee Chair!

A NOTE FROM YOUR 2019 SWEP VICE CHAIR As the SWEP Three Rivers Chapter closes its second official year of operation, we have come quite a long way. Our organization has reached over 130 members and continues to increase with support from local companies, organizations, non-profits, and students! We certainly would not be here without the dedication and hard work from the board members and committee volunteers. However, we are always in need of continuing support and volunteers as the chapter grows. More importantly we are in need of ideas for events, speakers, and charitable organizations that reflect the ideals of the chapter and our membership. Please don’t be shy and reach out to us with your thoughts for the upcoming years! I am personally proud of our 2019 achievements, including our Mentorship Committee event at the University of Pittsburgh, our signature “A Conversation with Rich Fitzgerald” event, and the many Public Service Committee events that are reflected within this newsletter.

As I transition into the role of 2020 SWEP Three Rivers Chair, I am even more proud of the programming we have put together for the coming year (see page 5 a preview of upcoming events). Our Board has a passion for providing fun networking events while always thinking of career development / mentorship, supporting environmental stewardship and promoting women leaders throughout the three rivers region. These ladies also keep me grounded, provide a sounding board and career guidance, remind me to get outside and have fun, and inspire me to keep on going when work-life balance chaos becomes overwhelming. We sincerely hope that each of you find the same value in our organization and find life-long connections.

As we close 2019, I want to thank all our supporters! We wouldn’t be successful without the tremendous support of our speakers, sponsors, and members! We look forward to getting to know you all better in the coming year.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2020!

Mallory Griffin, PE

Officers

Chair: Heather Tahon, Geosyntec Consultants

Vice Chair : Mallory Griffin, JMT

Secretary: Kimberly Kennedy, ALCOSAN

Treasurer: Cindy Zuch, Collective Efforts

Membership: Lauren Terpak, AECOM

Committee Chairs

Programs: Hannah Baldwin, Babst Calland

Communications: Amanda McNally, Geosyntec Consultants

Mentoring: Renee Krynock, A.D. Marble

Nominating: Mallory Griffin, JMT

Public Service: Amanda Love, Moody & Associates

Sponsorship: Holly Douglas, Cosmos Technologies

Visit our website at www.swep3rivers.org

to learn more about SWEP!

SWEP THREE RIVERS BOARD MEMBERS

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WOMEN, WIGLE AND WORKWEAR: A NETWORKING EVENT TO BENEFIT DRESS FOR SUCCESS SWEP Three Rivers hosted Women, Wigle & Workwear: A Networking Event to Benefit Dress for Success Pittsburgh at the Wigle Distillery Tasting Room in the Strip District on June 13. This was our first event combining a charitable cause with program-free networking and it was a huge hit! Attendees were encouraged to bring gently used workwear, accessories, and toiletries to donate to Dress for Success, a non-profit with the mission of empowering women to achieve independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and developmental tools to help women thrive in both work and life. And, boy, did our attendees rise to the occasion! We packed two large clothing racks full of donated dresses, suits, blouses, and slacks, along with several boxes of toiletries and accessories. While enjoying each other’s company (and the cocktails and hors d’oeuvres), attendees also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from Estée Lauder for makeup and skincare consultations, chat with a personal style specialist from Macy’s, and peruse the selection of goodies available in the basket raffle.

PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN LEIGH ROTH Through the generosity of basket raffle donors, our signature sponsor, Monaloh Basin Engineers, and our attendees, we were able to donate hundreds of items and $1,961.00 in cash to Dress for Success Pittsburgh. Dress for Success was ecstatic to receive

such a large donation from our membership. The donations will make a real impact on the lives of local women on their journey to financial independence and will provide empowerment to achieve their career goals.

PHOTO CREDIT: KAITLYN LEIGH ROTH

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY: ANNUAL ALCOSAN OPEN HOUSE On September 21st, SWEP members participated in the ALCOSAN’s 17th Annual Open House. The ALCOSAN Open House is the region’s largest environmental festival that includes a variety of activities, exhibits, tours, and demonstrations. Event attendees also enjoyed free lunch, popcorn, and cotton candy!

PHOTO CREDIT: MALLORY GRIFFIN The SWEP Public Service Committee designed an experiment to educate children about buoyance and to test their boat building skills. Several household products including foil, popsicle sticks, pool noodles pieces, and corks were used to create boats. Not only was the goal to have each boat float on water, but also

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to test the amount boats were able to hold before sinking. If a participant’s boat sunk too soon, they had the opportunity to improve the design and try again.

PHOTO CREDIT: MALLORY GRIFFIN The children outperformed our expectations and the results were off the charts! Literally! As children made their capacity predictions and loaded beads onto the boats, the SWEP team kept track on a giant graph. Below is a scatter chart of the actual bead capacity of the boats engineered at the event.

A special thanks goes out to the SWEP committee members that helped design, set up, and volunteer at the event – Amanda Love (Moody), Melissa Caruso (Baker), Mallory Griffin (JMT), Megan Carson (Tetra Tech), Erica Love (Tetra Tech), and Kristen Schawalder (HDR)! This was a great event to give

back to the community and SWEP will participate in the coming years.

SWEP MEMBERS-ONLY RAIN BARREL WORKSHOP On October 2nd, SWEP members participated in an exclusive rain barrel workshop presented by PA Resources Council (PRC), and hosted at ALCOSAN. Workshop participants learned how to harvest rainwater from their roofs, store the water in rain barrels, and use it to water their gardens. The workshop raised awareness of watershed issues, demonstrated how to install a 55-gallon rain barrel, and introduced other rainwater harvesting options such as rain gardens.

PHOTO CREDIT: MALLORY GRIFFIN Participants had the option to purchase a 55-gallon rain barrel at a significant discount during event registration. SWEP was excited to offer this cost savings to members so they could use the skills learned during the workshop at home, making watershed protection and conservation easy to practice in our own backyards. The workshop was relevant as urban areas around Pittsburgh see more and more significant precipitation events affecting combined

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sewer overflows, flooding, and runoff pollution. Utilizing a rain barrel is a small way that individuals can take part in helping to reduce runoff. Additionally, gardeners can save money on costly water bills! A special thanks to Nancy Martin from PRC, to ALCOSAN for providing the event

location, and to the SWEP Public Service Committee members who helped to organize the event! If you missed this event and are interested in attending a rain barrel workshop, PRC offers a variety of workshops around the Pittsburgh region. Please visit their website at www.prc.org.

MEET A MEMBER: RENEE KRYNOCK Renee is an Environmental Scientist with A.D. MARBLE in Pittsburgh. Renee recently joined the SWEP Three Rivers Board as our new Mentoring Committee Chair. We hope you’ll enjoy getting to know her as much as we have!

What do you find exciting or challenging about your job? I love the diversity of tasks and environments. Some days I may be wading in a stream, and others I may be at a city hall doing research. It keeps things fresh and allows me to flex a variety of skill sets.

What aspect of your education have you found most important in your career? The ability to see the big picture when I may only be working in minutiae has been really valuable to me. It helps me see the importance of different permits, environmental justice, etc. when those individual tasks can sometimes feel mundane.

What is your favorite Pittsburgh attraction and why? As a North Side resident, I’m biased toward Observatory Hill. It’s scenic and quiet and surrounded by Riverview Park so it’s got everything I need.

Tell us about a woman who inspires you. My grandma was a fierce and intelligent woman, whose father died in a coal mining accident when she was a child. Even though she had a hard-earned scholarship, getting a job was more practical for a woman at that time struggling to make ends meet. Her work ethic and problem-solving inspire me, her sacrificing her dream of education drives me, and her story constantly motivates me to turn from our region’s tragic environmental history toward a more optimistic future.

What inspired you to volunteer to chair the SWEP mentoring committee? When I first joined the committee, I was looking to be mentored. But as I got more involved, I saw that there are always opportunities to facilitate connections and mentoring relationships, even if you don’t feel like a wise old sage (because who really does?). I hope to create lots of chances for SWEP mentoring success in 2020!

What advice would you give someone starting out in the environmental industry? Know how to see the good through the bad. It’s true for any industry, but it can feel especially oppressive in ours. It can’t always be about wins but stay motivated because it’s worth it!

PHOTO CREDIT: RENEE KRYNOCK

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A REVIEW OF 2019 CHARITABLE GIVING SWEP Three Rivers Chapter is proud to have donated to the following deserving organizations in 2019:

Dress for Success Pittsburgh: https://pittsburgh.dressforsuccess.org/

ALCOSAN’s Purple Shirt Campaign – Brother’s Brother Foundation: https://brothersbrother.org/

Pittsburgh Food Bank: https://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/

Satchels for Caring: https://www.satchelsofcaring.org/

Womenspace East: http://allegheny.pa.networkofcare.org/veterans/services/agency.aspx?pid=WomanspaceEastIncBridgeHousingProgram_758_2_0

The Alexis Joy Foundation: https://www.alexisjoyfoundation.org/

THANK YOU TO THE SWEP THREE RIVERS ANNUAL SPONSORS FOR THE UPCOMING 2020 YEAR!! Diamond Level – $2,500 (Exclusive Sponsorship):

Sapphire Level – $2,000 (Exclusive Sponsorship):

Ruby Level - $1,500 (Exclusive Sponsorship): Currently Available, for information on sponsoring, contact hdouglas@cosmostechnologiesinc.com

SWEP Three Rivers’ mission is to provide women environmental professionals, working within the Three Rivers region, a community that recognizes and supports women's leadership and career development and provides a forum to share information and ideas and promote public service within the environmental field.

Links: Visit our website: https://swep3rivers.org/

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Copyright © 2019, Three Rivers Society of Women Environmental Professionals, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation. All rights reserved.

January

Mentorship Committee – “Speed Dating” Networking Event

February

Programs Committee – PADEP Update: Brownbag Lunch

March / April

Programs Committee – “A Conversation With…”

Public Service Committee – Earth Day Volunteer Events

May / June

Public Service Committee – Signature Charity Networking Event

July

Programs Committee – Etna EcoDistrict Tour / Site Visit

September / October

Public Service – Annual ALCOSAN Open House

Programs Committee – Environmental Justice Panel Discussion

November

Programs Committee – “A Conversation With…”

* Networking Happy Hours and Volunteer Events to be shared throughout the year.

Interested in joining a committee? Visit: https://swep3rivers.org/Committee

2020 UPCOMING EVENTS