Association reaches100th year of environmental stewardship.
Press Release Summary:
From June 26-28, Air and Waste Management Association will celebrate 100 Years of Environmental Stewardship at 100th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Pittsburgh, PA. Association will also publish commemorative Centennial book and feature several retrospective articles in EM magazine taking look back at events, people, and technological and public policy advances that have shaped association's role in environmental stewardship.
Original Press Release:
Air & Waste Management Association To Celebrate 100 Years Of Environmental Stewardship in 2007
Pittsburgh, PA (December 15, 2006) - The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) will celebrate "100 Years of Environmental Stewardship" with its Centennial in 2007.
As part of the celebration, the Association will feature special Centennial activities at the 100th Annual Conference & Exhibition June 26-28, 2007, in Pittsburgh, PA. In addition, A&WMA will publish a commemorative Centennial book and feature several retrospective articles in its EM magazine - taking a look back at the events, people, and technological and public policy advances that have shaped A&WMA's role in environmental stewardship.
A&WMA was created to fulfill a societal need, as smoke - primarily from factories and trains - was an emerging environmental nuisance and public health hazard in the early 1900s. As industrial cities grew, they passed new coal-burning ordinances and required city smoke inspectors to be trained in mechanical engineering. To share effective smoke-control strategies, inspectors from cities around the world called for the formation of an association on an international scale. Out of this, in 1907, the first official meeting of the International Association for the Prevention of Smoke, the forerunner to A&WMA, was held.
Today, A&WMA helps individuals and organizations make sound environmental decisions by providing information, education, and networking opportunities worldwide. Its membership has broadened to include representatives of government, industry, academia, and consulting.
To stay updated on all Centennial-related activities, visit and bookmark the Centennial Web page at awma.org/about/centennial.html.
About A&WMA
The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan professional organization that provides training, information, and networking opportunities to thousands of environmental professionals in 65 countries.
At A&WMA's headquarters office in Pittsburgh, the walls of the library are lined with a range of publications that document the history of the Association. Included in those aging tomes are proceedings from the Association's earliest annual meetings, some of which are so old and worn that they are held together with adhesive tape.
Although their covers are a little worse for wear, the inside pages clearly show how, for the past century, the Association has played a vital and leading role on air quality and waste management issues. As the Association celebrates its Centennial in 2007, what better time than the coming year to look back upon the organization's history and growth? Join us in the coming year as the Association commemorates its 100-year history with a look back at the events, people, and technological and public policy advances that have shaped A&WMA's role in environmental stewardship. The Association will publish a commemorative Centennial book, feature several retrospective articles in EM, and celebrate with special Centennial activities at the 100th Annual Conference & Exhibition in Pittsburgh, PA.
To whet your appetite for the Centennial celebration, following is a brief and random look back at some of the key events in A&WMA's history.
Did you know, for example, that the active membership of the association was first limited to municipal smoke inspectors? For a time, it was. In the early 1900s, smoke - primarily from factories and trains - was an emerging environmental nuisance and public health hazard. As industrial cities grew, they passed new coal-burning ordinances and required city smoke inspectors to be trained in mechanical engineering. To share effective smoke-control strategies, inspectors from cities around the world called for the formation of an association on an international scale. Out of this, in 1907, the first official meeting of the International Association for the Prevention of Smoke, the forerunner to A&WMA, was held.
In 1913, the Association expanded membership to include not just smoke inspectors, but also all individuals interested in the advancement of smoke prevention. Still, for the next few decades, the Association's membership remained closely associated with coal and its usage.
However, as the art and science of air pollution control expanded, so did the Association's outreach, broadening to include smoke abatement, fuel conservation, and health preservation. For decades, the Association experienced consistent and dramatic growth fueled by the need for a neutral forum on public education, technology exchange, and outreach to environmental professionals.
As the organization evolved, the name was changed to the Smoke Prevention Association (1940), the Air Pollution and Smoke Prevention Association of America (1950), and the Air Pollution Control Association (1952).
By the 1970s, environmental awareness had broadened, and the then-named Air Pollution Control Association continued to lead the way with educational efforts aimed not only at reducing air pollution, but also at addressing the growing problems of hazardous wastes. On the heels of these efforts, new federal legislation was passed to address the threats of hazardous wastes.
Because a growing number of members were spending time on waste management issues, the Association resolved in 1984 to implement a sustained and coordinated program to meet the needs of environmental professionals in the general areas of hazardous wastes and toxic substances. By the end of the decade, the Air & Waste Management Association was born.
