Category Archives: Profile

EP Profile: Eric Johnson, Environmental Scientist

EJphoto

Living the environmental professional lifestyle!

Environmental Consultant, Environmental Manager, Environmental Specialist, Environmentalist, they’re all titles that don’t really describe the work and life of an environmental professional. Unfortunately those of us working in this field have all probably been called one of them more than once. Eric Johnson is all of those things, but he’s also an Environmental Scientist, which I think is a great title and descriptor for Eric and the work he’s doing.

I’ve worked with Eric for a few years and caught up with him over the phone to talk about his work and life as an environmental professional. He has worked in environmental labs, at a treatment, storage, and disposal facility (TSDF), consulted with the government, and solved a lot of environmental problems for people who needed his help. Eric currently works as an environmental consultant in Chicago, IL as an Area Environmental Protection Specialist, but let’s just say he does environmental science. Eric also writes about Indiana University hoops for Inside Indiana magazine.

TNEP: Tell me what drew you to this field?

Eric: I was thinking of going into more of a wildlife biologist career path, when I took a CERCLA class. One semester just on CERCLA. The instructor for the class was working for the EPA out of Region V, so there was a lot of real world experience, real world stuff. That’s kind of when I got into the hard side of the environmental science; looking at the nastier stuff. Actually identifying these chemicals and cleaning them up. It really drew me in. Especially growing up in northwest Indiana, which environmentally was kind of a pit. It hit me that, “Hey there’s regulations out there that, 1. stop these things from happening, and 2. work on cleaning up these areas that were torn apart by industry over the years.” Seeing that it would apply to stuff that I grew up with, it kind of hooked me.

TNEP: Was there a moment or a person you worked with when you realize this was good, interesting work?

Eric: There’s a couple of points there. The first one is the instructor I mentioned. The stories and lectures were very interesting. This probably makes me sound like a geek, but it was a 3 hour class and I sat on the edge of my seat because it had my attention.

Then getting to work at a TSDF. I moved up to compliance manager of the lab. If we thought there was a better way to treat the materials, environmentally preferred as well as being a cost centered decision, we’d write that into the permit. it was interesting process to see the sausage making of the permit.

Moving forward, working with the US Army Reserve, I certainly don’t work with the environmentally complex problems, but there are so many facilities to manage at once. The nice thing now is that you are given enough space to do what we want to be as environmentally proactive as we want.

TNEP: Tell me about your interaction with people who aren’t environmental professionals.

Eric: First off, it seems people who aren’t environmental professional have no idea what we do. Even my own wife for years didn’t understand what I did. It’s funny, I’ve been doing it so long that we speak our own language. When you talk to other people, the first thing you get is, “Oh, you’re an environmentalist.” I don’t necessarily like the word environmentalist. I’m more of an environmental scientist. I think of the term environmentalist as more like a casual activist. That’s why I always try to clarify that I’m an environmental scientist. My skin crawls anytime someone uses the term, environmentalist. It makes us sound like we’re a toad in the road of progress. Everyone thinks my job is to protect endangered species. Technically speaking it is part of my current duties, but it’s a very small part. The other part is that people think you’re a garbage man. I’ll tell people I handle hazardous waste and their reaction is, “Oh, you’re a garbage man.”

My wife teaches 4th grade and every year I do an environmental talk for the class. Every year they start asking me what I do, but it always ends up the same way. The first year I did it, it was right after Al Gore’s, Inconvenient Truth. There was a girl in class who saw the video and asked a question about the polar bears. I answered with the basics about global warming and ice melts, etc. After one polar bear question, it turned into, “Bear Talk with Eric Johnson.” How long does it take a polar bear to drown? 5 minutes of straight polar bear questions. My wife says to her class, “No more polar bear questions.” One kid raises his hand, “How long does it take a panda bear to drown.” It’s like, “You’re an environmental guy so that makes you a bear expert.”

Maybe it’s because its a relative new field that people don’t understand what we do. That’s what environmental professionals need, a reality show.

TNEP: Following up on that story with your wife. How has a career as an environmental professional influence your life and your lifestyle?

Eric: It’s had a big influence. I remember when my grandmother was still alive, one day she calls me up. She’s reading the back of her tube of toothpaste and wanting to know if any of these chemicals would cause her gums to be sore. If there’s something with environmental borne pollutants that are causing problems, people will ask me about that.

TNEP: I know you’re a big fisherman. I can imagine it’s played a big part in that.

Eric: Sure, practicing catch and release, joining organizations such as Trout Unlimited, I’ve written for magazines, fishing magazines, environmental stuff that affects water quality. (Eric has written for a Tight Loop, an e-zine about fly fishing in the Midwest.)

One thing I’ve been active with is Pebble Mine in Alaska. They want to put the worlds largest gold and copper mine in a very sensitive spot in Alaska in the Bristol Bay region. It’s one of the last strongholds for the wild salmon. I’ve been active in writing my congressman and the EPA to make sure that area is protected. This is one of the last untouched areas. If there was a good enough reason to put the mine in that area, such as money for the state, but commercial fishing in Alaska is huge. If you’re talking money wise, long term it’s gonna be a push. There’s so many outdoor groups that have signed on to this. One of the companies leading the charge right now is Patagonia. Yvon Chouinard is really fighting it. Also companies like Cabela’s, Orvis, and Sage. There’s a lot of people lined up.

TNEP: Is there anything that you’ve seen that has improved and is there anything that you see is still lacking and needs development?

Eric: I came on in the mid-90’s. It was the beginning of consolidation of the companies that were out there. There were so many people who were hanging a shingle up and now they’re the environmental guy. Consolidation was good because it got rid of a lot of the shadier side of environmental companies. The industry grew up and became a little bit more serious, a little bit more professional.

We’ve almost gone too far with consolidation. There’s fewer and fewer companies out there and what’s been sacrificed is there aren’t really too many niche companies. For example, wetlands delineation. There were companies and that’s what they did. Now you have to go to a larger corporation to do that and they’re looking for big jobs. So small jobs don’t get looked at and don’t necessarily get coveted. They don’t want a wetlands delineation job for 2 1/2 acres. They want a massive site or a hundred small sites.

Even in the early 2000’s there were a lot of companies out there that you’d call to do the work and when they’d arrive on site you’d look at them like, “I don’t think you can do this work. I don’t think you understand what it takes to do this work.” You’d get a company show up to do confined space entry work and they’d bring a full-face respirator and a section of rope. Even the mentality. There’s nothing wrong with having a good time, but I think early on the environmental companies out there were more interested in having a good time than they were than actually accomplishing the task.

It was nice to do this because it got me reevaluating the past 20 years. This is really cool, because this is a good way to set up the environmental fraternity. It still is a very specialized field and it’s not like there’s a whole lot of us out there.

TNEP: “Environmental fraternity”? I like that. Thanks, Eric.

EP Profile: Matt and Joe Trujillo, Intermountain Technical Solutions

When I thought to profile a national environmental professional, there’s very few people who put the “National” in National Environmental Professional more so than Matt and Joe Trujillo. Based out of Tooele, UT, the brothers are the heart and soul of Intermountain Technical Solutions, Inc., one of the premier environmental, health, and safety training companies in the country. They’ve trained over 120,000 students in 30 different subject areas in all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico. National, indeed! I’ve know them as long as I’ve been in the field and am continually impressed with their national influence, all while being based out of a small town in Utah. It was a pleasure, but not easy, to track them down from their busy travel schedules and talk to them about their careers as environmental professionals.

A typical day for Matt and Joe Trujillo.

A typical day for Matt and Joe Trujillo.

TNEP: Tell me how you you got into the field? What drew you to the field?

Matt: I loved Science throughout school and initially wanted to look into the medical profession. As I entered college at the University of Utah in 1983, I found out that a new degree was being offered through the college of health called “Community Health/Environmental emphasis” It sounded interesting, combining the science and public health/medical into one degree.

Joe: When I was still in high school I had an interest in the physical sciences – chemistry, biology, and toxicology. When I enrolled in the University of Utah, my inclinaion was to pursue some kind of degree in these sciences. As an outdoor enthusiast, I really also enjoyed my time in the mountains fishing and saw some big changes at the time – some of the first consumption advisories for the fish we caught and water we drank. I though this was a wonderful marriage of the two things I enjoyed. I thought, I’m gonna make a career of this.

TNEP: Was there a moment, person, or a project when you realize this was good, interesting work?

Matt: Yes, during the early 80’s the county that I lived in became a major player in the waste management business. The military was discussing building the first ever chemical munitions incinerator (nerve agent and blister agent). One of the largest Hazardous Waste Landfills was operating already. A hazardous waste incinerator was being built and a second one was in the planning phases. In addition a low level radioactive repository was also being permitted. I was concerned that these facilities needed much regulatory oversight, so I sought to work for the State EPA and local health department. In 1987 when I graduated from the University of Utah, I began my career with the Tooele County Health Department and State EPA (later called DEQ) as an environmental scientist and regulatory auditor. I loved the challenge and the steep learning curve. In 1990 I went to go work for the hazardous waste landfill called USPCI as the Training Manager over compliance and safety training. I trained over 3,000 employees over a 3 year period. I started looking for 3rd party help to assist me in the training programs and I struggled finding anyone that could help me with the various topics (such as HAZWOPER, confined space entry and rescue, fall protection, mobile crane and forklift certification, etc.) I needed to provide to our staff. I actually asked my brother Joe to come out to the plant and help me teach some classes, which he did. It was then that we realized that so many businesses did not have the expertise to teach their employees these very important topics and that we should start a training company to help fill this important need.

Joe: When I was a student at University of Utah and I had a professor named Faye Resnik, as well as another, Herman Hooten, who were the first people who influenced me to look at the environmental responsibilities we all have, and to look at what kind of commitment it takes by a community and nation. The class wasn’t even called Environmental Sciences at that time. It was called Earth Sciences or some weird thing. It was my first opporutnity to see there’s some things we can do to make things better. As I work around the country teaching environmental regulations courses, I’ll have students, who I didn’t think were getting the message, who will call me later and say, “Hey, I really want more information on this. Is there someplace else you’d recommned” Man, I tell you what, each of those is a reaffirmation of what we’re diong is important and having an impact.

TNEP: What is a positive change you’ve seen in the field and/or lifestyle since you started?

Matt Trujillo teaching.

Matt Trujillo teaching.

Matt: When I started in this field, so many people were uninformed about hazardous chemicals and how to use them safely and manage their waste properly. Over the last 20 years, my brother and I and the rest of our staff have taught courses in all 50 states and Canada and Mexico, We have worked with all types of industries and the government. We have trained over 120,000 in over 30 different subject areas. We have also trained and certified over 500 industrial hazmat teams across the county. I still cannot believe how such a small company like ours has spanned the entire country. It is so cool to have a student tell us that what we taught them made a difference in their lives and that their knowledge and skills can now be used to help others.

Joe: When I came out of college, the vast majority of waste coming from Superfund sites was being managed by incineration or solidification and landfill. In essence, what we had at at that time was, “burn or bury.” What’s changed the most are improvement in methodologies and modifying processes to use less harmful chemicals. There pre-detoxificiation now. We’ll take a chemical and do a neutralization instead of it just going to a landfill. I’m happy to see the evolution of the methods of disposal that we deal with our waste.

TNEP: What’s still missing from the field?

Matt: As has been evident in recent tragedies across the county, Most chemical plants are still not providing adequate training for their employees and most public sector emergency responders such as firemen, policemen, paramedics are receiving very minimal if any training on how to deal with hazmat emergencies. In addition a trend across the country is to provide training through computer based learning and on line with very little or no actual hands on instruction and no ability to discuss key concepts with a professional trainers.

Joe: I see less recycling taking place. It seems to me that as I travel the nation that some communities do a great job and embrace it. Many communities, it’s worse than it’s been 10 years ago. We’ve failed in maintaining succession in some of those things that we bragged about in the past. The other thing, this is more my hunting side, the last 5 years I’ve seen more and more consumption advisories posted for waterfowl species and fish species. That’s  a sign of how much more work we have to go. The mercury content is too high. It’s a sad commentary. We’ve still got some work. The good news is that I’m up for the task. I stand on ever soapbox I’m offered and tell people, “Here’s what we’ve got to do?”

TNEP: Tell me about your interaction with the people you impact who aren’t environmental professionals. Is it positive, unusual, tough to overcome, fun, enlightening, etc?

Matt: Most of the people we train are not environmental professionals. Many still have “old school” mentalities that the EPA, OSHA etc are not necessary and that protecting the environment is silly and a waste of time. These are our special challenges. It is always refreshing however to change their mindset and get them to buy into the importance of what we are teaching. Also many past students that we have taught, have decided to make their careers as hazmat/environmental professionals such as a young man that was a pharmacist major that took one of our classes as a college student and decided to change his major into Safety/Environmental specialist. Years later he became the EHS manager of a large industrial plant and called us up and said, hey remember me, I was in your class 8 years ago. I want the very best training for my new plant and I want ITS to deliver it!! That was cool!

TNEP: How has a career as an environmental professional impacted your lifestyle, family, etc?

Matt hardly working.

Matt hardly working.

Matt: My career has taken me on the road a lot. My family and especially my wife has had to be very patient with me and the time I am away from home. My wife and 3 sons know however how passionate I am about what I do and how important it is for me and they have supported me for over 25 years. Weeks after 9/11, I took my son Nick to New york with me where I was providing RCRA hazardous waste management training for the Army Reserves. I took Nick to ground zero and had him sit in on all the training I provided that week. 10 years later Nick had completed a BS degree and a Masters degree and started working for our company as our 3rd full time trainer. He said that my passion for this work rubbed off on him. My chest swells with pride when a client of ours calls me after Nick has taught for them and says to me, “He is just like you and your brother. He is an awesome communicator and knows his stuff, and he has the same passion as you do!”

Joe and his champion dogs.

Joe and his champion dogs.

Joe: It was Matt’s idea to start Intermountain Technical Solutions. He said, “I think we can keep doing what we’re doing. What we enjoy most about environmental responsibility. But let’s do it for ourselves and let’s take this information out as subject area experts and work in industry. To help these folks to train their employees and properly manage their chemicals has some real benefit, not on environmentally, but from a health and safety perspective. I’ve worked in everyone of our great United States, Canada and Mexico. It’s been awesome and I have not regretted a single minute. It’s been a lifelong dream to not only work in the environmetnal arena but work with my brother.