Association of Environmental Professionals
Encyclopedia
The Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) is a non-profit organization of interdisciplinary professionals including environmental science
, resource management
, environmental planning
and other professions contributing to this field. AEP is the first organization of its kind in the USA, and its influence and model have spawned numerous other regional organizations throughout the United States. Its mission is to improve the technical skills of members, and the organization is dedicated to "the enhancement, maintenance and protection of the natural and human environment". From inception in the mid 1970s the organization has been closely linked with the upkeep of the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA), California being one of the first states to adopt a comprehensive law to govern the environmental review of public policy and project review.
campus. At that meeting the first directors and officers were elected and by-laws adopted. From then on the board of directors has met quarterly to establish governance, coordinate legislative liassion and plan annual meeting. The board represents eight geographical regions and also has three at large members.
program, which is remarkable in its pursuit of clarity of language, efficient functioning of environmental review and ethical goals for its profession. AEP also provides annual recognition awards for excellence in various categories, provides members with information on career development and works to achieve standards for performance in the environmental disciplines.
The Environmental Monitor magazine is recognized throughout the interdisciplinary professions as a leading source of state of the art coverage. Articles may include topics of air quality, habitat
conservation, water quality
, archaeology
, urban planning
, acoustics
and other technical matters; however coverage is also given to legislation, AEP activities and professional career development.
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
, resource management
Resource management
In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...
, environmental planning
Environmental planning
Environmental Planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out development with due consideration given to the natural environmental, social, political, economic and governance factors and provides a holistic frame work to achieve sustainable outcomes.-Elements of environmental...
and other professions contributing to this field. AEP is the first organization of its kind in the USA, and its influence and model have spawned numerous other regional organizations throughout the United States. Its mission is to improve the technical skills of members, and the organization is dedicated to "the enhancement, maintenance and protection of the natural and human environment". From inception in the mid 1970s the organization has been closely linked with the upkeep of the California Environmental Quality Act
California Environmental Quality Act
The California Environmental Quality Act is a California statute passed in 1970, shortly after the United States federal government passed the National Environmental Policy Act , to institute a statewide policy of environmental protection...
(CEQA), California being one of the first states to adopt a comprehensive law to govern the environmental review of public policy and project review.
History, Organization and Governance
AEP was incorporated in the State of California in 1975 and held its first organization wide meeting of members in Palo Alto, California on the Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
campus. At that meeting the first directors and officers were elected and by-laws adopted. From then on the board of directors has met quarterly to establish governance, coordinate legislative liassion and plan annual meeting. The board represents eight geographical regions and also has three at large members.
Publications and member activities
AEP publishes a quarterly magazine, the Environmental Monitor, which contains technical articles, legislative updates and other information useful to its members. As mentioned above the organization has developed a skilled legislative advocacyAdvocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
program, which is remarkable in its pursuit of clarity of language, efficient functioning of environmental review and ethical goals for its profession. AEP also provides annual recognition awards for excellence in various categories, provides members with information on career development and works to achieve standards for performance in the environmental disciplines.
The Environmental Monitor magazine is recognized throughout the interdisciplinary professions as a leading source of state of the art coverage. Articles may include topics of air quality, habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
conservation, water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
, archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
and other technical matters; however coverage is also given to legislation, AEP activities and professional career development.
See also
- Environmental designEnvironmental designEnvironmental design is the process of addressing surrounding environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products...
- Environmental engineeringEnvironmental engineeringEnvironmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...
- Environmental managementEnvironmental managementEnvironmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...
- Environmental studiesEnvironmental studiesEnvironmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
- European Environmental Press (EEP)European Environmental Press (EEP)The European Environmental Press is a Europe-wide association of sixteen environmental magazines. Each member is considered the leader in its country and is committed to building links between 400,000 environmental professionals across Europe in both the public and private sectors...
- National Registry of Environmental ProfessionalsNational Registry of Environmental ProfessionalsThe National Registry of Environmental Professionals is a the largest U.S. non-governmental environmental accrediting organization, and is recognized by the US Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency...
(NREP) (in the US)