Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.  On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the United States, China, and some 120 other countries. This signing satisfied a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on the environmental issues that the world faces. For more information about Earth Day, please visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

CMA staff attended the ASCE Miami Civil Engineer’s Day on Saturday, April 21 at Zoo Miami as a sponsor. The event supports ASCE Miami’s Annual Field Day Scholarship FUNdraiser. Intern Nick Karpathy was named as one of the scholarship recipients from ASCE Miami too! Congratulations! For more information, please visit https://www.miamidade-asce.org/

Our West Palm Beach Branch Manager/Sr. Engineer Suzanne Dombrowski, P.E., ENV SP, participated in Habitat for Humanity on April 14th, as part of Womens Build week. She participated with a group of women from her Leadership Palm Beach County 2018 class.  The 2017 class also had a team. The groups installed the trusses on the roof. For more information, see https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/near-you/women-build. The event was also featured in the Palm Beach Post on April 29.

Congratulations to Teresa Chapman, associate engineer for winning the Young Engineer of the Year award, Brent Whitfield, P.E., director of water resources/senior engineer for winning the Engineer of the Year award and the entire CMA staff for being honored with the Employer of the Year award during the Palm Beach Branch ASCE Engineers in Government Night (EIGN)!  The event was held on March 29 at the Lake Worth Casino Building. Robin Kemper, P.E., LEED AP, F. SEI, F. ASCE, the current President-Elect of ASCE served as the guest speaker.
EIGN, which has been held every year since 1988, is an annual awards banquet where engineers in public and private practice come together to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of distinguished civil engineers in Palm Beach County. For more information about the Palm Beach Branch ASCE, please visit http://branches.asce.org/palmbeach/home

Staff from the CMA Fort Lauderdale office participated in the Shared Meal program with the HOPE South Florida Organization at Vision of Hope Family Worship Center in Fort Lauderdale. Through their Shared Meal program, our staff helped to provide approximately 100 meals to the homeless. Our group of volunteers consisted of Manuel Caamano, David Castro, Chandler Day (guest), Jessica Diaz, Vince Locigno, Natalie Mecklenburg, Ruben Soto (subconsultant), Jose Tamo and Johanna Zona.  HOPE South Florida is a non-profit organization that provides housing assistance and support to thousands of homeless families, veterans, and individuals. Through their Shared Meal program, they have provided over 31,850 meals to the homeless. For more information, please visit http://hopesouthflorida.org/

CMA Vice President Jose L. Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE received the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineers (CAACE) Villanueva award in recognition for his outstanding lifetime contributions in the civil engineering field, his dedication to the CAACE and his charitable efforts in our community at the CAACE Gala on Saturday March 17 at the Miami Airport Hilton. CMA Sr. Engineer/Miami Branch Manager Greg Mendez, P.E. and Chairman of the Board Dr. Ben Chen, P.E., BCEE were also in attendance to receive the Project of the Year award for Category 2 for our Sunset  Islands 3 & 4 project. The project featured elevating the roadways, and a new interconnected drainage system including storm water pump stations to address sea level rise on the low-lying islands. For more information about the CAACE, please visit http://www.c-aace.org

Per Wikipedia, Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, cèilidhs, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. 

Representatives of CMA participated again this year in the Concrete Canoe Competition as part of the ASCE Southeast Student Conference.  Jose Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE, Jessica Diaz, EI, Patrick Kaimrajh, P.E., Teresa Lewis, EI and Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP served as judges and coordinated events held at University of Florida on March 1-3. Carlos Tijerino, EI and interns from our various offices attended the event as well: Charmaine Emanuels (FAU – Fort Lauderdale Office), Nicholas Karpathy (UM – Miami Office), Ramone Spalding (UF – Fort Lauderdale Office). Former intern Alejandra Duarte (UF – Fort Lauderdale Office) and Ruben Soto (subconsultant) also attended. More than 1,200 students from 26 universities in the Southeast region of the United States and Puerto Rico competed in the three-day event. The University Puerto Rico Mayaguez was named the Overall Southeast Conference Champion and the University of Florida won the Concrete Canoe Competition. As a navigator sponsor, CMA served as an exclusive sponsor of the Concrete Canoe Competition where Peter Moore presented the awards. CMA also had the opportunity to host a table at the job fair. For more information about the event, please visit www.SE-ASCE2018.com

Team CMA participated in the Feeding South Florida (FSF) 8th Annual Outrun Hunger 5K on February 24 at Charnow Park, Hollywood Beach Boardwalk.  Outrun Hunger 5K is a fundraising event supporting Feeding South Florida’s mission to end hunger in South Florida. For every registration, Feeding South Florida is able to provide 120 meals to those in need.  For more information on FSF and how you can help visit: www.feedingsouthflorida.org