FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(WILMINGTON, Del., October 23, 2012) Marian Young, president of BrightFields Inc., has been selected as the 2012 recipient of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals of Greater Philadelphia’s Annual Touchstone Award. Young will receive the award on November 7, 2012, during a SWEP reception at Trust, 249 Arch Street, Philadelphia. Judy Wicks, founder of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia and co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, will be the keynote speaker.
The annual SWEP Touchstone Awards, initiated in 1997, are an integral part of the organization’s mission to support and promote the leadership and achievement of women professionals in the environmental field (www.swepweb.com). “SWEP’s Award recipients set a high standard for quality and excellence, and are distinguished by their professional commitment, leadership and achievement,” according to Joanna Waldron, co-chair of SWEP’s Touchstone Award Reception. Named for the fieldstones used by gemologists to test the purity of gold, the Touchstone Award showcases women who have made or are making a significant contribution to the environmental field and who have truly set a benchmark in the environmental profession.
Young, in conjunction with Mark Lannan, purchased the assets of WIK Associates in 2003 and formed BrightFields Inc. (https://www.brightfieldsinc.com). She led the charge in growing BrightFields from a start-up of 12 people to a staff of 37 focused on brownfield property redevelopment. She has been at the environmental forefront of reclaiming Wilmington’s waterfront over a 15-year transformation from industrial wasteland to a vibrant urban center. In 2008, she earned recognition as the SBA Small Business Person of the year for the state of Delaware.
Young serves on the board of directors and co-chairs the Environmental Committee for the Committee of 100, a Delaware-based business organization focused on responsible economic development and quality of life issues. She is also the vice president of DEED – Delawareans for Environmental and Economic Development, a coalition of labor and business leaders. Twice appointed to Governor’s Working Groups to address Recycling and Solid Waste issues, Young currently serves on the New Castle County Recharge Protection Technical Advisory Council and on the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Brownfields Committee.
As volunteer Environmental Advisor to Delaware Center for Horticulture, Young developed a system of liners for raised garden beds to allow safe urban agriculture on brownfield properties, an approach adopted in Community Gardens throughout the city and in Wilmington’s first Urban Farm.
A former president of Main Street Delaware City Inc., a nonprofit revitalization group affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Young currently chairs Delaware City’s Ecotourism Program, focused on restoring, interpreting and marketing the natural environment of this charming riverfront town. Successful fundraising has included grants from the Citizens Involvement Advisory Council and the Audubon Society.
Young demonstrates Backyard Composting and Kitchen Scrap Worm Composting for urban Wilmington schoolchildren every Earth Day. She ensures that the company and its employees give back to the community by supporting numerous nonprofits, charities and events through donations, in-kind services and volunteerism, including serving on committees and boards; each year, BrightFields employees donate their time to Habitat for Humanity for Long-Term Stewardship monitoring on brownfield redevelopment projects.
BrightFields Inc. is an environmental consulting and remediation services firm with offices in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Certified as a woman-owned business in these three states and by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, BrightFields has built a solid reputation for excellent client service and technical quality. BrightFields specializes in:
• Brownfield Redevelopment
• Phase I & II Investigations
• Residential and Commercial Energy Audits
• Soil and Groundwater Remediation
• Asbestos and Lead Services
• Underground Storage Tanks
• Environmental Permitting, Auditing and Compliance
• Stream bank Restoration
Visit www.brightfieldsinc.com or call Cheryl Titcher at 302-656-9600 for more information.