If you’ve ever scrolled through our website, you may have come across the term ‘CEnvP’. CEnvP stands for “Certified Environmental Practitioner” and 4Pillars is lucky to have one onboard and another in the making!
The CEnvP scheme, now in its eleventh year, is an initiative managed by the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ). The EIANZ developed the scheme aiming to elevate the standing of the environmental profession. Certification provides the community, clients and employers assurance in the experience, skills and ethical values of the certified person. The certification is a quality assurance and accountability framework that helps maintain the integrity of the environmental profession.
Attaining CEnvP status is no easy feat. General CEnvPs are experienced environmental practitioners who have a minimum of five years relevant work experience and fulfil strict criteria. To gain the CEnvP, practitioners are required to demonstrate competency in applying high professional and ethical standards, commitment to responsible environmental management, and ongoing professional education and training.
CEnvP Specialisations are also available, in practice areas such as site contamination, land rehabilitation, impact assessment, ecology and climate change. Specialists must have a minimum of ten years’ experience in their field.
Regulators are increasingly mandating that CEnvPs are engaged to carry out certain works on major tenders, projects and on regulatory matters. For example, the EPA requires reports carried out under the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 (CLM Act) to be prepared by a CEnvP (Site Contamination specialist) or equivalent. The NSW Department of Planning is moving toward requiring all Environmental Impact Assessments to be signed off by a CEnvP and many Councils are also writing this requirement into Consent conditions. This trend demonstrates the growing recognition of CEnvPs and the value certification brings.
Luckily, we also recognise this! Our Director, James Hammond, maintains General CEnvP status with over ten-years of demonstrated experience and ability in areas of ecology, natural resource management, air, noise and water management, auditing, negotiation, and public policy development. James is seeking Impact Assessment specialist certification in 2021. Also, Managing Consultant, Dr Gunnar Haid, is well on his way to achieve CEnvP status as a contaminated land specialist.
By engaging a CEnvP, you can be confident you’re engaging a highly qualified (and independently-verified) practitioner who will work to achieve balanced outcomes for your project and the environment. A CEnvP’s skills gained from years of experience are coupled with knowledge of the latest techniques and technologies, due to their commitment to ongoing learning and development. The credibility and value that a CEnvP can bring to your project is second to none.
For further information about the scheme or the EIANZ check out their websites at https://www.cenvp.org/ and https://www.eianz.org/.