In a proactive move to address the gender disparity within STEM fields, Orion Environmental Inc. (Orion) proudly matched staff donations resulting a $2,000 contribution to the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) this September. The staff contributed generously to AWIS, an organization dedicated to advancing women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This financial support reflects the company's commitment to fostering gender equality and empowering women in scientific careers.
The background to this initiative reveals a persistent gender gap in STEM professions. Although the percentage of women majoring in STEM programs increased from 34% in 2010 to 46% in 2022, women still make up only 28% of the STEM workforce. Orion acknowledges this imbalance and strives to create opportunities for women in the male-dominated STEM landscape.
Orion is proud of
Orion Blog: Community Outreach
Sustainable Flowers Grown with Love
Project Geologist, Nina, has a new found love besides studying rocks. This year Nina and her colleague, Katie, pursued their interest in flower farming and design for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members of Singing Frogs Farm in Sebastopol, California. CSA members receive 12 quality flower bouquets delivered at pick-up sites in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Petaluma throughout the summer. Nina and Katie managed the entire project from crop planning, to marketing, harvest, and design with support from Paul and Elizabeth of Singing Frogs Farm. Nina and Katie currently have 20 Flower CSA members including our Vice President Mike Purchase and membership is growing. They have also sold their flower arrangements at farmers markets and even provided arrangements for a few weddings and local events. Check out their amazing work below.
2019 Career Day at Johnson Middle School!
Orion was invited (for the 4th year!) to speak to middle schoolers at Johnson Middle School in Westminster, California. Jeff, Orion's president, described what it's like to be an environmental scientist, geologist, or engineer.
He talked to three groups of 20 to 30 students over the course of the morning. The 8th grade class had eight different careers to choose from, and this was a great turnout for future environmental professionals!
Jeff spoke about the type of people who work at Orion, the kind of work environmental consultants do, and the best high school class subjects to study when preparing for college and an eventual career in environmental science or engineering.
A few weeks later, Jeff received some wonderful handwritten thank-you cards from several students. He'll be back in 2020!
Orion Volunteers to Make a MakerSpace Happen
In May and June of 2018 Caryn, a Senior Project Geologist in our Burbank office, busted out her calculator and sharpened her pencil to volunteer for a grant writing committee to fund Cypress Elementary’s MakerSpace. What’s a MakerSpace you ask? It’s a way to inspire innovation and fuel creativity by providing a space and materials to build whatever you can imagine, create movies, and learn coding. Caryn contributed by providing the grant budget and performing the final technical review of the grant application. In August 2018, Cypress was notified that their funding for the space was approved through the Harriet H. Samuelsson Foundation. In May 2019, Cypress Elementary held a ribbon cutting ceremony and opened the space to students for use during recess and class time. The space even made it into the local newspaper,
Orion Sponsors Annual Panthers at Sea Event
For the fourth year in a row, Orion was fortunate enough to sponsor local high school students in the annual Panthers at Sea event at Shoreline Marina in Long Beach, California. This year’s event was held on 11 May 2019 and was sponsored by the Panthers at Sea Committee with support from the Seal Beach Yacht Club, Shoreline Yacht Club, Long Beach Singles Yacht Club, and the US Sailing Center. The Panthers at Sea Committee works with the Long Beach Marine Bureau and Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) to provide students from Long Beach Jordan High School with a day on the Pacific Ocean.
During the event, small groups of students along with
ORION FOURSOME KICKED PUTT AT PEMA CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
Despite what our parents may think, it’s not all scale bars and bar charts at Orion. When we’re not chipping away at our clients’ environmental problems, we’re shankin’ shots on the fairways for a good cause! Orion participated in the 22nd Annual Professional Environmental Management Association (PEMA) Charity Golf Tournament in May 2019. The golf tournament, held at Coyote Hills Golf Course in Fullerton, was PEMA’s most attended tournament to date and raised over $46,000 for two charities: St. Vincent Meals-on-Wheels and YMCA Community Services (New Horizons and Inclusion Programs). This was Orion’s fourth year participating in the charity golf tournament. Orion’s foursome included Burbank-based senior project managers Matthew and Caryn, Long Beach-based project scientist Adair, and one of our industry clients! Thankfully, the
Orion Visits Middle School for Career Day
Orion was invited to speak at Johnson Middle School Career Day in Westminster, California, for the third year in a row.
Jeff, Orion's president, delivered a 30-minute presentation to three different groups over the course of the morning. Jeff spoke to 8th grade students about the technical people (engineers, geologists, and scientists) who work at Orion, the kind of work environmental consultants do, and the best high school class subjects to study when preparing for college and an eventual career in environmental science or engineering.
A few weeks later, Jeff received handwritten thank-you cards from several students. Two message excerpts: (1) "You spoke with such enthusiasm and excitement about your job, it got me excited about your job as well." (2) "You have impacted my career choice in a positive way."
Orion Volunteers at Cypress Elementary Annual Fun Run
Caryn, senior project geologist in the Burbank office, volunteered at the Cypress Elementary Annual Fun Run, hosted by the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), in April 2018. The Fun Run raises funds to help pay the salaries of physical education, music, and computer teachers as well as academic specialists and the school’s art program. Caryn serves as Treasurer on the Executive Board of Cypress's PTA and helped set up the course. Students participating in the Fun Run faced several obstacles ranging from a tunnel crawl to hurdles. There were seven waves of runners including transitional kindergarten through fifth grade.
The Fun Run raised over $34,000 this year. Caryn enjoyed cheering on the kids throughout the course and seeing all the enthusiasm they had for the activities.
Orion Visits Johnson Middle School for Career Day
Orion was invited to speak at the Johnson Middle School Career Day in Westminster, California.
Orion's president Jeff and engineering intern Andy delivered a 30-minute presentation to three different groups over the course of the morning. The 8th graders learned about the technical people (engineers, geologist, and scientists) who work at Orion, what kind of work environmental consultants do, and what are the best high school class subjects for college and an eventual career in environmental science or engineering.
The Career Day organizer said "the kids really enjoyed it!” A couple of the students said "now I want to be an environmental engineer!"
A few days after the event, Jeff and Andy received personally written cards from students thanking them for their visit and informative presentation.