Eis shines – Rising alumna is EPA clean-air specialist

Be on the lookout for the October 2008 edition of UW-Green Bay’s print magazine, which will also be published here on the Inside web pages.

The issue will feature alumni who had ties to student government during their college years or are working in politics or public service today.

Among the notables to be featured will be recent graduate Michelle Eis, formerly of Two Rivers, who received her bachelor’s in Environmental Policy and Planning in May 2006.

Within a year of starting with the EPA right out of college, Eis was part of a district team that traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the EPA’s Gold Medal Award for exceptional service. The team was recognized for its work promoting the Blue Skyways Collaborative — a partnership of non-profit and environmental groups, private industries and international, federal, state and local governments working to achieve voluntary reductions in air pollution across the central United States — stretching from Minnesota to Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico.

Eis says her own duties involve gaining and sharing knowledge and resources with the public; initiating and facilitating discussions with potential partners that may lead to projects or actions that reduce toxic emissions; coordinating with states, tribes, industry, non-profits, local governments and other federal agencies on effectively improving air quality; representing EPA Region 7 on national calls covering climate change legislation while also providing comment on federal legislation put forth by EPA.

While at UW-Green Bay, Eis served on the student Public and Environmental Affairs Council, and was instrumental in persuading the campus to adopt a policy of purchasing renewable energy through the NatureWise program, even persuading students to devote additional segregated fees to the cause. She was also involved in projects that promoted car pooling and ride sharing, and examined public use patterns in the Cofrin Arboretum.

Watch for more on Eis, and other interesting alumni, in October.