Posted January 29, 2010 :: "Sewers " may not be an awe-inspiring or motivational word. But when you consider the work around them, that could change.

In 2009, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District took large steps to establish a Speakers Bureau, a group of experts ranging from engineers to lab technicians to sewer inspectors, to bring the importance of our work a little closer to home for audiences of all ages.

Teachers: Why wait? Schedule your speakers or tours today! If you would like a speaker to visit your class, or you would like to tour a treatment plant later this spring, schedule with us today. Availability is limited.

"We want people to see that the work we do improves the environment and is a part of their lives every day," said Public Information Specialist Jennifer Elting.

Teachers, community groups, and professors requested 54 Sewer District guest speakers and plant tours in 2009, prompted by questions surrounding our business, treatment process, and rates.

"Some of the audiences know a lot about wastewater treatment, and some, especially kids, know very little, so we have plenty to talk about," Elting said.

Engineer and Speakers Bureau member Joe Kunzler remembers a conversation he had with a group of second graders. "One student said he wanted to protect the environment, but many kids in Cleveland know [little] about Lake Erie." He said some seventh-graders even thought there were sharks in our Great Lake."

More than 40 employees take these Speakers Bureau opportunities to learn more about our customers, and they hope our customers can learn more about our work by being there.

"It brings a public face to the importance of protecting the environment," Kunzler said. Joe knows so many of the Sewer District's projects and their importance go unnoticed, and face-to-face interaction gives clean-water work a new perspective.

"It also works in reverse [for the speakers]," he said, because it helps us better understand the people "who we protect and serve."

Joe went on to say that kids benefit greatly from tours and presentations. "For one thing, it doesn't often occur to young people who want to help the environment to consider an organization like ours, or becoming a plant superintendent. And when kids and teachers get excited, that's when they share these stories and talk with others, like their parents, about what they learned."

To learn more about possible Speakers Bureau presentation topics, or to schedule a guest speaker or treatment plant tour, visit http://neorsd.org/request