Need Help? Call: 907-277-2111 Text: 833-277-0718 or Email

Zender Environmental Health & Research Group is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

What We Do

Training

See below for a list of our free trainings. Do you have questions? Contact April McCoy amccoy@zendergroup.org  907-277-2111. Please note, to attend you must be registered.

Register Now

2024

Dates Training Location Status
Jan 23-25. 2024

Description: Learn how to take your own water and soil samples to send for laboratory contaminant testing, how to test on-site for surface water fecal coliform, and how to sample and monitor for the basic water quality parameters using a YSI probe and turbidity meter. One-on-one follow-up will be provided post-training to each attendee to answer questions, troubleshoot testing, and help with writing QAPP’s and more. Three day training over zoom with lots of breaks!

Virtual Closed
March 20 2024

This training focuses on small landfill equipment such as skid-steer loaders, balers, glass crushers, and other recycling equipment. You will see how to approach equipment maintenance to increase program sustainability, how to set up a typical work area for routine maintenance and how to approach more complicated repairs. Maintenance budgeting and equipment purchase or replacement will also be covered. This is a virtual training and will be held over zoom on March 20, 2024 9-11am. Note that there will be a required brief tech check on March 19th at 10am to test that everyone can access zoom.

Virtual Register
May 7-9, 2024

Description: Comprehensive backhaul training which includes safety, DOT HazMat regulations (HMR), inventory, storage, packing, shipping, labeling, and shipping paperwork. This is an in-person training in Anchorage

Anchorage Register
May 10, 2024

Description: This course trains communities that have a specific need for performing refrigerant recovery at their landfills. The 1-day training is divided up into classroom and hands-on sections. The classroom section covers topics such as: refrigeration cycle, stratospheric ozone depletion, important regulations, recovery equipment and techniques. The hands-on section covers safety, equipment & tools, field prepping refrigerant cylinders (putting into a vacuum), checking for and purging non-condensables (i.e. air), recovery setup and techniques, and labeling and shipping. During the hands-on section a trainees will setup and run the recovery equipment, PPE is will be provided, and appliances are made available for students to practice on. This is an in-person training in Anchorage.

Anchorage Register
May 14-16, 2024

Learn how to take your own water and soil samples to send for laboratory contaminant testing, how to test on-site for surface water fecal coliform, and how to sample and monitor for the basic water quality parameters using a YSI probe and turbidity meter. One-on-one follow-up will be provided post-training to each attendee to answer questions, troubleshoot testing, and help with writing QAPP’s and more. This training will take place at Campbell Creek Science Center in Anchorage.

Anchorage Register
May, 2024, Dates TBD

Description: Comprehensive backhaul training which includes safety, DOT HazMat regulations (HMR), inventory, storage, packing, shipping, labeling, and shipping paperwork. This is an in-person training in Kodiak

Kodiak Register
August 2024, Dates TBD

Description: Comprehensive backhaul training which includes safety, DOT HazMat regulations (HMR), inventory, storage, packing, shipping, labeling, and shipping paperwork. This is an in-person training in Bethel.

Bethel Register
Sept 10-11, 2024

Description: Having trouble convincing your community to pay fees? Finding that your solid waste program starts and stops or doesn’t seem to improve? This training looks at your solid waste management program as a utility operation. We use self-assessment exercises and discussions to explore the 9 management areas that contribute to effective and sustainable utility management. You will learn your own program’s weaknesses and strengths and leave with an identified approach to improving your program. This training also includes guest speakers on the topic of climate change planning for SWM. There may be small travel stipends for those that need it for this training. This training will take place at the Atwood Center in downtown Anchorage.

Anchorage Register
Summer 2024, Dates TBD

This new 1-day training introduces circular economy projects applicable to rural Alaska — primarily by prolonging the useful life, or reducing the toxicity, of products contributing to the SWM issues described above when discarded at landfills. Recycle: Many rural communities have piles of fish nets that would otherwise be discarded.  An expert fish net recycler will teach how to identify different types of net, prepare for recycling, and steps for shipping it to recyclers.  Plastics molding machines will also be discussed  Reuse: Thrift stores can make money and create jobs in rural Alaska. We will highlight several great examples of successfully run thrift stores in rural Alaska and teach how to start a pop-up thrift store, so items such as used windows, bikes, books, and clothes can be organized, kept in better condition, and given a second (or 3rd or 4th!) life. Reduce: If products aren’t used, waste and pollution isn’t created doesn’t have waste management or pollution costs/impacts.  We will go over many ways to reduce wastes, including high PFAS-content items – what they are, how to read labels, and how to reduce their use via alternatives or other means.

Anchorage Register
Sept 24-26 2024

Learn how to take your own water and soil samples to send for laboratory contaminant testing, how to test on-site for surface water fecal coliform, and how to sample and monitor for the basic water quality parameters using a YSI probe and turbidity meter. One-on-one follow-up will be provided post-training to each attendee to answer questions, troubleshoot testing, and help with writing QAPP’s and more.  Three day training over zoom with lots of breaks!

Virtual Register

2023

Dates Training Location Status
November 28-30, 2023

Description: This is a comprehensive backhaul training which will be conducted virtually (using Zoom). The training will include the topics of safety, DOT HazMat regulations (HMR), inventory, storage, packing, shipping, labeling, and shipping paperwork.

Virtual Closed

2022

Dates Training Location Status

Photos From Past Trainings