ALTERECHO

With 18 years of technical experience, Stan Pauwels is a leading PhD biologist and ecological expert for AlterEcho specializing in quantifying and managing the risks of chemicals in the environment. He leads teams of scientists in gathering and evaluating complex data from industrial sites and surrounding ecosystems to develop operating strategies for using, protecting and preserving resources while maintaining regulatory compliance. His work assessing soil toxicity levels, designing innovative solutions and partnering with regulators resulted in a program that saved a client more than $250,000.

During his down time, Stan likes to unwind by reading a good book, spending time with his wife and two daughters, or seeking solitude fishing on his favorite pond or river.

• What do you do for AlterEcho? I oversee day-to-day operations, business development and strategy.
• What’s your background? I've worked as a scientist, ecological expert and environmental consultant for the petrochemical and biomedical industries. I was originally trained as a fisheries biologist and aquatic toxicologist.
• What do you think the most urgent environmental issue is today? Overpopulation. The world population has grown by more than 50 percent over the last four decades and the world's use of fossil fuels has increased accordingly. I read recently that if every person in the developing world consumed at the current US rate, we would need the resources of seven Earths!
• What's your happy place? Pierce Pond in northwestern Maine. I spend four glorious days there every year with my son, nephew, and my nephew’s father-in-law. It's an unspoiled, pristine habitat without a single house along the shoreline, and the only way to reach camp is by boat. You will not find a more brilliant, starlit sky at night while listening to the haunting loon calls.
• If you could only bring three items with you on an island, what would they be? My fishing rod, a weekly subscription to "The Economist" and a good history book.
• Who would you love to have dinner with? I would beam back the Nobel Prize winners for physics and astronomy from the year 2867 and pick their brains about all the future discoveries in these fascinating fields of research.