The Air & Waste Management Association is the educational and technical organization for professionals concerned with the issues of air pollution control and waste management. The Association began in 1907 and is now an organization of 13,000 members who are engineers, scientists, government officials, industrial personnel, control equipment and instrument manufacturers, and academicians. It is through this variety of disciplines in the membership that the technical proficiency and forum capability of the Association are maintained, thereby making the Association a prime resource in the field of air pollution control and waste management. To promote the exchange of technical information, an annual meeting and exposition are held as well as numerous technical conferences, workshops, and educational courses. The international headquarters of the Association are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

A&WMA's Board of Directors has long recognized the value of grass roots regional Sections within the Association to carry out the objectives of the Association at the local level. One or more "chapters" are sometimes established with Sections to better serve the membership at the local level. Customarily, each Section has a governing Board consisting of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and Executive Board. All members of the Board are elected by the membership.

At this time, the A&WMA has 25 sections and 59 chapters covering all of North America and many areas in Latin America, Asia, and Europe.

The Golden West Section was formed in June 1984. The Section serves northern California from Bakersfield north. Its purpose is to promote better understanding of the problems of air pollution and waste management within the geographic area of the Section and to provide a means of exchanging information directed towards solving those problems. To accomplish these goals, the Section presents a series of dinner meetings, workshops, and technical conferences. Additionally, the Section's scholarship program provides financial assistance to graduate or undergraduate students in the environmental field.

In 1998, the Golden West Section and the Hong Kong Section formed a "Sister Section" relationship. This provides our members with an opportunity for international technical and resource exchanges.