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Why Develop an EMS?

Understand the benefits, drivers, and roadblocks of implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) in government organizations. Discover how an EMS improves environmental performance, ensures compliance, and enhances operational efficiency.

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Why Develop an EMS?

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  1. Why Develop an EMS? EPA Regions 9 & 10 and The Federal Network for Sustainability 2005

  2. Plan Do Check Act Continual Improvement Environmental Policy Management Review Checking & Corrective Action Planning Implementation & Control

  3. Connecting the Environment and the People • An EMS helps each member of the organization understand their role in the environment, and to see how what they do at the facility affects the environment • It provides for responsibility, ownership, and accountability of actions and related impacts, • Results? People that are more aware, better trained, more motivated, and more enthusiastic.

  4. Environmental Issues Facing Government • Impacts from site operations • Policy implications • Compliance concerns • Budgetary pressures (enhanced efficiency) • Public perception

  5. What are some of the drivers for government to adopt EMS principles? The need to improve environmental performance because of: • Obligation of environmental stewardship, • Public expectations, • The “business side” of government, • Regulatory compliance issues, • Executive orders.

  6. Some Specific Drivers • Executive order 13148 requires that EMS be implemented at appropriate facilities by end 2005. • EO 13148 was continued from prior administration- EMS is here to stay. • Management systems approach is consistent with the President’s agenda, and his commitment to sound management of government and environmental stewardship. • OMB, in circular A-11 requires line item planning for EMS implementation. • Other environmental EOs, Executive Memoranda and agency policies can be supported by EMS.

  7. What are some of the roadblocks for government to adopt EMS principles? • Changing priorities over time, • Political and other non-organizational pressures, • Frequent changes in leadership and their goals, • Budgets and allocations are not typical of private sector, • Finding relevant metrics (administrative vs. Environmental condition or cost), • Finding the best element to motivate employees, • Lack of familiarity, • Concern over “Flavor of the Month”.

  8. Benefits of an EMS • Facilitates meeting your mission , • Improves the environmental condition, • Minimizes accidents and problems, or lessens impact and response time if they do occur, • Reduces redundant paperwork, • More efficient use of resources, • Facilitates compliance with requirements, • Responds to public scrutiny trends.

  9. Measurement as a Management Tool • We need to know what conditions are to make management decisions. • An EMS directs and facilitates relevant measurements. • Measurements include environmental conditions, status of programs, compliance, and the EMS itself.

  10. Examples of Metrics to Measure Benefits • Improves the environmental condition (environmental indicators), • Facilitates meeting your mission (how often environmental issues interfere with your mission), • Minimizes accidents and problems (incidents, losses), • Reduces redundant paperwork (time spent per task), • More efficient use of resources (investment per unit activity), • Facilitates compliance with requirements (number of non-compliances, penalty costs, missed EO deadlines), • Responds to public scrutiny trends (complaints, communications).

  11. Managing Aspects vs. Impacts • It is more prudent and more efficient to manage “how” you interact with the environment than to manage “what” you have done to the environment. • An EMS is built around identifying, prioritizing, controlling, and improving upon, those elements of the organization that interact with the environment.

  12. Fixing the Root Causes • An EMS is designed to identify the root causes of non-conformances and initiate corrective and preventive action. • This helps minimize the “bandage” syndrome, where the fixes are simply superficial.

  13. EMS and Compliance There is “compliance management system” embedded within the broader “environmental management system” • First- the theme of compliance is seen throughout the plan-do-check-act elements, • Second, there are specific compliance-related requirements in an EMS (such as periodic compliance audits) that help address compliance issues before they occur.

  14. Operational Benefits • Better awareness of impacts, allowing the workforce to make more informed decisions, • Increased suggestions and initiatives, • Additional opportunities to recognize and reward performance, • More consistency in operations, • Faster response and more effective corrective action when problems occur, • Delegates responsibility to more people, and where better addressed.

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