ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

 Definition
A generic description of process undertaken by systems-oriented
professional with natural science, social science or less commonly,
an engineering, law or design background, tackling problems of
human-altered environment on an interdisplinary basis from a
quantitative and/or futuristic view point (Dorney, 1989)

 Must do three things:

1. identify goals
2. establish whether these can be met
3. develop and implement the means to do what it deems
possible
Environmental Management Goals
1. Sustaining and if possible improving existing resources
2. The prevention and resolution of environmental problems
3. Establishing limits
4. Founding and nurturing institutions that effectively support
environmental research, monitoring and management
5. Warning of threats and identifying opportunities
6. Where possible improving ‘quality of life’
7. Identifying new technology or policies that are useful
 What motivates environmental management ?
1. Pragmatic reasons – fear or common sense makes people or
administrators seek to avoid a problem
2. Desire to save costs - it may be better to avoid problems or counter
them than suffer the consequences: pollution, species extinction,
human deaths, costly litigation. There may also be advantages in
waste recovery, energy conservation & maintaining environmental
quality
3. Compliance – individuals, local government, companies, states and
so on may be required by laws, national or international agreement
to care for the environment
4. Shift in ethics – research, the media, individuals or group of activist
may trigger new attitudes, agreements or laws
5. Macro-economics – promotion of environmental management may
lead to economic expansion: a market for pollution control
equipment, use of recovered waste, more secure and efficient energy
and raw materials supply; or there may be advantages in
‘internalizing externalities’
 Characteristics of Environmental Management
1. it supports sustainable development
2. it is often used as a generic term
3. it deals with a world affected by humans
4. it demands a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary or even ‘holistic’
approach
5. it has to integrate and reconcile different development viewpoints.
6. It seeks to co-ordinate science, social science, policy making & planning
7. It is a proactive process
8. It generally embraces the precautionary principle
9. It recognizes the desirability of meeting, and if possible exceeding,
basic human needs
10. The timescale involved extends well beyond the short term, and
concern ranges from local to global
11. It should identify opportunities as well as address threats &problems
12. It stresses stewardship, rather than exploitation
 IDENTIFY NEED(S)/GOAL(S)
1 DEFINE PROBLEMS
Fig. A typical scheme of practice
adopted for environmental management DETERMINE APPROPRIATE
2 ACTION
(likely to involve impact, hazard,
and risk assessment)

3 DRAW UP PLAN

4 IMPLEMENTATION (evaluate
success)

DEVELOP ONGOING
5 MANAGEMENT
INFO.

EVALUATE & ADJUST

6 MANAGEMENT INFO.

7 FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT
 Problems and Opportunities
I. Environmental Management Facing ‘Real-World’ Challenges:

1. greed, corruption and foolishness

2. knowledge and technical skills which are still too limited
3. increasing numbers of people who demand more and more
materials benefits
4. the time available to make real progress in resolving key
environmental degradation is probably limited

II. Three main approaches to try modify the activities and ethics
of individuals, groups and societies in order to achieve
environmental management goals:
1. Advisory
- through education
- through demonstration (e.g. model farms or factories)
- through the media (advertisements or covert approaches)
- trough advice (e.g. leaflets, drop-in shops. Helplines)

2. Economic or fiscal
- through taxation (‘green taxes’)
- through grants, loans, aid
- through subsidies
- through quotas or trade agreements

3. Regulatory
- trough standards and laws
- through restrictions and monitoring
- trough licensing
- trough zoning (restricting activities to a given area)
Approaches to Environmental Management

There is no single approach to environmental management, but

there are key concepts (sustainable development):

1. Ad hoc approach: approach developed in reaction to a specific

situation
2. Problem-solving approach: follows a series of logical steps to
identify problems and needs to implement solutions
3. Systems approach
- ecosystem (mountain, high latitude, savanna, desert, island, etc.)
- agro-ecosystem
4. Regional approach: mainly ecological zones or biogeophysical
units (watershed, coastal zone, administrative region)
Approaches to Environmental Management
5. Specialist discipline approach: often adopted by professionals
(i.e. air/water quality management, land management,
ecotourism, conservation area management)
6. Strategic environmental management approach
7. Voluntary sector approach: environmental management by,
or encouraged and supported by, NGOs (e.g. private funding
for research or environmental management)
8. Commercial approach: environmental management for
business/public bodies
9. Political economy or political ecology approach
10. Human ecology approach
 The Concept of ‘Limits’ to Development
1. Mary Shelley (1826), warn that humans could become extinct through
science and greed.
2. 1930s (some fisheries were stressed, unsettled areas capable of giving a
good livelihood were difficult to find, Midwest USA was suffering
severe soil degradation).
3. 1960s the limitless world was seen to have shrunk; Earth space to be
finite, and delicate system which needed to be taken care of if it was to
support humanity
4. Gaia viewpoint (1960s) regarding the Earth as complex system which, if
upset by careless development, might adjust in such a way as to make
current lifestyles impossible or even eliminate humans
5. Thomas Malthus (late eighteenth century) “human population growth
puts pressure on the means of subsistence, throwing it out of balance
with the environment so that there is population collapse”
 The Concept of Limits to Development
6. Neo-Malthusians
argue: “for a given species and situation, population tends to grow
until it counters a critical resource limit or controlling factors,
whereupon there is a gradual or sudden, limited or catastrophic
decline in numbers, or a shift to a cyclic boom-and-bust pattern”.
7. Hardin (1968) argue “commonly owned natural resources under
conditions of population growth would be damaged because each
user would seek to maximize their short-term interests”
8. Environmentalist (1970)
“largely dogmatic warnings or pleas for change, weak on proof and
workable strategies, they did trigger an awareness that in a finite
world there were limits, complex environment-population linkages,
and the risk of unexpected feedback.
 The Concept of Limits to Development

Damage to the environmental is a function of:

1. Levels of consumption of the population (i.e. lifestyle)
2. The type of technology used to satisfy consumption and
dispose of waste
3. Environmental conditions and/or environmental change

Sustainable Development is a key goal for EM

Sustainable development has three components goals:
1. Economic development (especially poverty reduction)
2. Social development
3. Environmental protection

Select suitable strategies and tools best suited for a

given situation. Key elements: supportive & sustainable
institutions, use appropriate ethics, and motivation
Fig. Major decision-making steps in a typical
environmental management process.
 Environmental Ethics
1. Technocratic environmental ethics = resource-exploitive,
growth-oriented
2. Managerial environmental ethics = resource-conservationist,
oriented to sustainable growth
3. Communalist environmental ethics = resource-preservationist,
oriented to limited or zero growth
4. Bioethics or deep ecology environmental ethics = extreme
preservationist, anti growth
Environmental Management
System
 What is an EMS?
• A formal system for managing the environmental footprint of
the organization
• Similar to the way we get things done
– Assess what needs doing
– Set specific objectives
– Create action plans to accomplish objectives
– Allocate resources and assign responsibility and authority
– Check
– Correct
– Improve
 ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS)
• Definition
a set of process and practices that enable an
organization to reduce its environmental impacts and
increase its operating efficiency
(http:www.epa.gov/EMS)

• How to Develop an EMS ?

An EMS is a continual cycle of planning,
implementing, reviewing and improving the processes
and actions that an organization undertakes to meet its
business and environmental goals
WHY DEVELOP AN EMS ?
BENEFITS
EMS can results in both business &
environmental benefits:
- improve environmental performance
- enhance compliance
- prevent pollution & conserve resources
- reduce/mitigates risks
- attract new customers & markets
- increase efficiency
- reduce costs
- enhance employee morale and possibly
enhance recruitment of new employees
- enhance image with public, regulators,
lenders, investors
- achieve/improve employee awareness of
environmental issues & responsibilities
COSTS
Developing & implementing an
EMS may also have
associated cost, including:
- an investment of internal
resources, including staff/employee
time
- cost for training of personnel
- cost associated with hiring
consulting assistance, if needed
- cost for technical resources to
analyze environmental impacts &
improvement options, if needed.
 General Principles
• An EMS
- serves the organization and its mission, not the reverse
- is a process, not a program
- is the people & their actions (employee involvement)
• Changing behaviors (culture change)
• Start at the top, & the bottom & implement throughout
Fig. Climate Adaptation Policy Approach
(Source: Dessai and Hulme, 2004)
 EMS Framework
Plan, Do, Check, Act

Plan
Implement (Do)
• Identify risks requiring
• Implement programs to
management (Aspects)
manage risks
• Establish goals Continual
• Place controls on high
risk activities
• Train
Improvement
Improve (Act) Review (Check)
• Identify performance trends • Monitor programs and
• Identify improvement priorities controls
• Make needed changes • Conduct system assessment
• Corrective action
 Policy

• Top management commitment

• Provides a framework for the EMS objectives and
targets
• Includes commitments
• Must be documented, communicated and then
implemented
 Planning

Identify Determine
Environmental Priority
Identify Aspects and Environmental Establish Develop
Activities, Impacts Aspects Objectives Environmental
Products
and Management
and
Targets Program
Services Determine Legal and Other
Requirements
 Activities, Products and Services

•This is the point in the process where we describe what

we do

– Consider mission
– Consider activities both across the organization and
at individual facilities that support the mission
– Consider actions that are both regulated and not
regulated e.g., commuting to work
 Aspects and Impacts
• Identify environmental aspects of activities products
and services that you can control or influence

• Aspects include air emissions, water discharges, soil

contamination, use of raw materials and natural
resources
 Environmental Aspects & Impacts
• Aspect: An element of activities, products or
services that can interact with the environment .

• Potential impact: The potential change in the

environment caused by the aspect.

• Significance: May be based on volume, frequency,

ecological effect, toxicity, public perception.
 Legal and Other Requirements

• Identify legal and other requirements applicable to

the environmental aspects of activities, products or
services.

• Examples of other requirements:

-Executive Orders
-DOC and NOAA Policy
-MOUs
 NCCOS Objectives and Targets
NCCOS Objectives FY2006-2009
1. Manage the use of Energy and Natural
Resources within NCCOS in support of
the NOAA Green Team and NOAA’s
Greening Action Plan to fulfill the
goals of E.O 13423.
(Note: This objective does not apply to
facilities determined to be exempt
from requirements as a result of
certain GSA ownership/lease
agreements).
2. Facilitate communications between
partners and stakeholders.
3. Appropriately identify the allocation of
resources and tracking of costs.
NCCOS Targets FY2008
 Implement a uniform BPA for chemical and
biological waste stream removal for
NCCOS facilities.
 Continue to identify and implement
potential substitute materials and reduce
use of hazardous materials; establish a
plan for evaluation, as needed.
 Through life-cycle cost-effective methods,
reduce energy consumption by 3% and
reduce water consumption by 2% (per
year).
 When acquiring electronic products, meet
at least 95 per cent of requirements with
an EPEAT-registered electronic product
(where standards exist for the product).
 Enhance environmental educational
opportunities.
 Communicate the definition and
appropriate use of NOAA facility task and
object class codes to facilitate
measurement and tracking of
environmental costs.
 Evaluate the need for potential expansion
of Facility task codes.
Drivers FY2008
 NCCOS Environmental Management
Programs and Improvement Plans
 Instructions for Implementing EO
13423
 Energy Policy Act of 2005
 DOE Supplemental Guidance for
Meeting Water Conservation Goals
 EPEAT Standards
 Commerce Personal
Property
Management Manual
 OMB Management Scorecards on
environmental stewardship, energy,
and transportation
 NCCOS Environmental Management
Programs and Improvement Plans
 NCCOS Environmental Management
Programs and Improvement Plans
NOAA Object Classification

Codes
 NOAA Facility Task Codes
Environmental Management Programs
Establish and maintain programs for achieving objectives
and targets including:
- Designate responsibility for achieving objectives and
targets at each relevant function and level
- The means and time-frame by which they are to be
achieved
 An EMP is a Structured Approach
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
SUMMARY FORM
Aspects: B. Document Control Code: N/A
Solid Waste
C. Revision Date: 2/25/2008
Special Waste
Hazardous Waste Rick Meitzler, Jay Lewis & Joseph Bizzell
Medical Waste (Misc. waste) D. Program Lead:
Sabrina Pittillo (12/2005 to 6/2006)
1. Introduction
NCCOS facilities dispose of a wide variety of wastes, many of which are regulated under RCRA, are harmful to the environment, and costly to dispose off. The
purpose of the Waste Management Program is to comprehensively manage key waste streams (as identified by the significant aspects above) at NCCOS
facilities. This summary form outlines the key components of the NCCOS Waste Management Program, including its overarching objective, annual targets, key
responsibilities, and schedules. In general, NCCOS aims to establish baselines for facility key waste streams and set objectives to improve the management of
these so as to minimize social, economic, and environmental impacts.
2. Five Year Objective(s):
Manage the use of natural resources so as to support NCCOS’s mission and balance society’s environmental, social, and economic goals.
Resource Project Plan
3. Target Performance Indicator Record Responsibility
Estimate Location

a.Baseline NCCOS Lab core waste streams Waste streams baseline Facility Waste Stream Facility EMS
by hazard class, volume, and cost completed FY 06 Baseline Report Coordinator
¼ FTE See below

4. Potential Impacts Resulting in Significance:

See NCCOS Summary of Aspects and Controls (Aspect Master List)
5. Legal and Other Requirements:
See NOAA-maintained CAP
6. Operational controls (see NCCOS operational controls list)
7. Action Plan (Schedule, Responsibilities, and Resources
 7. Action Plan (Schedule, Responsibilities, and Resources
Resource
Target Tasks Schedule/Date Responsibility
Allocation
1.Develop form for facilities to complete that 01-10-06
captures the information for the chemicals Completed Sabrina Pittillo
baseline 2/2006
02-01-06 All EMS Team
a.Baseline NCCOS Lab 1.Receive completed form back from each facility Travel
Completed 3/2006 Members
core waste streams by
hazard class, volume, and 1.Compile data from each facility into a baseline 03-01-06
cost Sabrina Pittillo
report Competed 3/2006

1.Post baseline report on NCCOS EMS home 04-01-06

Sabrina Pittillo
page Completed 4/2007

1. Initiate and pilot waste BPA for Charleston October 2006

NCCOS EMS Team
and Oxford locations Completed 9/2006
a.Propose an NCCOS-wide
waste disposal Blanket 2. Evaluate impacts of continuing and/or October 2007
NCCOS EMS Team
Purchase Agreement expanding to NCCOS-wide BPA. Completed 9/2007
(BPA)
3. Expand BPA contract to include Beaufort Rick Meitzler, Joseph
March 2008
Lab. Bizzell

1. Evaluate potential recycling opportunities

Fourth Quarter 08 Local EMS Team
for NCCOS facilities.

a.Identify Recycling 2. Initiate identified local recycling

Options Fourth Quarter 08 Local EMS Team
opportunities

3. Report improvements of recycled materials

Fourth Quarter 08 Local EMS Team
to NCCOS EMS team
8. General Background Document(s)/Records: Location and/or Person Responsible:

a. NCCOS EMS Team

b. National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

Weekly Report - September 27, 2006
NCCOS Institutes Comprehensive Chemical and Biological Waste Disposal Contract to
Increase Efficiency of Environmental Management Practices and Reduce Costs
The NOAA Eastern Regional Acquisition Division recently awarded a five-year
renewable blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to Pollution Control Industries, Inc. of
East Chicago, Indiana for the removal of chemical and biological wastes from three
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences (NCCOS) laboratories in South Carolina Rick Meitzler and Jay Lewis
and Maryland. The contract was initiated as an ongoing effort to promote the
Environmental Management System and improve efficiency. By this agreement,
participating laboratories expect to reduce costs to NCCOS, promote uniformity in
waste management programs, improve waste tracking, reduce paperwork, provide
more timely approval and removal of waste, eliminate the need for repetitive individual
purchases, and reduce administrative costs across NOAA. The award allows additional
NCCOS facilities to participate in the BPA.

c. The completion of 1 year of BPA activity has shown to be beneficial to NCCOS. The
BPA has increased EMS efficiency and reduced duplicative efforts across NCCOS. In
addition the BPA provides uniform management of chemical wastes, provides more
efficient and timely removal of wastes, and reduces costs. The NCCOS EMS team
recommends implementing the BPA at all NCCOS facilities that generate chemical and
biological wastes.

9. Competence of persons responsible on basis of training, education,

or experience:

Title Basis for Competence

Joseph Bizzell Education, training, and experience

Rick Meitzler Education, training, and experience

Jay Lewis Education, training, and experience

Operational Controls

 Procedures for controlling operations and activities that

affect significant aspects
 Administrative controls

 Engineering controls

 Operating criteria and maintenance

 Employees in charge of controls
Implementation and Operation

Organization & Capabilities & Controls

Accountability Communications

EMS Documentation

Training,
Awareness and Document Control
Competence
Structure and
Responsibility
Operational Control
Communication
Emergency
Preparedness and
Response
Structure and Responsibility

 Roles, responsibility and authorities

 Defined, documented, communicated
 Management provides resources
- Human, technological, financial
Training, Awareness and Competency

 Training for all employees whose work may create a

significant environmental impact

 Awareness training of managers and employees

 Training should require evidence of competence

Emergency Preparedness and Response

 Establish and maintain procedures to respond to

emergency situations

 Revise these procedures (if necessary) after

occurrences

 Test procedures periodically

Monitoring and Measurement

Write and maintain documented procedures to monitor

and measure on a regular basis the key characteristics of
operations and activities
 Performance
 Calibrate monitoring equipment and maintain records
of this process
 Operational Controls
 Compliance
 Communications

 Policy communicated to employees and available to

the public
 Training
 Procedures for internal communication
 Procedures for external communication
 Communicate relevant requirements to suppliers and
contractors
 Documentation, Documents, Records

 Documents: Written instruments used to run the EMS

(e.g., policy, procedures)

 Records: The outputs from running the EMS (e.g.,

training records, audit reports)

 Organization must:
 Describe the core elements of EMS
 Document Control

 Procedures for “controlling” documents so that:

 They can be located

 Periodically reviewed, revised and approved

 Current versions of relevant documents are available at

all locations where operations essential to the EMS are
performed
 Obsolete documents are removed or appropriately
stored
 Non-Conformance Corrective &
Preventive Action

 Procedure defining responsibility and authority for

handling non-conformances to the EMS

 Requires changes in procedures

 A non-compliance that is being appropriately

addressed by the EMS is not a non-conformance
 EMS Audit
 EMS audits determine whether or not the EMS:
 conforms to written programs and procedures, and
 has been properly implemented and maintained

 Provide information on the results of audits to

management

 Distinguish between EMS audit and compliance audit

Management Review
 To ensure effectiveness, adequacy and
suitability
 Review progress against environmental
objectives, targets and performance goals
 Review audit findings
 Review the environmental policy and the
need for changes
 An objective of EMS is to reduce environmental
impacts
some ways we can support this objective:

 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Reduce your use of resources such as

water. Reuse resources such as office supplies Recycle all
batteries, paper, electronics, toner cartridges, metal scraps, metal
cans, glass and plastic containers, and fluorescent light bulbs, etc.

 Purchasing Requirements – Government purchasing agents,

including credit card holders, are required to follow the Affirmative
(Green) Procurement Plan
 EPEAT required for all federal purchasing – FAR require
federal agencies to purchase at least 95% EPEAT-registered
products in all relevant electronic product categories.

 Carpool – Conserve fuel by carpooling to field sites or other work

related destinations.
What Managers and Supervisors Need to Do
 Employees need support through both
motivational and technical hurdles.

 Initial training and periodic refreshers are

essential to continuing pollution
prevention success.
Some Pollution Prevention Techniques
1. Good housekeeping 6. Alternate cleaning
and maintenance processes
practices
7. Reduce/reuse
2. Spill prevention and process wastes
preparedness
8. Process
3. Inventory modifications
management
9. Changes in
4. Prudent purchasing equipment or
technology
5. Waste exchange
programs 10.Environmentally
preferable
purchasing
 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

Products or services that have a lesser or reduced

effect on human health and the environment when
compared with competing products or services that
serve the same purpose.
Environmentally
preferable
purchasing also
means examining
the pollution
prevention practices
of your vendors and
subcontractors
Summary
 An EMS is the combination of people, policies,
procedures, review, and plans to help address
environmental issues.
 Important EMS elements include continual
improvement, management commitment,
formalization, and awareness of system
approach.
Our Participation
 Being effective and responsible stewards of the
environment and of natural resources is important
to us, both in our mission to improve the health of
the nation and as good neighbors in our
community.

 Performing our job in an environmentally safe and

sound manner benefits us all by protecting the
health of the surrounding ecosystem, preserving
resources for future generations, being good
neighbors, minimizing mission impact due to non-
compliance issues, and saving money by
decreasing wasted resources.
 Your Role
All personnel have roles and responsibilities at their facility location for
EMS. Your level of participation will vary according to the work you
perform. At a minimum, you are responsible for knowing:

The commitments of the Environmental Policy.

How your job impacts the environment.
The procedures/protocols (SOPs/SOGs) of your job and adhering to
them.
The potential environmental impacts of departing from the procedures
of your job.
The legal and other requirements of your job.
 EMS is Everyone’s Responsibility
Our EMS Teams are focused on the areas where the NCCOS
activities have the greatest potential to impact the environment
The teams focus on: The teams perform the following:
 Office Practices  Examine activities across NCCOS
and their potential environmental
 Facility Design and Construction
impacts.
 Lab Practices
 Recommend goals and metrics
 Day to Day Facilities Operations
 Identify environmental awareness
 Science and Research Activities training needs.
 Identify communication, structure
and responsibility needs.
 Determine operational controls
 Perform audits and prepare reports