Identifying Environmental

Aspects

EPA Regions 9 & 10

and
The Federal Network for Sustainability
 Objectives
After this discussion, you should be able to:
• Define an environmental aspect
• List the steps in preparing an aspects
register

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 Overview
• Definition
• Examples
• Building an Aspects Register

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 Definition
• An environmental aspect is the part of an
activity, product, or service that interacts
with the environment. An aspect can be
thought of as the actual or potential “cause”
of an environmental impact.
• Aspects can be regulated or unregulated.

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 Environmental Aspects
• Vehicles emit exhaust
• Water leaks from distribution system
• Fueling spills occur
• Containers not closed
• Noise from aircraft engine run-up testing
• Lights and computers left on at night
• Copier paper bleached with chlorine
• Bicycles don’t emit exhaust
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 More Examples
Activity, Product, or Service
• Flying aircraft
• Visitor services
Environmental Aspect
• Jet fuel consumption
• Jet fuel storage
• Noise generation
• Gasoline consumption
• Electricity consumption
• Solid waste generation
• Water consumption
• Waste water generation
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 Examples
Activity, Product, or Service
• Vehicle maintenance
Environmental Aspect
• Hazardous waste generation
• Gasoline consumption
• Noise generation
• Electricity consumption
• Solid waste generation
• Water consumption
• Waste water generation
• Release of volatiles
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 Examples
Activity, Product, or Service
• Souvenirs in gift shop
• Cafeteria food service
Environmental Aspect
• Packaging
• Use of raw materials
• Fuel consumption for transport
• Solid waste generation
• Food waste generation
• Electricity consumption
• Water consumption
• Waste water generation
• Use of ammonia in refrigeration
equipment
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 Examples
Activity, Product, or Service Environmental Aspect
• Office work • Electricity consumption
• Water consumption
• Waste water generation
• Use of ozone depleting
substances in air cooling
units
• Solid waste generation
• Heavy metals in computers

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 Examples
Activity, Product, or Service
• Cleaning offices
• Playing field upkeep
(golf course, softball field,
parade ground)
Environmental Aspect
• Hazardous material usage
• Electricity consumption
• Solid waste generation
• Water consumption
• Waste water generation
• Water consumption
• Waste water generation
• Pesticide usage
• Gasoline consumption
• Grass clipping generation
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 Aspects and the EMS
When first developing your EMS, do a
comprehensive aspects analysis.

ISO 14001 requires organizations to:

• develop procedures to identify
environmental aspects
• keep register of aspects up-to-date.
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 Building an Aspects
Register
• Review gap analysis
• Assemble list of activities,
products, and services
• Characterize activities, products, and
services
• List aspects
• Quantify aspects if possible
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 Review Gap Analysis
• Facility walk-through
• MSDSs
• Environmental management plans
• Staff interviews

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 List of Activities, Products,
and Services
• Public Affairs office
• Commercial activities studies
• GPRA analysis
• Air Force “compliance site inventories”
• Real property list
• NEPA reviews
• Transportation studies
• Match list with “fenceline”
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 Characterize Activities,
Products, and Services
• Process flow diagrams
• Interviews with supervisors, managers
• Hazardous material inventories
• Hazardous waste records
• Records from emergency planning, accident
reports, emergency incidents
• Water and energy consumption records
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 List Aspects
• Determine number of distinct aspects
• Don’t forget about transportation and
construction
• Sort and organize aspects, for example:
– Releases to air
– Water consumption, pollution
– Land contamination
– Use of raw materials, natural resources
– Other local environmental, community issues
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 Quantify Aspects
• Use data from gap analysis or aspect
identification
• Collect additional data if available
• Use consistent units
• Document sources of data

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 Summary
• Identification of environmental aspects is a
key part of an EMS
• Aspects arise from activities, products, and
services
• An EMS includes procedures for aspect
identification and update

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