Defining Environmental Management For Businesses, Governments, And Institutions

Defining Environmental Management For Businesses, Governments, And Institutions

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Increasingly both public and private organizations are recognizing the importance of environmental management for long-term viability, risk management, cost-effectiveness, and client relations. This increased emphasis on environmental management has led to an increase in need for professionals with a solid understanding of sustainability and environmental management systems. The green jobs market is growing rapidly, and with it the demand for highly-qualified environmental management professionals.

What is Environmental Management?

Environmental management is a method of developing standards and policies to reduce the environmental impact of an organization. An environmental management system can be either formal or informal, developed by external experts or informally using internal resources.

In general, an environmental management program will cover a wide range of environmental issues, including some if not all of the following:

Air pollution
Ecosystem, wildlife, and habitat impacts
Energy consumption
Environmental clean-up and remediation
Environmental performance of contractors and vendors
Greenhouse gas emissions
Hazardous waste management
Indoor air quality
Land use patterns
Raw materials use
Solid waste production and recycling
Toxic chemical use
Wastewater management
Water consumption (indoor, outdoor, and in manufacturing or industrial processes)
Water quality measurement

The issues covered by a particular organizations environmental management program will depend greatly on the nature of the work and the desired outcomes. Generally, an environmental management system will provide the following structures:

Audit of current environmental activities, waste production, energy and water use, and other environmental factors
Development of written policies and procedures as part of a broad internal environmental policy
Create benchmarks to conserve energy and water, shrink emissions and pollution, conserve land and habitat, and limit waste production and chemical use
Provide training and awareness for employees and stakeholders
Measure results, which can be used for environmental certifications and compliance reporting

Benefits of Environmental Management Systems

Those businesses, nonprofits, schools, and governments that employ environmental management systems achieve a diverse range of benefits, including:

Reduced costs for waste disposal, chemicals, water, and energy
More effective use of resources resulting in lower costs
Greater loyalty from employees and shareholders alike
Improved public reputation and increased marketing opportunities
Reduced risk related to environmental certification and compliance
Protection from rising energy costs and price fluctuations

Though still a relatively innovative differentiation technique, environmental management will soon become business as usual as more executives understand the benefits and implications of sustainability.

Role of Environmental Professional

Depending upon a number of factors, an environmental professional may engage a customer who is either their employer or a client from whom they are receiving payment for services. No matter what the relationship is, keep the following basic personal rules in mind at all times:

Follow all the rules created by the law,

Be ethical and seek advice from a lawyer or environmental agency,

Audit the situation and try to understand how the problem was created and its present status,

Consult with other professionals on possible alternative solutions,

Provide suggestions as to alternatives,

Regulate and control environmental activities,

Remove yourself from the situation before allowing it to go further.

About the Author:
Christopher Young is the director of operations for the National Registry of Environmental Professionals (NREP), Glenview, IL, an internationally recognized professional environmental certifications organization. Chris is a certified registered environmental manager and has extensive experience in environmental management
, inspections, auditing and project management.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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