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Global Environmental Health in the 21st Century From Governmental Regulation to Corporate Social Responsibility: Workshop Summary (2007) / Chapter Skim
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1 Tools for Monitoring Environmental Health
Pages 17-25

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From page 17...
... ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS The environmental management concept, using the EMS as the platform, is a highly productive strategy to achieve sustainable environmental stewardship promotion throughout the federal community, said Edwin Pinero, Federal Environmental Executive. EMS provides a structured, systematic approach to negotiate environmental issues and have two key components: integration of management of environmental issues in daily operations and improvement-oriented practices.
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From page 18...
... The role of management is critical, not only for the specific responsibility of providing resources and accountability, but also for providing the leadership message and the commitment to stewardship. There are key points where senior management has a defined role and where their ongoing support is critical; for example, organization's policy, management review, the mission, vision, and support for improved environmental procedures, noted Pinero.
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From page 19...
... EMSs in both the federal and private sectors can be proactive mediums to achieve sustainable environmental stewardship. After 10 years of EMS applications throughout the world, there is hard data illustrating that every one of these benefits can be realized by a properly developed, implemented, and maintained EMS, concluded Pinero.
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From page 20...
... In general, she found that there is a lack of information flow from EMS departments to leadership positions, which led Matthews to question the probability of significant environmental performance improvement within each corporation. The second aspect of Matthews' research examined the relationship between facility performance and EMSs using several different environmental perfor EMS Policy Makers Internal to firm Components use value Public data Company websites EPA data EMIS Electronic systems What information External to firm How is it used?
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From page 21...
... Matthews examined regulatory compliance results to measure how EMSs and compliance relate. The study examined compliance, enforcement actions, violations, and inspections within three separate, 2-year periods (Table 1-1)
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From page 22...
... In that period of time, 80 percent violation or non-compliance was observed at the facilities going through compliance. The compliance record indicates that the existing environmental management systems were not effective processes to ensure regulatory compliance.
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From page 23...
... A combination of approaches coupled with command and control regulation, insurance and supply chain incentives, and community pressure can lead to sustainable improvement after a few years, noted general discussion participants. THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: FINDINGS FROM THE LITERATURE Environmental performance is defined as the reduction of pollution or resource uses, whether it is water or energy use, said Cary Coglianese of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
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From page 24...
... A second large study at the University of Oregon studied 247 facilities in the electronic sector. A log of an index based upon toxic release inventory emissions was used to study the impact of the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care program.
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From page 25...
... Further, a 2004 study analyzed facilities in states that had mandatory pollution prevention planning laws. The study found that facilities in states with pollution prevention programs reduced toxic release inventory releases by 62,000 pounds, or about an average of a 30 percent reduction (Bennear and Coglianese, 2004)
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Key Terms

  • environmental performance
  • release inventory
  • ems certified
  • regulatory compliance
  • toxic release

  • pollution prevention
  • sustainable environmental
  • improved environmental
  • environmental stewardship
  • certified ems

  • achieve sustainable
  • inventory emissions
  • environmental information
  • existing environmental
  • identify environmental

  • systematic management
  • management approach
  • compliance record
  • ensure regulatory
  • senior management

  • noted pinero
  • manufacturing facilities
  • defined broadly
  • corrective action
  • inventory releases

  • record indicates
  • proactive mediums
  • appropriate measurements
  • research concerning
  • prevention programs


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