Environmental management auditing: When credentials count!

We all know that the process of driving a car is not as simple as turning a key in the ignition and moving. When you want to drive a car, you take a written test to show your knowledge of the rules of the road. You learn to operate a vehicle (remember the operating difference between a standard shift and an automatic?) and then how to operate that vehicle in moving traffic. After you have gained competence in vehicle operation, you take a “hands-on” driving test to prove to an independent third party (the State) that you know what you are doing. Then, if you do know, you are issued a license, subject to renewal and perhaps retesting at some later point in time. Your license has become your credential to operate. It implies a certain minimum level of knowledge and experience. Should environmental auditing be any different? This article considers the application of a uniform standard for environmental auditor qualification. With an emphasis on ISO 14001¹ and auditing of environmental management systems, it discusses:

• the evolution of environmental auditing;
• established environmental auditor qualification processes;
• limitations of compliance auditing; and
• characteristics of a good auditor.

     

Monitoring and measurement systems for implementing ISO 14001

There is a lot of work involved in establishing an effective and useful monitoring and measurement system, but it can be a critical tool for business success. With reliable data based on important performance metrics, you can quantify environmental and business improvement; communicate success; provide valuable input to environmental objectives, targets, and programs; and make sound business decisions based on facts. This article details how companies can set up procedures, processes, and schedules using ISO 14001 to monitor regulatory compliance and help establish an integrated management system.     

动机、满足、兴趣--英语学习中不能忽视的因素

在英语学习中动机、满足、兴趣是不能忽视的因素，只有明确自己学英语的动机，通过多方努力感受到学习的满足，产生学习英语浓厚的兴趣，才能真正使英语学习走向高效，走向成功。     

Designing metrics that fit: Rethinking corporate environmental performance measurement systems

If you don't measure it, you can't manage it. Over the past decade, many companies have recognized this need to track environmental performance. Failure to plan metrics systems to fit organizational needs, work flows, and culture has left many companies with costly and ineffective environmental performance measurement systems. This article presents numerous practical steps for designing effective metrics systems which avoid common pitfalls.     

Advocates for environmental justice: the role of the champion in public participation implementation

That segment of the community I would say is just in general pretty disenfranchised. We found that if you want participation you have to go to them. I mean there are days when you just need to go knock on the door.

Brownfields developer in a poor urban neighbourhood

This article considers the role that champions play as advocates for socioeconomically disadvantaged community member involvement in environmental management decision-making. Six case studies of brownfields redevelopment projects located in poor urban neighbourhoods are examined. Analysis of these case studies reveals how champion behaviour, which has typically been studied only in the context of technological innovation, is enacted in public participation efforts in the service of environmental justice. The study finds that champions who emerge in these settings lead the development and implementation of non-standard public participation process innovations.     

Hot air,fast bucks,or true commitment: Strategies for transforming environmental commitment into a competitive advantage

Just saying that you are doing something is not good enough, especially when it comes to the environment. You need to document your changes and progress. In this article, (reprinted, with permission, from The Environmental Marketing Imperative) we'll show you how you can establish a true and meaningful environmental commitment for your company. We'll also show you how to effectively use this commitment as the basis for strategic marketing and communications plans.     

Utilization of environmental knowledge for watershed management in Northern Michigan

The Northern Michigan Environmental Research Program was conducted by the University of Michigan's Biological Station and Institute for Social Research to obtain information about the aquatic and human resources of water-rich, resort-oriented northern lower Michigan. Results of the study were directed toward long-term environmental management. Multiple methods were used to communicate study results, including self-contained information briefs, regular contacts and seminars with community leaders and public officials, and mass media. Selected illustrations of project data applied to environmental management problems are cited, e.g., curtailment of nutrient loadings, wetlands protection, improved effectiveness of riparian organizations, and highway planning. A series of shortLakeland Reports, designed to present factual information, general environmental principles, and action implications to a lay audience, proved to be effective. However, it became apparent that environmental decisions were not strongly affected by reports alone. Instead, several mutually reinforcing channels of communication must be employed to develop a climate of receptiveness and understanding to insure environmentally sound decisions.     

Questions and Answers. The right time for TQM?

In this quarterly column, I will be inviting you—the TQEM reader—to ask our distinguished board of advisors and contributors questions of current interest pertaining to TQM and environmental management. As editor, I will then share the questions with the board at large and compile the answers here. For this issue, the editorial staff has chosen three basic questions (and even helped out with an answer or two). Please take a moment to write down what you think will be an interesting question, or set of questions, and address it to me: TQEM Questions & Answers Editor, 22 West 21st Street, New York, NY 10010. I will credit you with the question and send out an extra copy of TQEM.     

Maintaining your EMS: The stages of EMS development

Registering to ISO 14001 doesn't mean you're forever green. If you want an environmental management system (EMS) to keep moving your organization forward to improved environmental and business performance, you need to maintain and refine it. The first step toward doing so is understanding the stages that each EMS goes through on its way to full business integration. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Beyond pollution prevention: A vision for an integrated environmental business management strategy

In this article the authors assert that successful long-term pollution prevention will require changes in the culture and business practices of an organization such that the term “pollution prevention” eventually becomes obsolete. They envision firms evolving to a point where actions that today are referred to as pollution prevention will simply be part of standard business practices and thoroughly embedded in the firms' culture. Although pollution prevention projects and programs need to be highly visible at the outset to communicate throughout the organization and to demonstrate the benefits that can be gained, companies should adopt a long-term strategy aimed at making fundamental changes in the way they do business, rather than relying solely on piecemeal projects and special plans or programs. Such evolution of the firm will maximize the chances of meeting the dual challenges of business competitiveness and environmental stewardship. This article presents a vision for integrating environmental performance with business objectives and suggests practical steps to begin moving toward that vision.     

Environmental management in Mainland China

Summary The author was a consultant, assigned from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to provide technical assistance to China's environmental pollution research and control. His assignment in China from September 1 through October 8, 1983 was filled with visits and meetings at key research institutes, universities, and regulatory agencies in the cities of Beijing (Peiking), Shanghai, Hangchow, Zhuji and Zhiaxing (Fig. 1). Trips to famous historical sites and scenic points in and around those cities were squeezed in between the heavily scheduled meetings. Dr Shen was born and educated in China through college. This is a report of his first trip back to his homeland since he left 35 years ago. His ability to communicate with the Chinese professionals and social strata in their native tongue provided him with a greater advantage in understanding the current status of China's environmental sciences and technology in preventing air, water, and land pollution. His contribution lies not only in the technical transfer of environmental sciences and engineering, but also in strengthening the ties of cooperation and communication between American and Chinese professionals. Dr Shen is a senior research scientist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and an adjunct faculty member of the Division of Environmental Sciences, Columbia University.     

Innovative ecomanagement practices and programs worldwide

It is easy to tell people how to be environmentally friendly. It is easy to promise what you intend to do in the future. But in my mind the number of green people declines when we talk about true round-the-clock environmentalists, those who live like they teach; we cut out the talkers and look at what people have achieved instead of what they intend to do.     

Catalysts for change: the emerging role of participatory research in land management

Land management is a complex process which involves the interaction of biophysical and social variables. New demands are being placed on biophysical researchers working in land management to communicate more effectively with the public and to involve the public in the research process. The catalysts for change in the practice of land management research are clearly outlined with respect to pressures from new government policies, from institutions funding research, from communities in which the research is occurring and from within the academic environment itself. In order to meet these new demands, collaborative efforts – incorporating different academic disciplines and between researchers and communities – must occur. Traditional scientific approaches can benefit from the incorporation of techniques and approaches used within participatory research. The concept of participation and its relevance to biophysical research in land management is discussed, as well as the key characteristics of participatory research. Examples, predominantly from Australia, are provided; however the global scope of the changes is highlighted.It is increasingly recognized that agriculture is a complex social process, not simply a complex, diverse and risky technical activity. This implies new theoretical as well as methodological challenges..(present author's emphasis) (Scoones and Thompson, 1994, p. 5).     

The benefits of proactive environmental quality: Tips from a successful small business

Who says environmental quality has to cost a bundle? Or that it's out of reach of the typical smaller company? In fact, says this article, a proactive environmental quality program offers significant cost-avoidance opportunities and can allow a company to reap positive public relations rewards. The combination of a total quality production program and a proactive environmental quality program is a formidable force for success. And you don't have to be a big company to be an environmental leader.© 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Positive and negative aspects of GRI reporting as perceived by Brazilian organizations

This paper aims to identify the positive and negative aspects in the sustainability reporting framework proposed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The research was conducted through content analysis of 27 companies’ responses to three questions: “Why does the company where you work prepare a sustainability report?” “What are the positive aspects you identify in the framework for GRI reporting?” and “What are the negative aspects you identify in the framework for GRI reporting?” The questionnaire was sent to all Brazilian companies that published sustainability reports using the GRI guidelines between 2011 and 2013 related to the base year 2010. We found that respondents viewed the GRI guidelines and the reports they created as management tools for sustainability and that they assist in benchmarking sustainability performance and legitimizing the sustainability actions of the organization. Furthermore, some respondents indicated that the reports themselves are marketing tools. On the other hand, the respondents reported difficulties in understanding the proposed GRI guidelines. They considered the guidelines complex, ambiguous, and too flexible, which undermined both the standardization of the reports and the ability to compare reports. Based on these comments, it is recommended that the GRI develop a simpler and less flexible reporting methodology.     

From Trust to Trustworthiness: Why Information is not Enough in the Food Sector

The many well-publicized food scandals in recent years have resulted in a general state of vulnerable trust. As a result, building consumer trust has become an important goal in agri-food policy. In their efforts to protect trust in the agricultural and food sector, governments and industries have tended to consider the problem of trust as merely a matter of informing consumers on risks. In this article, we argue that the food sector better addresses the problem of trust from the perspective of the trustworthiness of the food sector itself. This broad idea for changing the focus of trust is the assumption that if you want to be trusted, you should be trustworthy. To provide a clear understanding of what being trustworthy means within the food sector, we elaborate on both the concept of trust and of responsibility. In this way we show that policy focused on enhancing transparency and providing information to consumers is crucial, but not sufficient for dealing with the problem of consumer trust in the current agri-food context.     

P2: Putting environmental issues in a new light

Pollution prevention can help you see environmental problems for what they really are: waste and inefficiency. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Pollution prevention benchmarking: AT&T and intel work together with the best

AT&T and Intel teamed together in 1991 to benchmark best-in-class corporate pollution prevention programs. In simple terms, benchmarking is a process whereby you identify an area in which you want to improve or maintain superiority, find others in industry who do it best, compare yourself to their processes and achievements, and take steps to reduce the gap between yourself and the best-in-class. This article is not a tutorial on benchmarking, but a case study of the pollution prevention benchmarking embarked on by two companies. It will describe the team dynamics, the benchmarking process followed, and the conditions that were key to the team'S success in each phase. In addition, it will try to capture the enthusiasm and excitement experienced by the members of the benchmarking team.     

Environmental auditor qualifications: Meeting new,rigorous demands for quality audits

“Ah, Mr. Cahill, I wonder if you could come back to the auditor's team room. It seems one of your auditors has fallen asleep for the second time this week. I know you had a grueling trip getting here, but this is embarrassing to everyone”. So went an audit I led some time ago. It was not a fun experience, and it has left some scars. There has been much discussion lately in the profession about certifying environmental (health and safety) auditors against certain performance criteria. But how does one evaluate for such important measures as physical stamina?. This article discusses the qualifications that environmental auditors should have if they are to lead or conduct a quality audit. It becomes evident after reviewing these expectations that certifying auditors through a traditional written examination might ignore some of the most important skills an auditor should possess, especially in working with managers throughout an organization. Before certifying organizations progress too far down the restrictive written-exam road, they should determine how these other skills are to be assessed. No amount of book learning can overcome the drawbacks of a poor or combative interviewer or even an exhausted auditor.     

Maintaining your EMS: Six critical control points

If you want your environmental management system (EMS) to mature and continue providing value over the long term, it is important to build in mechanisms that encourage continued growth while warding off complacency and loss of interest. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.