Customer-driven environmental information management systems

The most successful corporate environmental programs regard environmental compliance as an opportunity to improve productivity and profits and seek to integrate environmental information management systems (EIMS) into line information functions. Integrated EIMS should provide timely, accurate data to support all three types of environmental management responsibilities: results and comparison reports for source management; material and waste transaction and emission reports for materials management; and compliance, summary, exception, and trend data for risk managers at every level.     

Self-organizing systems and environmental management

The characteristics of self-organizing systems are described and their implications for environmental management are discussed. It is concluded that the aim of management should be to enhance the capacity of the system for self-management, with active intervention being used only to steer it away from large discontinuities. Environmental managers must view ecosystems and themselves as parts of a larger sociobiophysical system, cultivate the capacity of environmental systems for self-management, and learn to live with change and uncertainty. Practical consequences of this approach for plans, policies, programs, and institutions are discussed.     

EcoMetrics: Integrating direct and indirect environmental costs and benefits into management information systems

This article suggests a set of metrics that may impact both profitability and environmental quality, capture and quantify eco-efficiency costs and benefits, and help managers understand and focus on tangible, yet difficult-to-quantify benefits (such as improved morale, innovation, etc.). In order to do this, it will frame the issues pertinent to developing eco-efficiency metrics; identify criteria for effective metrics to enable companies/consultants/etc. to discuss, evaluate, and select program metrics; outline the universe of possible metrics; suggest key metrics for a typical company; identify data quality, availability and other constraints; and suggest a methodology for incorporating environmental metrics into operating metrics. [Note: This article is not intended to provide a definitive overview of environmental metrics; rather, it proposes an operational framework for considering, selecting, and implementing metrics that are meaningful in both environmental and business terms. For an overview, see for example, Environmental Policy Performance Indicators;¹ Company Environmental Reporting;² The Greening of Industrial Ecosystems;³ Measuring Corporate Environmental Performance⁴]. The flow and embodiment of materials and energy in production and consumption activities of the economy underlie both economic growth and environmental perturbations… [Yet] existing accounting systems can prevent modern firms from internalizing environmental costs and considerations, and can compound difficulties encountered in effecting environmentally preferable changes⁵.     

Implementation of two new resource management information systems in Australia

This paper describes the development and implementation ofPREPLAN, A Pristine Environment Planning Language and Simulator, for two conservation areas in Australia, Kosciusko National Park (New South Wales) and Tutanning Nature Reserve (Western Australia).PREPLAN was derived from the North American gradient modeling systems and theForest Planning Language and Simulator (FORPLAN), but includes unique characteristics not previously available.PREPLAN includes an integrated resource management data base, modules for predicting site-specific vegetation, fuels, animals, fire behavior, and fire effects, and an English language instruction set.PREPLAN was developed specifically to provide available information and understanding of ecosystems to managers in a readily accessible and usable form, and to provide the motivation to conduct additional required research projects. An evaluation of the system's advantages and limitations is presented, and the way the utilization of such systems is improving natural area decision making throughout Australia is discussed.     

Geographic information systems and environmental impact assessment

The analytical structure of environmental impact assessment is continually changing as the applicability of established techniques from other fields and the development of novel methods become known. This paper illustrates the applicability of using existing data bases, through a geographic information system, for theex ante evaluation of land use disruption. More specifically, the Canada Geographic Information System was employed to retrieve, to analyze, and to produce land capability statistics and land use maps for the proposed Glengowan dam and reservoir.     

An institutional theoretic investigation on the links between internationalization of Chinese manufacturers and their environmental supply chain management

Increased market internationalization with more and stricter environmental regulations in different countries has caused manufacturers to extend their environmental management practices to cover their supply chain partners. Thus, environmental supply chain management (ESCM) has become an important competitive and environmental strategy for manufacturers to pursue. China, as a global manufacturer, is also facing this balance of economic development with environmental protection. The literature remains unclear on whether internationalization is beneficial or costly when it comes to environmental management practices such as ESCM within China. Further insight into this issue will be useful for organizations in developing and emergent economies to more effectively prepare for internationalizing their operations and markets. Using internationalization drivers that propel the implementation of environmental management practices in the Chinese manufacturing industry, we applied cluster analysis to group a sample of 377 Chinese manufacturers surveyed in 2007 into three clusters: mature internationalization, emergent internationalization, and domestic-focused. Institutional theory within an internationalization context sets the theoretical foundation for evidence that the international environmentally oriented institutional drivers encountered are positively associated with the adoption of ESCM practices by Chinese manufacturers. We also find significant differences in the environmental, economic and operational performance outcomes across the three manufacturer clusters. We conclude that manufacturing organizations experiencing internationalization with a greater extent of adopting ESCM practices tend to perform better.     

MEB's university-community partnerships foster new environmental leaders for business

As our society's environmental concerns have grown over the past 20 years, U.S. firms have struggled to find effective and inexpensive ways to meet their mushrooming environmental obligations. Many firms, recognizing the competitive advantages to be won through adroit environmental management, have begun to seek managers trained to deal with these issues. The corporate response has been hobbled by business schools'general failure to train managers to deal with crossfunctional issues, and by a specific failure to address environmental management in their curricula. In this article, the Management Institute for Environment and Business, a program of the World Resources Institute (WRI), describes its innovative University-Community Partnerships (UCP) project to address these shortcomings. Bringing new approaches and new thinking to management curricula, MEB and several like-minded organizations are breathing new life into the old MBA programs.     

Integrated resource management systems: Coupling expert systems with data-base management and geographic information systems

Decision making in natural resource management is becoming increasingly information-intensive because of the rising public concerns about resource conservation and environmental quality. The volume of information that must be analyzed and the complexity of the decision-making process demands that computerized systems be developed to provide decision support services. An integrated systems approach that couples data-base management, geographic information systems, and expert systems is needed. We refer to such an approach as integrated resource management automation (IRMA) and describe a prototype system that is currently being tested in the Nicolet National Forest. This type of information system is likely to play an increasingly important role in the management of natural resources in the future.     

Environmental business management practices for a new age

At the end of the 20th century, business finds itself in a period of transformation and a new emphasis on environmentally responsible practices. Leading-edge companies are now integrating environmental concerns into everyday business activities. Competitive issues, which led to the formation of just-in-time production processes, are now forcing companies to better understand their effects on the environment. Business leaders must now look at environmental issues as opportunities, not burdens. With innovative use of “industrial ecology,” companies can set the stage for long-term growth into the next century. “Business men go down with their businesses because they like the old way so well they cannot bring themselves to change.” Henry Ford.     

Running in nonconcentric circles: Why environmental management isn't being integrated into business management

To manage effectively, you have to communicate. But before you can communicate, you have to speak a common language. In the past, business managers and environmental professionals spoke in different jargons—and went their separate ways. Fortunately, that situation is now beginning to change. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Business-oriented environmental performance metrics: Building consensus for environmental management systems

Today, environmental managers are learning new ways of adding value to their organizations. Before, the environmental department was an overhead expense—an indirect support group required for complying with burdensome regulations. Now, such departments add insights and value during strategic planning sessions, identify efficiency improvement opportunities, provide a superior return on investment, and—bottom line—improve profits. The primary approach to meeting the challenge is a new environmental management system (EMS) that identifies, measures, and manages a diverse set of internal and external customer needs. These needs include environmental cleanups, regulatory compliance, pollution prevention, and design for the environment—and each represents a potential improvement opportunity. Unfortunately, most organizations have so many such needs that all cannot be addressed at once, given the resource constraints of a competitive business climate. Thus, priority is a key concept of an effective EMS. This article describes an innovative application of consensus-building tools that quickly identify and set priorities for diverse environmental programs. The article also shows how appropriate performance measures will align these programs with corporate goals and objectives.     

The contribution of computer‐based information systems to partnership between public agencies and voluntary environmental groups

This paper considers the contribution of computing to the implementation of a policy of partnership between public environmental agencies and local voluntary groups. The present policy commitment to partnerships of this kind is reviewed. Particular information needs arise when public agencies seek to give co‐ordinated support to the environmental action undertaken by local groups. These stem from the disaggregated nature of the structure and functions of the voluntary sector. Computer‐based information systems are identified as a bridge between the regional organisation of public agencies and the local activities of voluntary groups. A computer system devised to aid the forward planning of public support for voluntary action is described. It is considered that this technique has value as part of a wider strategy of interaction between the public and voluntary sectors.     

Information, power and environmental justice in Botany: the role of community information systems

In the environmental conflict that surrounds the sighting of hazardous waste facilities there is usually a volatile mix of disparities in power, expertise and information access as well as differing views on risk, which are all played out amidst commercial arrangements and environmental justice concerns. In recent times, the volatility of this mix has been further compounded by the growing climate of public concern and distrust surrounding scientific developments and technology. While there is no 'quick fix' to the complex conflict that this entails, community information systems (CISs) based on participatory models can help address the outstanding issues of capacity, information access, power inequities and environmental justice. CISs are an effective response to the five crucial elements of a toxic dispute, that is, the dialogue, capacity building, information access, evaluation of hazards and risk, and expertise. This paper will review the role of community accessible information systems in the dispute in Botany over the management and destruction of Orica Australia's stockpile of the persistent organic pollutant, hexachlorobenzene (HCB). It will focus on the role of CIS in responding to the challenges for expert information delivery, and in addressing the disparity of informational power within the toxic dispute.     

Evaluating management systems as part of environmental audits

Evaluating management systems is a crucial component of any environmental audit. Evolving regulations and directives acknowledge this importance. Remedying management deficiencies can result in long-term, lasting improvements in environmental compliance with external requirements and internal policies. This article presents ideas and examples from leading companies on how environmental audits can be designed to enhance TQEM systems.