Making business integration work: A survival strategy for EHS managers

Realizing the benefits of environment, health, and safety (EHS) management systems requires more than just rewriting policies and procedures, EHS tasks and activities must be pushed out into all aspects of the organization. The success of this process necessitates an evolving role for EHS managers. For EHS managers, business integration involves the challenge of integrating environment, health, and safety awareness, responsibility, and action into multiple jobs and business processes, leveraging scarce resources to maximize value and minimize costs. Drawing on recent work in the fields of sociology and political science, this article presents conceptual tools for assisting EHS managers to plan and strategize the changing role of the EHS function. By assessing political opportunities, mobilizing structures, and framing processes, EHS managers can maximize the success of EHS programs, while adding value to companies' core operations.     

Product life cycle: The key to integrating ehs into corporate decision making and operations

A consensus is emerging that traditional environmental health and safety (EHS) programs—characterized by EHS professionals serving a support function to a company's main operations—represent only part of effective EHS management. In order to be truly successful, EHS management must go beyond this format and integrate EHS considerations into the corporation itself, from its strategic corporate decision making to its everyday operations on the manufacturing floor. Only when EHS becomes part of the fabric of a business's activity will EHS risks and costs be truly minimized—and the many potential benefits fully realized. This article discusses how to make this goal a reality by use of the manufacturing and product life cycle (PLC) perspective. It will first stress the importance of integrating EHS considerations into corporate decision making and operations. It will then trace the critical steps for achieving such integration through the use of the PLC, concentrating particularly on a General Electric Company (GE) chemical management process that weaves EHS concerns into every stage of day-to-day operations.     

Where the rubber meets the road: Measuring the success of environmental programs

In order to integrate environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs into mainstream business management, EHS managers must measure the success of their strategies. This article presents techniques and samples for both quantitative measurement (EHS results) and qualitative measurement (progress toward implementation). It also provides a case study of measurement at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, which has achieved notable successes with straightforward measurement approaches. Performance measurement systems can make the difference between an EHS program that rewards stakeholders for hard work, and one that fades and frustrates.     

Resiliency and Continuity: Hurricane Sandy and The City University of New York

Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) managers shoulder additional responsibilities with storm preparedness planning—and play host to storm evacuees     

高职院校国际服务外包课程设计的探索——以中国环境管理干部学院为例

以中国环境管理干部学院为例，国际服务外包课程是在国际服务贸易和服务外包产业迅速发展的背景下设置的。通过对我国服务外包行业发展现状和人才需求特点的分析，对国际服务外包课程设置提出系统性、开放性、职业性、实践性的构想，以及调整专业结构、建立灵活人才培养模式、加强学生实习实训、利用现有资源和政策支持以及做好服务外包人才就业工作的相关措施，以确保高职院校国际服务外包课程设计的科学性与可行性。     

Engaging your networks

The following is an excerpt form Grace Wever's new book Strategic Environment Management: Using TQEM and ISO 14000 for Competitive Advantage (John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1996). In this chapter entitled “Engaging Your Networks,” she shows how companies can “design-in” satisfaction through supply chain partnerships and join hands productively with customers and stakeholders to address EHS issues of mutual concern. Guidelines for value-added partnering are included as well as many illustrative company samples.     

Environmental,health, and safety department reorganization and prioritization: Using analytical hierarchy process to mitigate scope creep

Our objectives in this article are twofold: first, to use the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to establish core priorities and, second, to discuss how to reorganize an environmental, health, and safety (EHS) department in a manner that will avoid “scope creep,” as well as inconsistencies in the delivery of client services as a result of personnel loss or change. The approach we describe is novel because it allows users to prioritize their actions daily and annually to recalibrate priorities.     

美国离境外包经济动向的环境影响

最近美国离境外包经济发展很快，并引发继第一次产业革命（即工业革命）和第二次产业革命（即服务业超过制造业）之后的第三次产业革命，进而美国大批制造业向国外转移。这对我国承接制造业的产业转移是重大机遇，但同时也会遇到污染、能源转移的问题。建议我国抓住机遇，保持和发挥人力资源优势，迅速发展制造业，同时积极应对环境影响，分类管理，严格执法。     

The Perceived Implications of an Outsourcing Model on Governance within British Columbia Provincial Parks in Canada: A Quantitative Study

Good governance is of paramount importance to the success of parks and protected areas. This research utilized a questionnaire for 10 principles of governance to evaluate the outsourcing model used by British Columbia Provincial Parks, where profit-making corporations provide all front country visitor services. A total of 246 respondents representing five stakeholder groups evaluated the model according to each principle, using an online survey. Principal component analysis resulted in two of the 10 principles (equity and effectiveness) each being split into two categories, leading to 12 governance principles. Five of the 12 criteria received scores towards good governance: effectiveness outcome; equity general; strategic vision; responsiveness; and effectiveness process. One criterion, public participation, was on the neutral point. Six criteria received scores below neutral, more towards weak governance: transparency; rule of law; accountability; efficiency; consensus orientation; and, equity finance. The five stakeholder groups differed significantly on 10 of the 12 principles (P < .05). The 2 exceptions were for efficiency and effectiveness process. Seven of the 12 criteria followed a pattern wherein government employees and contractors reported positive scores, visitors and representatives of NGOs reported more negative scores, and nearby residents reported mid-range scores. Three criteria had government employees and contractors reporting the most positive scores, residents and visitors the most negative scores, and NGO respondents reporting mid-range scores. This research found evidence that perceptions of governance related to this outsourcing model differed significantly amongst various constituent groups.     

热联合在塔西南化肥厂节能降耗的应用

通过优化塔西南化肥厂合成氨装置的蒸汽系统和电力工程部的锅炉运行模式,新增外购4.2MPa蒸汽用量,在实现快装锅炉停运的同时送出富余的1.6MPa蒸汽,达到能源梯级循环利用,从而为自身装置和厂际间共同实现节能降耗进行了有益探索,并取得可观的经济效益和社会效益。     

梯级电站开发对生态环境的影响及保护措施——以瓦岗河水电规划为例

采用现场调查及类比分析等方法,结合瓦岗河水电规划成果,本文围绕小型河流水电梯级开发对环境影响的特点,重点分析瓦岗河水电梯级开发对植被、水土保持、水生生物、水质的影响。针对不利的影响,本文提出适合小型河流水电开发的环境减缓和补救措施。通过对环境不利影响采取相应的保护措施后,如下泄生态流量、外购鱼苗放流等,规划实施带来的不利环境影响将得以有效控制和减缓。     

“One thing leads to another”—Commodities,linkages and industrial development

With a particular focus on low income economies in SSA, this paper addresses the nature and determinants of linkages from the commodities sectors and challenges the received view that enclave development is an inherent characteristic of resource extraction, particularly in the hard and energy commodities sectors. It argues that there has been a steady increase in linkage development and that there are significant opportunities for deepening this process. The opportunities may be greater for backward than for forward linkages, particularly in the minerals and energy sectors. In making this case, this Discussion Paper draws on the experience of high income countries which have resource intensive economic structures, the geographical specificity of many resources and the growing interest of large resource extracting firms in outsourcing the production of inputs which are outside of their core competences and in supporting local production of some inputs, it sets out a general model of linkage development which distinguishes between win–win and win–lose outcomes.     

Innovation in the minerals industry: Australia in a global context

The pattern of innovation in the global minerals industry is changing as the industry becomes increasingly globalised. In this paper, we look at the structure of innovation in the industry and the drivers of change. We first consider the broad international trends and then examine these more closely with special reference to the Australian industry. Issues addressed include the apparent decline in corporate research and development spending, changing patterns in research collaboration and outsourcing, and the uptake of information and communication technologies in the industry. We also look at the potential implications of these trends for step-change technological developments and at the role of technological innovation in the future development of the industry.     

The impact of the carbon tax policy on green building strategy

As Green Corporate Social Responsibility spreads across the globe, the construction industry is under pressure to reduce the carbon emissions across their building projects. Between maximum profit and environment management, mathematical programming can be used as a decision support tool concerning the optimal green building projects portfolio. This environment strategic decision problem is addressed in this study where an activity-based costing decision model incorporating carbon tax costs and construction resources constraints is developed from the perspectives of capacity expansion and green technology outsourcing. The results illustrate the positive contribution of the mathematical programming approach to achieve viable green building projects portfolio solutions. Sensitivity analyses are carried out to analyse the impact of carbon footprint emission variation on maximum profit, and the corresponding results are discussed.     

Whose land? Whose water? Water rights,equity and justice in a peri-urban context

Based on research in peri-urban areas, this paper explores questions of water justice in the context of emerging global cities. With the growth of large cities, authorities focus on meeting their water needs through infrastructure expansion and supply augmentation. The changing water needs and priorities of peri-urban locations, which provide land and water for urban expansion, receive scant attention. This paper looks at changing patterns of water use between rural and urban uses, based on research in peri-urban Gurgaon, an emerging outsourcing and recreation hub of North West India. It describes the diversity of ways in which peri-urban residents lose access to water as the city expands. These processes raise important questions about water justice, about the politics of urban expansion, and the implicit biases about whom these cities are meant for.     

生态文明建设中的社会共治：结构、机制与实现路径--以“绿色浙江”为例

从发达国家的经验来看,多元主体社会共治是环境保护和建设生态文明的有效途径,也是生态文明建设的必然趋势。本文以＆quot;绿色浙江＆quot;为例,重点分析了其在组织结构上的独特性,处理和政府、企业之间关系的巧妙性和平衡性,还分析了＆quot;绿色浙江＆quot;在环境保护项目中经常运用的公众参与机制、圆桌协商机制、舆论倒逼机制和服务外包机制等。最后,文章提出生态文明建设中社会共治的实现路径包括两个方面：环保组织要加强核心技术的开发和公益人才的培养,地方政府则要完善《中华人民共和国环境保护法》关于公众参与和信息公开的具体操作程序,扩大社会组织和市民群体参与本地生态文明建设的渠道和空间。     

How Widely Applicable is River Basin Management? An Analysis of Wastewater Management in an Arid Transboundary Case

The basin scale has been promoted universally as the optimal management unit that allows for the internalization of all external effects caused by multiple water uses. However, the basin scale has been put forward largely on the basis of experience in temperate zones. Hence whether the basin scale is the best scale for management in other settings remains questionable. To address these questions this paper analyzes the economic viability and the political feasibility of alternative management options in the Kidron/Wadi Nar region. The Kidron/Wadi Nar is a small basin in which wastewater from eastern Jerusalem flows through the desert to the Dead Sea. Various options for managing these wastewater flows were analyzed ex ante on the basis of both a cost benefit and a multi-criteria analysis. The paper finds that due to economies of scale, a pure basin approach is not desirable from a physical and economic perspective. Furthermore, in terms of political feasibility, it seems that the option which prompts the fewest objections from influential stakeholder groups in the two entities under the current asymmetrical political setting is not a basin solution either, but a two plant solution based on an outsourcing arrangement. These findings imply that the river basin management approach can not be considered the best management approach for the arid transboundary case at hand, and hence is not unequivocally universally applicable.     

A holistic framework for design of cost-effective minimum water utilization network

Water pinch analysis (WPA) is a well-established tool for the design of a maximum water recovery (MWR) network. MWR, which is primarily concerned with water recovery and regeneration, only partly addresses water minimization problem. Strictly speaking, WPA can only lead to maximum water recovery targets as opposed to the minimum water targets as widely claimed by researchers over the years. The minimum water targets can be achieved when all water minimization options including elimination, reduction, reuse/recycling, outsourcing and regeneration have been holistically applied. Even though WPA has been well established for synthesis of MWR network, research towards holistic water minimization has lagged behind. This paper describes a new holistic framework for designing a cost-effective minimum water network (CEMWN) for industry and urban systems. The framework consists of five key steps, i.e. (1) Specify the limiting water data, (2) Determine MWR targets, (3) Screen process changes using water management hierarchy (WMH), (4) Apply Systematic Hierarchical Approach for Resilient Process Screening (SHARPS) strategy, and (5) Design water network. Three key contributions have emerged from this work. First is a hierarchical approach for systematic screening of process changes guided by the WMH. Second is a set of four new heuristics for implementing process changes that considers the interactions among process changes options as well as among equipment and the implications of applying each process change on utility targets. Third is the SHARPS cost-screening technique to customize process changes and ultimately generate a minimum water utilization network that is cost-effective and affordable. The CEMWN holistic framework has been successfully implemented on semiconductor and mosque case studies and yielded results within the designer payback period criterion.     

The determination and matching analysis of pinch point temperature difference in evaporator and condenser of organic rankine cycle for mixed working fluid

Exergo-economic analysis of the pinch point temperature difference (PPTD) in both evaporator and condenser of sub-critical organic Rankine cycle system (ORCs) are performed based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Taking mixture R13I1/R601a as a working fluid and the annual total cost per net output power Z as exergo-economic performance evaluation criterion, the effects of PPTD in evaporator ΔT_e, and the PPTD ratio of condenser to evaporator y, on the exergo-economic performance of ORCs are analyzed. Moreover, how some other parameters influence the optimal PPTD in evaporator ΔT_e,opt and the optimal PPTD ratio of condenser to evaporator y_opt are also discussed. It has been found that the exergo-economic performance of ORCs is remarkably influenced by ΔT_e and y, and there exists ΔT_e,opt and y_opt. In addition, ΔT_e,opt and y_opt are affected by heat transfer coefficient ratio of condenser to evaporator ß, the temperature of working fluid at dew point in condenser T_1a, and composition of R13I1/R601a: larger ß and T_1a lead to lower ΔT_e,opt and y_opt; by contraries, larger mass fraction of R13I1 makes ΔT_e,opt and y_opt increase, and y_opt increases linearly. The effects of the temperature of working fluid at bubble point in evaporator T_3a, mass flow rate of exhaust flue gas m_g, and inlet temperature of exhaust flue gas T_gi on ΔT_e,opt and y_opt are very slight. For comparison, three additional working fluids, namely R601a, R245fa, and 0.32R245fa/0.68R601a, are also taken into account.     

Role of Alternative Electron Acceptors (AEA) to control methane flux from waterlogged paddy fields: Case studies in the southern part of West Bengal, India

The rice fields, depleted of O₂, contain large amount of moisture and organic substrates to provide an ideal anaerobic environment for methanogenesis and are one of the principal anthropogenic sources of methane. In order to mitigate this emission Alternative Electron Acceptors (AEA) were altered in the soil. The experiments were carried out in four seasons at the site of Balarampur, near Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, namely September–December, 2005 (Cultivar: Sundari), February–May, 2006 (Cultivar: Sundari), September–December, 2006 and February–May, 2007 (Cultivar: Swarna-Pankaj). The seasonal average methane flux (Fe treated), for the cultivar type “Sundari” (season: September–December, 2005), is 4.41 t ha⁻¹, as compared to the value of 6.40 t ha⁻¹ for the untreated soil. Similarly for February–May, 2006, the seasonal average methane flux (Fe treated) is 5.52 t ha⁻¹, whereas the untreated flux is 5.69 t ha⁻¹. In the third and fourth seasons we had two treatments with Ammonium Thiosulphate and Ferric Hydroxide. The seasonal average methane flux (treatment: Ammonium Thiosulphate) is 4.35 t ha⁻¹ and 5.41 t ha⁻¹ respectively, whereas for the ferric hydroxide treated soil it is 4.35 t ha⁻¹ and 6.14 t ha⁻¹ respectively. The properties related to the nutrient quality of the harvested paddy seeds supplement these results.