General Information
The Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement (COTA) is
pleased to offer a series of workshops addressing environmental issues
and to provide the tools and skills necessary to develop and implement an
ESMS.
What is an ESMS?
An Environmental and Sustainability Management System is a set of
management processes and procedures that allows an organization to
analyze, control and reduce the environmental impact of its activities,
products and services, and operate with a greater efficiency and
control. An ESMS is useful for organizations of any size in both the
public and private sectors.
The basic elements of an ESMS include:
- Identifying the organization’s environmental aspects and associated
impacts
- Developing and establishing programs to mitigate risks associated
with the threats and opportunities
- Identifying objectives and goals associated with programs
- Identifying compliance obligations
- Monitoring and measuring progress in achieving the objectives
- Ensuring employees’ environmental awareness and competence
- Reviewing progress of the ESMS and making improvements
What are the Benefits?
An ESMS provides tools to help manage your organization’s environmental
impacts efficiently and to improve environmental stewardship across the
entire organization.
Environmental benefits include:
- Reduction in the number, type and severity of environmental
compliance incidents
- Improved relationships with state and federal regulators
- Reduction in waste and pollution
- Recovered resources
- Increased fuel economy
Performance benefits include:
- Enhanced public image with system users and the general public
- Improved communications and cooperation through training and
outreach
- Reinforcement of environmental processes currently in place
- Proactive management of environmental issues
- Captures employee knowledge (“institutional memory”)
- Documentation of standard operating procedures
- Increased operational efficiencies