An Environmental Management System (EMS) identifies and measures environmental impacts of an organization, sets goals related to those impacts and monitors the organization’s performance related to the goals as well as the performance of the system itself.
During the months of October through January, information and documentation related to the City’s environmental footprint is being identified and collected. In November through January, information on existing management systems applicable to local government will be requested and reviewed.
The basic elements of an EMS include:
- Understanding the organization’s environmental footprint.
- Establishing environmental goals.
- Analyzing its environmental impacts and legal requirements.
- Setting environmental objectives and targets to reduce environmental impacts and comply with legal requirements.
- Establishing programs to meet these objectives and targets.
- Monitoring and measuring progress in achieving the objectives.
- Corrective action system.
- Ensuring employees' environmental awareness and competence.
- Reviewing progress of the EMS and making improvements.
The above-mentioned review will lead to a recommendation regarding how to best proceed and associated costs.
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