Enviromental Management System (EMS) - University Student Looking for information

[adams_4_]

Hello Everyone,

I 'm new in this forum,and in elsmar in general. I am a univercity student and I am looking for information in 'enviromental managent'. Up to this moment I ve found few information, and to be honest I 've become quite confused about this subject.
Any help, suggestions, pointers, etc would be welcome.

Thanks everybody in advace!!!

[Randy]

1st..Welcome to the Cove, you've come to the best place on the internet for FREE information

2nd....What do you need to know?

3rd....Why?

4th...How did you find this place?

5th...The "SEARCH" capability on this site is fantastice, don't be afraid to use it.

6th...Welcome again

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Originally Posted by adams_4_

I 'm new in this forum,and in elsmar in general.

Welcome to the Cove Randy gave you a bagful of good advice already.

/Claes

[adams_4_]

Thank you all for your warm welcome,
the reason why I am looking for this info is because I am a univercity student in the last year of my studies and I must make a research based on 'enviromental management' concerning European Union(which is the subject of the research that was given to me), then after I finish this research and give it to the supervising univercity professor for evaluation, I can complete my studies and take my diploma. However, before writing and researching about enviromental management in Europe I must understand it better.
So I 'd like to learn what E.M. really is,where it is practised,why, how, the legislation about it and where I can find more info about IT.
The problem is that in my country(that's Greece),because the bibliography about this subject is small and very recent,so the libraries are lacking in books concerning this matter. I ve found some books through Internet (Amazon.com,etc.) but this way is too expensive for me to manage. I spotted a few sites (GEMI for example) with pdfs for dowloading but they weren't sufficient.
Even the slightest of help would be greatly welcome!!!
I have found this place through search, nobody recomended it to me, enviromental practises are quite new in Greece and there isn't enough knowledge and many people concerned with it.
Thank you all again and I hope I did not tire you down with my big message

[CINDY]

Adams 4,

Sounds to me like you have a perfect opportunity to discover how EMS could help Greese. If the process is new there, the best place to start would be how it would benefit your country. Take a look at recent history (pollution, spills, hazardous chemicals, etc.) and determine what could have been prevented if more companies had an EMS. The main idea behind the EMS standards is to prevent pollution, control, reduse or eliminate contribution to pollution. By identifying how a company's processes interact with the environment and how the company can control that interaction or better yet, eliminate it. I know it sounds easy and in reality it is not. Do you have a copy of the Standard? See if you can use the university as your base company and go from there. Examine their processes and compare. Detail how an EMS could benefit the university. Compare that benefit to the city as well. How much benefit could the city reap if more companies has an EMS. The long term effect will be benefit our children and their children.

Cindy

[adams_4_]

Cindy,
As far the univercity is concerned,I think this year they have started an EMS program, which is involved in waste management and recycling and making the heating system of the univercity's Building more efficient and enviroment friendly.
In Greece the movement about EMS and the ISO 14000 is very small. Not only because of the unawareness but of the unwillingless as well and the lack of many other reasons that are not relevant now.
What is this Standard?I don't have a copy of it but I 'd be glad if you or someone else directed me to an address in order to download a copy from there.
Do you know of any books that deal with EMS or Enviromental Management?Could you suggest any?
Thanks for the piece of the advice

Elias

[RCBeyette]

Elias,

As a link to the Standard, try this site. You will need to purchase the Standard, though.

As some have already mentioned, doing a search here in the Cove can be very helpful, too. We will probably not have much information specific to Greece, but we have lots on the concepts of Environmental Management.

I realize that your topic is Environmental Management, but is there is anything more specific about it? Environmental Management can be a very large and cumbersome topic...as I am sure you have learned!...

Originally Posted by adams_4_

what E.M. really is,where it is practised,why, how, the legislation about it and where I can find more info about IT.

What is Environmental Management?
The answer to that can be found by doing an online search here in the Cove.

Where is it practiced? Why? How?
Same as above.

What kind of legislation is there on it?
Contact the Greek Government to determine if there is an office or a department focusing on environmental issues. They can probably point in you in the right direction for legislation and regulations applicable to your country.

Where can I find out more about it?
Here at the Cove! Have you done an online search for environmental consultants in Greece or in neighbouring countries? Some of them might also be willing to help you in your quest for information.

[Claes Gefvenberg]

Originally Posted by adams_4_

What is this Standard?I don't have a copy of it but I 'd be glad if you or someone else directed me to an address in order to download a copy from there.

Hello again Elias,

I think I can offer you this without making it a copyright issue:

Originally Posted by ISO14001:1996

1 Scope

Originally Posted by ISO14001:1996

This International Standard specifies requirements for an environmental management system, to enable an organization to formulate a policy and objectives taking into account legislative requirements and information about significant environmental impacts. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organization can control and over which it can be expected to have an influence. It does not itself state specific environmental performance criteria.

This International Standard is applicable to any organization that wishes to

a) implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system;
b) assure itself of its conformance with its stated environmental policy;
c) demonstrate such conformance to others;
d) seek certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization;
e) make a self-determination and self-declaration of conformance with this International Standard

All the requirements in this International Standard are intended to be incorporated into any environmental management system. The extent of the application will depend on such factors as the environmental policy of the organization, the nature of its activities and the conditions in which it operates. This International Standard also provides, in annex A, informative guidance on the use of the specification.

/Claes