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What is an EMS?
An environmental management system, or EMS, is a set of management
processes and procedures that allow an organization to analyze,
control and reduce the environmental impact of its activities,
products and services and operate with greater efficiency
and control. An EMS institutes a continual cycle of planning,
implementing, reviewing and improving the actions that the
organization takes to meet its environmental obligations,
and consists of the following basic elements:
- Reviewing the organization’s 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
- Ensuring employees’ environmental awareness and
competence
- Reviewing progress of the EMS and making improvements
Background
In December 2005, John Stufflebean, the Director of Environmental
Services, initiated work on the development of an Environmental
Management System (EMS) for the San José Environmental
Services Department (ESD). ESD responsibilities include wastewater
treatment, solid waste management and recycling, water conservation,
water pollution prevention, energy conservation, and the delivery
of potable water through the Municipal Water System.
Beginning in January 2006, the EMS cross-functional core
team was assembled. The team chose to initially develop an
EMS for the San José Municipal Water System. They expect
to begin implementing the Municipal Water System EMS by January
2007.
In September of 2008, Environmental Services’ Water Resources Division became the first operational group in the City to achieve ISO 14001 certification. The Water Resources Division EMS has lowered environmental impacts associated with daily operations by replacing disposable batteries with rechargeable ones, eliminating a stream of universal waste, and successfully piloting efficient landscaping practices at two of its sites, resulting in a 75% decrease in water consumption, a 66% decrease in yard waste generated, decreased pesticide and herbicide use, and a 50% decrease in staff maintenance time.
What is ISO 14001 Certification?
 In
1996, the 140 member nations of the International Organization
for Standards (ISO) adopted ISO
14001, an environmental standard which includes a requirement
for an EMS. Approximately 90,000 companies around the world
have developed EMSs and received official certification of
their systems. Public agencies have also benefited from EMS
implementation, by increasing operational efficiencies, improving
environmental performance, and reducing costs. The EMS must
be a systematic and documented program designed to identify
significant environmental aspects of an organization’s
activities; because the underlying principle of an EMS is
continual improvement, measures taken to improve performance
in these areas are quantified, monitored, and periodically
reassessed.
Environmental Policy
ESD has developed an EMS
policy in conformance with ISO 14001. It was formally
approved and adopted by senior management in May of 2006,
and updated in September of 2007.
For further information on ESD’s EMS, please contact
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