Achieving Environmental Management Compliance

By Daniel Stouffer

It is no longer sufficient to be seen as being "green" as there is much pressure to achieve environmental management compliance these days. Within boardrooms all around the country, many long hours are being spent focusing on the need to be sustainable, understanding that it is no longer just a PR exercise.

Environmental management compliance is a subject on the lips of corporate bosses as it has moved from the realm of politicians, scientists and activists. We can see how we have caused considerable damage through our excesses and society is demanding a proactive approach to put things right. We will no doubt see significant legislation over the years ahead.

The election of Pres. Obama was seen as a sea change in most areas and the current administration appears to have a more proactive outlook when it comes to the climate in general. Obama has issued an executive order that will force federal agencies toward environmental management compliance and will create a targeted goal to reduce their carbon footprint over the next 10 years.

The weight of public opinion is a significant driver, probably more so than even the threat of legislation. Corporations ignore this dynamic at their peril and should rush to engage in the concept of environmental management compliance. Those who do not may well see consumers voting with their pocketbooks against them.

For the last 300 years we have relied far too much on the use of fossil fuels to generate our power for us. This has caused a significant amount of greenhouse gases and carbon emissions to flow to the atmosphere causing global warming and a significant threat to our climate. It falls to all of us, whether individuals or organizations to become more efficient as we move forward

An organization cannot consider itself to have addressed the issue of environmental management compliance, simply by producing a sustainability report and engaging in a PR campaign. Rather, the organization must look at every element and aspect of its business and realize that it needs to become fully efficient and very careful at what it does before it can claim to be compliant.

There is one sure way for an organization to become more efficient and to reduce its carbon emissions and that is to truly understand how each of its assets work. A focus on every element will reveal the true cost of doing business, as each asset is brought up to a level of peak efficiency. In this way, a correct return on investment with be achieved to the greater good of the business.

There is no doubt that once environmental management compliance is realized, a business will end up being a much more efficient and profitable entity as well. To engage in this process requires the introduction of specialized software and solutions, especially designed to address the problem. - 32387

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