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What is the Environmental Management System?

  • Published
  • By Gloria Abarca
  • 87th Civil Engineer Squadron
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST --  Have you heard of EMS? It's been around for a while, and if you haven't heard of it by now, you've probably been living under a shell. If this is your first duty station, then you're off the hook. Let me fill you in on some information. 

Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, was signed into effect in January 2007 by President George W. Bush. This executive order mandates that federal facilities address environmental aspects in operations and activities through an Environmental Management System. This means that we have to implement the "Plan - Do - Check - Act" theory in every aspect of our workload. 

Plan means to look at the way we do our jobs and figure out how to do our jobs in the environmentally-friendly way. Do means to follow through with the things you discovered in the plan stage and implement them in your job. Check means to monitor what you implemented and see if it maintains environmental compliance. Act means to come around to the plan stage and revamp your procedures if they are not in tune with current environmental policy. 

Here is an example of an integral part of our mission where EMS is put into play. The de-icing of an aircraft encompasses the use of a chemical product, the cleanup after the product is used, and the prevention of that product into our natural resources. Ideally, we would like to see an environmental-friendly product to de-ice, a cleanup procedure that would not create so much waste, and a way to prevent contaminating our streams. It would be a step in the right direction if one of those aspects could happen. The way to get that to happen is to have all parties involved in the planning process. 

In today's society, the big word is green. Figuratively, green equates environment consciousness. We are encouraged to buy green appliances for our homes, green automobiles to get us around and green shopping bags for grocery shopping. No doubt this has come to fruition because of our dependence on the oil industry. If we are encouraged to change our everyday lives, why shouldn't we change our work conditions as well? 

EMS does not instruct workers to change practices into unrealistic forms of getting a job done. It encourages workers to be involved in the planning process to come up with a better way to do their jobs. By better, we mean using less fossil fuel, reducing waste and preserving the environment. There are constant changes in technology and resources that allow new procedures and/or products to be used. 

Since EMS is mandated for all federal facilities, it is being implemented throughout all commands. If you are given the opportunity to participate in EMS discussions, take the time to give good input. You are the person who can make your job easier or harder when asked about procedures in your workplace. Working together with other team members will get EMS working for you.