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VA Tech COTA and EMS
In line with the Center's mission to foster economic development and Continuing & Professional Education initiatives with a special emphasis on connecting research to the real world needs of Virginia's governmental, industrial, commercial, academic and professional organizations, COTA has embarked on an innovative approach to addressing environmental issues.
In January 2002, COTA began offering an Environmental Management System (EMS) Implementation Institute for local, state and federal government agencies, with guidance to public entities in utilizing this cutting-edge management system for managing their operations and services.
For more information on COTA's EMS Implementation Program offering see:
What is an EMS? An environmental management system 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. EMSs follow the well-known model of "plan, do, check, and act" which employs a systems methodology rather than the traditional command and control approach.
What are the Basic Elements of an EMS?
- 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
The ultimate goal of any EMS is to integrate environmental considerations into everyday business operations, and ensure that environmental stewardship becomes part of the daily responsibilities - business as usual - for everyone across the entire organization, not just in the environmental department.
An EMS encompasses several basic elements that taken together creates a continuous cycle approach to managing day-to-day operations. The most common framework for an EMS is based upon the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 Standard, which allows an organization the option to be audited by a third-party and registered as compliant.
What are the Benefits of EMS Implementation?
Public entities across the country continue to realize numerous environmental and economic benefits from implementing an EMS within their organizations. A diverse group of local government organizations have shown consistently that short-term and long-term returns on investment substantially outweigh the costs of implementation. The wide-range of benefits experienced by public entities includes:
- Path to environmental sustainability
- Resource and Cost Savings
- Enhanced Environmental Awareness and Stewardship
- Increased Credibility with External Stakeholders
- Employee Empowerment
- Improved Environmental Performance
- Better Relationships with Regulators
- Increased Operational Efficiency and Consistency
- Labor-Management Improvement
- Improved Bond Rating
- Reduced Insurance Premiums