Strategy Description:

This strategy focuses on building participation among farmers, small and medium sized companies, and public organizations in implementing voluntary environmental management system (EMS) programs in an effort to improve environmental stewardship region-wide. An EMS is a voluntary effort by a business to improve their environmental stewardship through a systematic approach to identify, correct, and monitor the environmental performance of their business. It involves a continuous cycle of planning, implementation, review, and improvement to increase performance over time and decrease risks that could threaten human health and the financial security of a business. Cumulative results of EMS implementation by many organizations will help to support sustainability goals for the entire Vision 2020 region.

Key Components:

• Work to promote the Pennsylvania Farm*A*Syst program to farmers and related agricultural businesses. The Pennsylvania Farm*A*Syst is an example of an EMS program involving a voluntary partnership between government agencies and private businesses that enables farmers to prevent pollution on farms using confidential environmental assessments. The program helps to promote an awareness of site conditions or management practices that threaten water supplies. It is a cooperative effort among Penn State Cooperative Extension, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Some of the issues that Farm*A*Syst can help address include:

• Quality of well water, new wells, and abandoned wells
• Livestock waste storage
• Storage and handling of petroleum products
• Hazardous waste managment
• Nutrient management

• Work with the Pennsylvania Farm*A*Syst program coordinator and Centre County Conservation District to provide information on Farm*A*Syst in the Conservation District’s newsletter to the agricultural community. During farm evaluations, face to face interaction between farmers and agency representatives is important to the success of increasing environmental management on farming operations.

• Obtain Farm*A*Syst program information from Les Lanyon, Farm*A*Syst coordinator for Pennsylvania, at (814) 863-1614 or visit http://www.uwex.edu/farmasyst/

• Work with the PA Chamber of Business and Industry and DEP’s Bureau of Pollution Prevention to promote EMS in the region.

• Obtain DEP technical support for EMS development and implementation. For more information contact Patrick McDonald at (717) 772-5941 and/or Jim Young at (570) 327-0537 with DEP’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Compliance.

• Obtain assistance from the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, which offers a unique program where industry can work towards EMS implementation and certification in ISO 14001. This program helps companies enhance their environmental performance and economic bottom line using voluntary, performance based approaches. For more information visit http://www.pachamber.org.

• Form a regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable based on initiatives of the Pennsylvania Pollution Prevention Network (P3 Network). There is a recognized need for organizations to understand the benefits and incentives associated with EMS implementation in order to successfully promote this strategy.

• Learn from and participate in the work of the P3 Network, a newly formed statewide pollution prevention roundtable organization formed by DEP and members of the World Class Industrial Network. Membership in the P3 network is open to any and all businesses and manufacturers in Pennsylvania. The roundtable is committed to networking and knowledge sharing activities focused on pollution prevention and environmental initiatives, such as EMS.

• Continue organizing and facilitating quarterly roundtable meetings
• Increase networking opportunities between quarterly meetings
• Demonstrate to all stakeholders the affirmative actions that PA companies are taking to solve their and their communities’ environmental problems
• Enhance community relations
• Provide greater public education on environmental problems and solutions
• Position the roundtable members as action-oriented, committed, environmental problem solvers

• Develop an EMS program initiative with the County that may include formation of an EMS association to promote the adoption of EMS by public and private sector organizations including municipalities, wastewater treatment facilities, farming businesses, forestry businesses and other industrial businesses. Utilize DEP’s eFACTS Site List to identify potential participants at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/efacts and Environmental Protection Agency’s Envirofacts site at http://www.epa.gov/enviro/ .

• Continue to monitor DEP’s EMS Pilot Projects. DEP has launched a pilot project to implement EMS processes into the existing activities of wastewater treatment facilities that generate and land-apply biosolids. The facilities, working with environmental auditors, are developing procedures for managing their environmental impacts by making environmental protection part of every job at their facilities.

EMS is about providing a plan for sustainable behavior business-by-business and organization-by-organization in all sectors of the region from private to public. The strategy’s overall educational efforts should be targeted at the region. However, programs and technical support as discussed above are currently in place to aid individual initiatives and to develop and implement an EMS program at any time.

Implementation:

The PA Chamber of Business and Industry may lead the effort with coordination provided by the County. DEP’s biosolids EMS pilot program can provide a good working model for getting the region introduced to EMS processes and program benefits.

Indicators:

• Number of organizations in the region with IS0 14001 certification
• Number of organizations in the region with implemented EMS programs
• Number of organizations participating in the P3 Network


Examples of EMS performance indicators in use by some organizations with EMS include:
 

• Pounds of VOC emitted per unit of production
• Pounds of hazardous waste generated per year
• Percentage of employees completing environmental training
• Average time for resolving nonconformities
• Energy use per unit of production
• Percentage of solid waste recycled and/or reused.