What is EvMS?

What is an Environmental Management System?

What is an Environmental Management System?

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is the part of an organization's overall management system that incorporates environmental concerns and issues in the organization's daily operations. An EMS addresses organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing, and maintaining environmental policy.

Conventional thinking was that effective environmental management involved the implementation of programs to meet regulation requirements and helped organizations avoid negative consequences. Today, the new philosophy is effective environmental management; using EMS can help support sustainability, while integrating environmental goals throughout the organization. EMS is an ongoing and systematic process of establishing priorities, managing and reducing environmental impacts and achieving continuous results. The EMS approach to environmental protection requires collective responsibility of every employee in an organization. It can incorporate an environmental ethic throughout the workforce similar to the way in which safety has become a part of every day life. This ethical change will take time and an active, consistent leadership commitment, but will ultimately allow Bartow County to make environmental activities a normal routine tool and to promote a lifestyle of sustainability throughout.

The EMS committees of Bartow County and the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce have pledged to make Bartow County a pleasantly sustainable in which to live by managing and protecting its natural resources. By working collectively with government, small businesses, industry, schools and agriculture, the environmental footprint can be greatly reduced.

What are the benefits of an Environmental Management System?

• A positive effect on environmental compliance and performance.
• Improved environmental awareness, involvement and competency throughout the organization and the community.
• Better communication about environmental issues inside and outside the organization.
• Improved efficiency, reduced costs and greater consistency.
• Improved bond rating. Having an environmental plan demonstrates a reduced risk for lenders. This will result in savings to you, the taxpayer.
• Reduced insurance premiums. Insurance companies notice the reduced risks and pass along the savings. 
• A strong working relationship among organizations, the community, and the environment; providing an improved public image.
• Opportunities for continuous improvement. Annual audits and regular feedback about environmental concerns allow for updated approaches to environmental management.