Developing and implementing environmental management systems in Canadian cities and urban municipalities.

摘要

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a tool for improving environmental performance. An EMS may be developed by any organization, including private corporations, non-profit groups and all levels of government.; The purpose of this Master's Degree Project (MDP) is to develop recommendations for developing and implementing EMSs in Canadian Cities and Urban Municipalities.; A literature review was conducted, municipal EMS implementation documents were collected and examined, and semi-structured and unstructured interviews were conducted with municipal EMS Co-ordinators. A case study (the City of Calgary Transportation Department) was also used to study EMS implementation first hand. Several recommendations were generated.; Municipalities should establish an EMS Implementation Team (Facilitators and Implementers), Working Groups and a Steering Committee; select an EMS Co-ordinator; and retain consultants. An EMS Newsletter should be published to facilitate implementation. Municipalities should join a Group Implementation Program to facilitate development of the Core EMS Manual. EMS/ISO 14001 Environmental Awareness Training should be delivered. Tools such as flowcharts should be used to create operating procedures. Finally, municipalities should create detailed Action Plans.