What are we Forgetting?

In this Issue

    * Note from Jean
    * What’s new at Enviro Action
    * Go Green Options
    * Links to 8 Articles

Note from Jean

I hope you all enjoyed the celebration of renewed life called Easter. Amid the eggs, rabbits, church services, holidays and family get togethers we could well think about life on our planet with a looming crisis of atmospheric pollution by greenhouse gases that we do have to address because of its impact on our global climate.  BUT we should think more broadly about ongoing environmental management.  What else are we forgetting?

I am noticing a major swing of awareness from environment to carbon and while greenhouse emissions are our biggest problem, we need to make sure we still manage the other ways that we pollute and over use our planet’s resources.  We need clean water, healthy soils and a diversity of life so that people around the world can stay in balance, feed ourselves and lead healthy lives.

We are currently feeling the impact of people living beyond their economic means and we need to realise that living beyond our environmental means will lead to a similar, though larger crash.  We are quite close to a tipping point of no return here.

What’s new at Enviro Action

If your business is sustainable you are managing your activities so that you are not harming the environment or using excessive energy.  Your employees have a safe workplace, your business strives to ensure customer satisfaction and you have a healthy financial bottom line.

I feel that simply paying for carbon credits and not changing behaviour is a cop out.  It is not sustainable.

Enviro Action can help you become sustainable with simple integrated systems for small to medium business.  Because I work with small groups online I can keep your costs down to around a third to a quarter of what I would need to charge your business with one-on-one conventional consultancy.  Whether you choose to become certified or not, integrating ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 9001 (quality or customer satisfaction), and AS/NZS 4801 (occupational safety) in a simple, low paper way, helps you to have a truly sustainable business that also increases your profits.  And it does not matter where you live.

Reducing your carbon footprint is the first step for many, saves a lot of money and is a subset of ISO 14001 environmental management.

There is still time to join an online consultancy group starting to integrate ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 quality this week.  This will take around five months.  AND yes you can fit safety in as well with htis group.   Call Jean on 08 8364 5741 to join in.

The next ISO 14001 online consultancy group will start at the beginning of May.  Again contact Jean on 08 8464 5741.

Go Green Options
It is no good just being interested in the environment or waiting for the government to do "something".  You need to take action and it saves you money.

    * Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Workshop
    * Go credible green with ISO 14001 Group consultancy and training
    * ISO 14001 Environmental AND ISO 9001 Quality fully integrated
    * Do-It-Yourself off the shelf modules
          o ISO 14001
          o Reduce your Carbon Footprint
    * Books http://www.itiseasytobegreen.com/
    * Other choices including premium service consultancy phone Jean on 61 8 8364 5741 or email me at jean@enviroaction.com.au

Don't forget the monthly Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Action teleconference series.  If you have to miss out, register anyway and I will send you the recording
Please note that the graphic at the top is just a graphic and contains no live links .
Did you know that Frogs are becoming endangered in many places?  Imagine a world where our kids miss the wonder of watching tadpoles grow legs !

Here are the links to the latest articles on the Enviro Jean Blog

Can Management Systems Be Effective If They Are Not Integrated?
The purpose of any management system is to provide a tool to manage the organisation.  Where an organisation has more than one system, these need to be integrated to prevent confusion and duplication.  The structure of the various standards cater very well for this integration and the processes involved in risk management can and should be consistent across all areas of business risk.

Environmental management ISO 14001, occupational health and safety AS/NZS 4801, Quality ISO 9001, HACCP or food safety (ISO 22000) and financial management can very readily be integrated.  All the systems except Quality (ISO 9001) are risk based and should use the same risk management tool.
What is crucial.......

Are we regulating ourselves out of viability?
Australia’s biggest manufacturing sector is the food industry believe it or not.  I was listening to Kate Carnell CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council on Meet the Press this wee and she had some interesting things to say about the emission trading scheme and climate change.

Comparing the Outcomes from Differing EMS approaches
There is a wide variety of what is understood by environmental management systems (EMS) in a variety of industries and how the concept has evolved over time.

Many industry groups have industry wide simplistic so called EMS that actually miss the S for system and some really only have a checklist approach that is based on an “average” or “typical” business in that industry.
Some of these programs are as simple as a checklist, or what many involved call a “tick and flick” exercise.  These are barely even educative and have no ongoing benefits like reduction of costs or legal protection

What Reward Should Business Expect from EMS?

There are numerous reasons for implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) and these are more apparent for certified EMS such as ISO 14001.  While there are a few  businesses that do an EMS because they know it is the right thing to do most want to know what reward they can expect.  It is an investment of time and money but it brings very real benefits.

Some of the best rewards are real savings and increased profits as a result of less waste and greater business efficiency as the business becomes more sustainable.
In the US farmers are becoming climate change aware

In the US farmers are becoming climate change aware
The National Council of Farmer Co-operatives in the USA is holding a series of meetings around the country to explain how future climate change legislation will increase the cost of electricity, fertiliser and fuel because they are saying that farmers need to participate in the climate change debate.

Climate Change Injustice
Climate change has completely unjust effects. The most damage is happening to those who
•    Can least afford to cope and
•    Have had least input into causing it.
While Climate Change Minister Penny Wong’s announcement that Australia would spend $20 million to help its neighbours in the Pacific and East Timor better understand how climate change would affect them, as part of a broader $150 million commitment to meet high-priority climate adaptation needs in vulnerable countries in our region sounds good But Senator Wong’s announcement raises more questions than it answers.
•    Australia is doing little to reduce our impact with only a 5per cent reduction by 2020,
•    AND we have refused to approve climate refugee status requests from small Pacific nations such as Tuvulu.  It remains unclear whether the $150 million

Let’s Go for Low Carbon Prosperity
52 companies in the UK have joined forces with 34 experts and organizations to create an unprecedented low-carbon prosperity Task Force.   This Task Force, will work with government and UN officials to develop a set of practical projects and policy proposals around the world, which will significantly stimulate the low-carbon economy from 2010 onward.
They believe 2009 is a crucial year for two reasons,

Airlines propose emission targets
A group of international airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air France/KLM, Virgin Atlantic and airport operator BA has issued a strong message to United Nations climate change negotiators — include us in your post-Kyoto deal.

The aviation industry is taking the lead, proposing a “cap and trade” emissions scheme for all airlines to comply with.

Kindest regards

Jean Cannon
Helping business build effective management systems to save money and grow
It is easy to be green

Winner 2008 FarmBis Distance Learning/eLearning and 2007 South Australian Seafood Industry Training Award in recognition of training excellence.

For more information or suggestions about how I can serve you better,
please contact me on jean@enviroaction.com.au.

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