Environmental Management Approach Research Articles

Environmental reporting on the internet by America's Toxic 100: Legitimacy and self-presentation

This study uses Goffman's self-presentation theory to examine corporate website environmental disclosures from an organizational legitimacy perspective. We argue that corporations use Internet reporting and website platforms to project a more socially acceptable environmental management approach to public stakeholders. We argue further that this disclosure activity is often de-coupled from their actual environmental performance. To test these conjectures, we refine and employ a comprehensive disclosure evaluation metric to assess both the content and the presentation of these types of disclosures and utilize a firm's America's Toxic 100 toxic score, a newly developed measure based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's toxics release inventory (TRI) data, to proxy for environmental performance. Based on empirical tests of four size-matched samples, our findings support our conjectures, showing that worse environmental performers provide more extensive disclosure in terms of content and website presentation.

Soundscapes and environmental noise management

Despite the current expansion of interest in soundscapes, the roles and application of the concept, vis-a-vis that of environmental noise management, have not been adequately articulated. Soundscapes and environmental noise management are complementary, not competing, approaches with respect to the study and management of the outdoor acoustic environment. Their complementarity is best demonstrated by focusing on fundamental distinctions between them. This paper introduces the notion of the acoustic environment as a resource to be managed for different beneficial uses and for diversity, and with a focus on sounds of human preference. It provides the opportunity for a more nuanced understanding of human response to the acoustic environment. By contrast, environmental noise management focuses on sound as a waste, and on reducing the extent and intensity of its adverse effects on people. Soundscape design, planning and management are a useful augmentation to environmental noise management approaches, potentially expanding the scope of application of the tools of acoustic specialists. The two fields require quite different approaches to measurement

The ISO 14001 Standard: Analysis into Its Strengths and Weaknesses, and Potential Opportunities for Deployment by Tomorrow’s Global Business

ISO 14001 is the most widely recognised and implemented international standard which organisations use to help reduce the negative impact which they may have on the environment. This approach is used by organisations from just about any industry sector and is used by SME’s (small to medium sized enterprises) to large Global organisations. It is a voluntary environmental management system that enables companies to be certified by an external certification authority. With environmental legislation and targets increasing globally year on year it is not clear whether ISO 14001 will ensure that companies can reach these goals or whether a modified or different approach is required? It is also unclear whether it is aligned to some of the new governmental legislation that is now becoming law including the (CCB) climate change bill in the United Kingdom. ISO 14001 has undoubtedly had a positive impact on reducing greenhouse gasses and reducing pollution levels that organisations emit, however research has shown that it does have some shortcomings that need to be changed in order to ensure sustainability of the approach. This paper explores and analyses the strengths and weaknesses of ISO 14001 and how these transcend into the key opportunities. It also introduces potential concepts and methods including the development of Green Lean Six Sigma Solutions that could enhance this well established environmental management approach for the businesses of the future.

IN SITU RADIOFREQUENCY FIELD LEVEL ASSESSMENT IN TWO URBAN AREAS IN ROMANIA: OPEN QUESTIONS TO ELECTROMAGNETIC POLLUTION

Even if electromagnetic pollution (EP) is still a rarely approached subject, its magnitude in the last decades is great, mainly due to the massive proliferation of electromagnetic field (EMF) technologies. Present paper aims to analyze the environmental field level from various sources in the high frequency range of the spectrum, by applying procedures that allow accurate assessments. This approach constitutes a first step in approaching the complex phenomenon of EP and its impact on the biosphere. Spot measurements around various radiofrequency (RF) sources/antennas were conducted in two urban areas, to assess the order of magnitude of the EP. The results show that generally, in the population accessed areas, the RF field levels are much lower than the maximum admitted levels in the human’s safety standards. However, this may not be the general rule, because there may be locations where superposition of a multiplicity of electromagnetic signals from the lower frequency part could increase EP consistently. Lack of specific EP environmental regulations disables the researcher to having a clear reference for establishing effective environmental management approaches for this type of pollutant, mainly because human protection standards are just thermally based and living organisms do not always obey the rules of cause and effect.

Potencial para implantação da produção mais limpa em sistemas locais de produção: o polo joalheiro de São José do Rio Preto

Os sistemas locais de produção (SLP) têm sido foco de políticas e ações nas esferas internacional e nacional voltadas ao desenvolvimento da competitividade da indústria local com base na dinamização de vantagens de aglomeração. Tais ações e políticas apontam os SLP como vetor de dinamismo econômico que favorece o desenvolvimento local, ressaltando o papel de micro e pequenas empresas (MPE) organizadas em aglomerações industriais. Porém, verifica-se que, nas análises e nas ações de estruturação e promoção dessas aglomerações, a dimensão ambiental recebe tratamento tangencial. Coloca-se, então, a questão sobre como contemplar a referida dimensão no entendimento e no desenvolvimento dos SLP, incorporando o objetivo de prevenir e reduzir os impactos ambientais negativos oriundos das atividades dessas aglomerações. O artigo tem como objetivo analisar as oportunidades para a integração da dimensão ambiental em um grupo de empresas do Polo Joalheiro de São José do Rio Preto-SP, o segundo maior do Estado de São Paulo em confecção de joias em ouro, participantes de um projeto de competitividade executado pelo Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas (SEBRAE). A análise proposta adota a produção mais limpa (P + L) como abordagem e ferramenta de gestão ambiental particularmente adequada para empresas de menor porte e podendo convergir com esforços de inovação tecnológica para, desse modo, constituir uma alternativa para a efetivação de melhoria no desempenho ambiental. Por meio de uma pesquisa qualitativa de caráter exploratório, verificou-se que os esforços de atualização tecnológica realizados no polo joalheiro, analisados com base na P + L, permitem a obtenção de benefícios ambientais, econômicos e de saúde e segurança ocupacional a partir da redução no consumo de matérias-primas, água e energia, bem como na geração de resíduos e nas emissões. São identificadas oportunidades para incorporar a dimensão ambiental em políticas e ações para a promoção de SLP, levando em conta as especificidades e a dinâmica tecnológica setorial em MPE.

Interval-parameter semi-infinite fuzzy-stochastic mixed-integer programming approach for environmental management under multiple uncertainties

In this study, an interval-parameter semi-infinite fuzzy-chance-constrained mixed-integer linear programming (ISIFCIP) approach is developed for supporting long-term planning of waste-management systems under multiple uncertainties in the City of Regina, Canada. The method improves upon the existing interval-parameter semi-infinite programming (ISIP) and fuzzy-chance-constrained programming (FCCP) by incorporating uncertainties expressed as dual uncertainties of functional intervals and multiple uncertainties of distributions with fuzzy-interval admissible probability of violating constraint within a general optimization framework. The binary-variable solutions represent the decisions of waste-management-facility expansion, and the continuous ones are related to decisions of waste-flow allocation. The interval solutions can help decision-makers to obtain multiple decision alternatives, as well as provide bases for further analyses of tradeoffs between waste-management cost and system-failure risk. In the application to the City of Regina, Canada, two scenarios are considered. In Scenario 1, the City’s waste-management practices would be based on the existing policy over the next 25 years. The total diversion rate for the residential waste would be approximately 14%. Scenario 2 is associated with a policy for waste minimization and diversion, where 35% diversion of residential waste should be achieved within 15 years, and 50% diversion over 25 years. In this scenario, not only landfill would be expanded, but also CF and MRF would be expanded. Through the scenario analyses, useful decision support for the City’s solid-waste managers and decision-makers has been generated. Three special characteristics of the proposed method make it unique compared with other optimization techniques that deal with uncertainties. Firstly, it is useful for tackling multiple uncertainties expressed as intervals, functional intervals, probability distributions, fuzzy sets, and their combinations; secondly, it has capability in addressing the temporal variations of the functional intervals; thirdly, it can facilitate dynamic analysis for decisions of facility-expansion planning and waste-flow allocation within a multi-facility, multi-period and multi-option context.

Ecodesign methods focused on remanufacturing

Understanding the product's ‘end-of-life’ is important to reduce the environmental impact of the products' final disposal. When the initial stages of product development consider end-of-life aspects, which can be established by ecodesign (a proactive approach of environmental management that aims to reduce the total environmental impact of products), it becomes easier to close the loop of materials. The ‘end-of-life’ ecodesign methods generally include more than one ‘end-of-life’ strategy. Since product complexity varies substantially, some components, systems or sub-systems are easier to be recycled, reused or remanufactured than others. Remanufacture is an effective way to maintain products in a closed-loop, reducing both environmental impacts and costs of the manufacturing processes. This paper presents some ecodesign methods focused on the integration of different ‘end-of-life’ strategies, with special attention to remanufacturing, given its increasing importance in the international scenario to reduce the life cycle impacts of products.

A Constraint-Softened Interval-Fuzzy Linear Programming Approach for Environmental Management Under Uncertainty

In this study, a constraint-softened interval-fuzzy linear programming (CS-IFLP) method is developed for violation analysis of environmental management systems under uncertainty. CS-IFLP can deal with uncertainties presented in terms of fuzzy sets and intervals. Moreover, a number of fuzzy relaxation levels for system constraints are allowed, such that the relevant decision space can be expanded. This can help generate a range of decision alternatives under various system conditions, and facilitate in-depth analyses of tradeoffs among economic objective, satisfaction degree, and constraint-violation risk. The developed method is applied to a case study of long-term municipal solid waste management planning. Results indicate that reasonable solutions for both binary and continuous variables have been generated. A higher relaxation level could result in a lower system cost and a higher satisfaction degree, but with a higher constraint-violation risk. Results of the sensitivity analyses demonstrate that violated system constraints have various effects on the system cost and satisfaction degree.

The ecosystem approach in corporate environmental management – expert mental models and environmental drivers in the Finnish forest industry

AbstractThe ecosystem approach has been adopted as the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and is recommended to be used widely in the integrated management of land, water and living resources, to promote conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way, also in corporations. The forest industry is a resource‐intensive branch with various impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Our aims in this study were to examine (i) how the ecosystem approach is implemented in the Finnish forest industry; and (ii) to outline the mental models of environmental experts of corporations, and their conceptualization of some key terms of ecosystem thinking. We interviewed 12 experts about their opinions on the main future challenges, the risks, the mistakes of the past, the possibilities and the successes confronting the forest industry. The results were analyzed using the DPSIR (Driving forces‐Pressures‐State‐Impacts‐Responses) framework model. Finally, we give several recommendations as to how the ecosystem approach can be integrated into corporate environmental management. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality: The intersection of science and policy

1 Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 USA *Corresponding author; e-mail: M.A.KenneyPHD@gmail.com 2 Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland 21037 USA e-mail: sutton-griera@si.edu 3 Department of Entomology, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742-4454 USA e-mail: rsmith9@umd.edu 4 Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, Maryland 21252 USA e-mail: esens@tosgrwson.edu Received: 28 April 28, 2009; accepted: 17 July 2009 Summary is review addresses the intersection of water quality policy and benthic macroinvertebrates. Speci“ cally, we examine the role that stream macroinvertebrates have played or could play in informing water quality deci-sions given the current policy framework, using this framework as the organizational structure for the review. Macroinvertebrates, as biological indicators of stream water quality, can be utilized to identify impaired waters, determine aquatic life stressors, set pollutant load reductions, and indicate improvement. We present both current approaches as well as innovative approaches to identify macroinvertebrates and aquatic life stres-sors. We also discuss an example of the environmental management approach, speci“ cally, how macroinver-tebrates can be used to indicate the relative success of stream restoration. For policymakers, this review serves to illuminate opportunities and limitations of using benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water qual-ity. For entomologists, this review highlights policy-relevant research questions that would further aid the classi“ cation of impaired waters, the identi“ cation of stressors, or the management of stream ecosystems. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009ds ywore Kiocriteria; B biological criteria; Clean ater ct; biological A W monitoring; bioassessment; essor str identi“ ca-tion; estoration; eam strr benthic tebrates eroinvmacr

A Comparative Life Cycle Analysis of Two Different Juice Packages

Packaging wastes have a portion of 12–15% in total municipal solid waste (MSW) in Turkey, and they have to be evaluated from production to final disposal from the environmental point of view. The concern about the environmental impacts of packages has been dealt with using several approaches in environmental management, such as risk assessment, environmental impact assessment, environmental auditing, energy analysis, material flow analysis, and life cycle analysis (LCA). The main purpose of this research was to investigate the life cycle environmental impact of glass bottles and beverage cartons. This LCA study was performed by using SimaPro7 (PRè Consultants, The Netherlands) software. Individual and comparative life cycle analysis of two packages was performed depending on a consumer who lives in Eskisehir city. For that aim, SimaPro7 was used, and the data to run the software was gathered from package producers, the database of the software, and the literature. Life cycle comparisons of the two juice packages among themselves and also within themselves were carried out by using EcoIndicator 99 on the basis of climate change, ecotoxicity, acidification/eutrophication, and fossil fuels. Sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of transportation. According to comparison figures, the environmental load of glass bottles is higher than beverage carton's load for all the impact categories. This result is also supported by the sensitivity analysis.

Habitat-Based Larval Interventions: A New Perspective for Malaria Control

Interest in environmental management of mosquito larval habitats has been rekindled due to deterioration of malaria in tropical Africa. Environmental management programs were typically implemented as "all-out" campaigns by treating all potential breeding habitats. In contrast, targeted environmental management is based on a sound understanding of the heterogeneity in mosquito productivity. However, deficiencies in field methodology for measuring productivity hamper our progress in understanding of mosquito productivity. To address these issues, we develop a framework of habitat-based interventions by adoption of a landscape approach to elucidate mechanisms underlying mosquito productivity. The importance of vigorously quantitative estimation of the productivity is highlighted. Spatial models are proposed to examine the interrelationship between mosquito productivity and oviposition of gravid mosquitoes. In our view, environmental management approaches must take into account variability in productivity, in efforts to improve feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of such approaches, particularly when implemented along with other malaria control measures.

Wastewater Treatment in Swine Farms to Mitigate Climate Change Effects by Implementing Clean Development Mechanism Projects

Wastewater Treatment in Swine Farms to Mitigate Climate Change Effects by Implementing Clean Development Mechanism ProjectsThe development of CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) projects in swine farms is as an efficient tool to reduce methane emissions (a greenhouse gas regulated by the Kyoto Protocol). Besides the environmental aspect, there are other benefits of CDM projects: they are beneficial for the farm's image, they contribute to the sustainable development of the region or country, and they generate revenues...Author(s)María F. ClavinDaniel A. NolascoSourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationSubjectSession 59: Water Environmental Technical and Management Approaches for Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions IIDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Jan, 2008ISSN1938-6478SICI1938-6478(20080101)2008:12L.4478;1-DOI10.2175/193864708788752403Volume / Issue2008 / 12Content sourceWEFTECFirst / last page(s)4478 - 4484Copyright2008Word count190

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions through the Use of Sewage Sludge as Fuel at Power Plants

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions through the Use of Sewage Sludge as Fuel at Power PlantsThe main object of this paper is to verify the greenhouse gas reduction effects obtained by using biosolid fuel as an alternative fuel in coal-use plants. The various physical properties of the biosolid fuel produced from four kinds of solid-fuelizing systems were analyzed, and its properties were examined. The biosolid fuel was then mixed with coal, and the burning test was carried out in a...Author(s)Makoto TerunumaHakuei YamamotoYasuhiro HashimotoYasumasa HoriMakoto IbarakiSourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationSubjectSession 37: Water Environmental Technical and Management Approaches for Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions IDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Jan, 2008ISSN1938-6478SICI1938-6478(20080101)2008:14L.2790;1-DOI10.2175/193864708788734296Volume / Issue2008 / 14Content sourceWEFTECFirst / last page(s)2790 - 2807Copyright2008Word count161

Ecological restoration, cultural preferences and the negotiation of ‘nativeness’ in Australia

The paper addresses cultural assumptions about ‘nativeness’ and ‘belonging’ to place as they are implicated in notions of ‘ecological restoration’. Given the centrality of complex notions of ‘indigeneity’ to the issue of what ecological ‘restoration’ means in Australia, this is a rich area for cultural and historical analysis. Case materials illustrate the negotiated and ambiguous nature of Australian ideas about what ‘belongs’ ecologically and culturally across the broad continent of this relatively young post-Settler nation. We seek to foreground these issues through consideration of what ‘restoring’ nature might mean in the context of debates about native plants, the re-introduction of an iconic species of ground dwelling bird, the removal of cane toads that are demonised as highly ‘alien’, and the multiple ways in which the dingo is regarded ambiguously as both native and a ‘pest’ that needs to be controlled and culled. By showing how ‘restoration’ can be understood and mobilised in a variety of ways – in terms of the ‘re-naturing’, ‘re-valuing’ and/or ‘repatriating’ of indigenous species, as well as impassioned rejection of ‘exotics’ – we emphasise the importance of social science for building a well-grounded sense of how environmental management priorities and approaches are informed by a wider set of cultural assumptions.

Community‐based environmental management in Vietnam: the challenge of sharing power in a politically guided society

AbstractThe article presents the challenges of introducing a ‘shared‐power’ community‐based management approach in the socialist society of Vietnam. The Portland State University (PSU)'s Oregon Environmental Management Alliance partnered with Vietnamese organisations in a shared‐power pilot project aimed at strengthening stakeholder participation in environmental improvements in two communities along the Tan Hoa‐Lo Gom (THLG) canal in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The Oregon Solutions model, a community‐based environmental management (CBEM) approach, was adapted for the shared‐power project. This article analyses three core ingredients of the shared‐power CBEM approach: multiple stakeholder structure, dispersed authority arrangements and diverse policy instruments. Critical reflections are offered on the meaning and appropriateness of these shared‐power ingredients when they are reinvented in Vietnam's politically guided governance system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards a Sustainable Urban Environmental Management Approach (SUEMA): Incorporating environmental management with Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

An Environmental Management System (EMS) has been widely in use by many companies to manage the environmental effects of their operations. The process has recently gained ground in being adopted at city and municipal levels as well as in institutions such as universities. However, an EMS that is conducted at corporate level has some deficiencies when it is applied at city level. These deficiencies are in evaluating environmental goals and policies carried out to mainly ensure that the policies meet ISO 14001 standard and corporate requirements and neglect of public participation. Urban areas differ from companies due to their size, complexity and environmental challenges, high rate of growth and the dynamic nature of urban systems. Therefore, they need an urban environmental management approach that will assess the formulated urban environment policies and goals in a strategic method before implementation, including social dimensions such as public participation. Therefore, this paper proposes a modified approach to incorporate an EMS, called the Sustainable Urban Environmental Management Approach (SUEMA). The approach recognizes the above-mentioned deficiencies and benefits from the advantages of sustainability and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the formulation and evaluation of policies, plans and programs. SUEMA is developed to ensure more sustainable urban environmental planning and development.

Community Environmental Management in New Zealand: Exploring the Realities in the Metaphor

There has been a resurgence of interest in the role that communities can play in addressing matters of environmental change and resource allocation in New Zealand. There has, however, been a paucity of research critically exploring the contribution of such community initiatives to environmental sustainability. We report from the qualitative analysis of six case studies, grounded on the themes of social capital, the social construction of nature, and sustainability. Insights emerging from observations, interviews, and documents suggest that community environmental management approaches are more complex than portrayed in normative descriptions, with matters such as social collectivity, interpretations of nature, and ideas about biophysical change being more variable than commonly portrayed. Appreciation of this and other factors appears necessary for aligning the expectations of community environmental management with the capacity of human and nonhuman systems. These observations have implications for the practice of community environmental management within New Zealand and internationally.

An Ecological Basis for Integrated Environmental Management

ABSTRACT Historically, approaches to environmental management activities have been reactive rather than proactive. Environmental laws and regulations have been generated primarily in response to particular issues (e.g., chemical contamination), creating a piecemeal approach for managing the environment. Responsibilities for managing different resources (e.g., water, air, forests, wildlife) have been assigned to different agencies or groups within government, further fragmenting environmental management. Proactive approaches that recognize the interconnectedness of environmental components are necessary to address complex and long-term environmental management issues. This Perspective proposes an environmental management approach that is comprehensive and systematic, while still being comprehensible to decision-makers and other stakeholders. The proposed approach is based on ecology and environmental values related to decision-making. It considers interrelationships among and between living organisms (including humans) and their physical environment. The proposed approach builds on the ecological risk assessment (ERA) paradigm, including goal (or problem) identification, values identification (ecological and human) for the environment being managed, and data collection and analysis focused on management decision-making. Stakeholder involvement and active participation are essential elements. As demonstrated herein, application of the proposed framework has enabled environmental managers to achieve workable solutions and to avoid or resolve environmental conflicts at both local and regional scales. The proposed framework is demonstrably transportable across political boundaries, applicable to all environments involving natural resources, independent of any particular ideology, and applicable to environmental management activities at all scales.

POEMS: A Case Study of an Italian Wine-Producing Firm

Over the last decade, researchers paid much attention to concepts such as Design for Environment, Extended Producer Responsibility, Responsible Chain Management, and Eco-design. Many management tools and standards (such as EMAS, ISO 14001, LCA, EPD, Ecolabel) have been developed to support companies in the evaluation and management of their environmental performance and to pursue continual environmental improvement. The more recent development of the aforesaid fields looks at interorganizational environmental management. Such an approach can complement the more traditional intraorganizational corporate environmental management approaches and tools. A typical example of this new trend is the Product Oriented Environmental Management System (POEMS), which represents the natural evolution of the above-mentioned tools, combining the features of EMS, EPD and Ecolabel. Although the structure of the POEMS is still not standardized, many experimental applications have yet been carried out in Europe. In developing a POEMS, a company needs to determine all of the environmental impacts caused at all life-cycle stages of the product and, ideally, to reduce all of them through a continual commitment. The aim of the present study was to perform a survey of the developed POEMS models and to analyze their peculiarities and drawbacks in the application to Small and Medium Enterprises. A case study regarding an Italian winery company is presented. The study analyzes the structure and the activities of the examined firm, in order to estimate direct and indirect environmental impacts following a life-cycle approach. The chosen functional unit is a 0.75-L bottle of red wine. The article also suggests some solutions to improve the environmental performances of the firm's products.