1. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Since 1993
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
2/15/2019

2. Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and Moving Toward Zero Waste
Keith Boisvert
Environmental Specialist
Office of Pollution Prevention

3. Moving Toward Zero Waste
Pollution Prevention (P2)
Recycling
Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Voluntary Environmental Programs
An Environmental Management System is a tool to help you move toward zero waste and environmental sustainability, but it also has a lot of collateral benefits that should be considered.
EMS has a lot of infrastructure and can help support the organized implementation of P2 and recycling and continuously move efforts forward to meet zero waste goals. Voluntary programs help support pollution prevention, recycling and EMS

4. What is an Environmental Management System?
An environmental management system brings together the people, policies, plans, review mechanisms, and procedures
used to manage environmental
issues at a facility or in an
organization.
A holistic way to address a facility’s or projects environmental impact.
The three pillars of its policy statement, include a commitment to Pollution prevention, compliance and continuous improvement
Continuous improvement through plan-do-check –act
It’s a system not a static document you get out of it what you put into it.
You can use it to identify risk and the environmental operations at your facility that most need to be addressed
It’s not going to reduce pollution ,keep you in compliance or continuously improve. You need to be the driver and this is a tool. It provides infrastructure to support those efforts. It’s a system you animate the system. Like anything, you get out of it what you put in.
You can apply an EMS to any facility or project but examine your needs because not everyone needs an EMS.
It can take a long time to develop and implement an EMS months to years.
It is an investment of time and effort.

5. Why have an EMS? Improve consistency in operations
Raise environmental awareness
Improve communications
Improve environmental performance
Facilitate compliance
Improve Public Image
It standardizes operations.
There is a big training component and an emphasis on communication both internal and external so awareness on a lot of things is raised.
Just by raising awareness environmental performance improves.
An EMS will improve corporate social image and there are ways to promote that image.
An EMS can help give you a business advantage, like cutting costs and improving efficiency.
Reduce risk and liability
Your customers might require an EMS for you to do business with them.
An EMS will help you identify and set environmental goals and assign Environmental responsibilities to staff
It can be applied at any facility but you need to determine if it is a good fit for your facility.

6. Role of Management in EMS
Develop & approve environmental policy as a statement of commitment
Provide resources
Provide support in establishing EMS and overcome barriers
High level (Management) review to ensure EMS suitability, adequacy and effectiveness.
You must also engage staff . You can’t force a project from the top down. You have to get buy in. The question becomes what can we do not this is what you need to do.
This can be achieved through proactive communication and outreach
Management provides implementation strategy
All at once
Department by department
You also need and EMS leader, you definitely need a cheerleader to keep things going. EMS requires maintenance so you will need someone to support its operation.
Conagra Brands saved more than $5 million in the past year by implementing employees’ sustainability ideas. Based on those ideas, Conagra diverted more than 8,700 tons of waste from landfills, saved more than 245 million gallons of water, and reduced emissions by more than 2,100 metric tons.

7. Barriers to EMS Implementation
Lack of management support and commitment
Inadequate resources
Lack of support from staff
Lack of clear responsibilities and authorities
EMS too complex for the organisation
Organizational politics & culture within functional areas
This is probably the mirror image of the previous slide but from personal experience a barrier to be aware of is making the EMS too complex. Keep it simple . DEQ attempted an EMS many years ago and we failed. We were going to have the best EMS ever and it collapsed under its own weight.

8. Elements of EMS Environmental Policy Statement
Evaluation of Environmental Impacts
Objectives & Targets
Regulatory Requirements Identification/Tracking
Roles/Responsibilities & Management Review
Training and Communication
Environmental Control and Monitoring
Compliance Change Management
Corrective and Preventative Actions
Records and Recordkeeping
Audits and Inspections
Different people focus on different elements
Some focus on regulatory requirements or roles and responsibilities and management
It can be daunting but there is help available.

9. Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP) Overview
Started July, 2000; codified July, 2005
Focuses on sustainability/environmental management systems (EMS), pollution prevention and beyond compliance
Levels of participation:
For facilities (EMS-based)
E2: Environmental Enterprise
E3: Exemplary Environmental Enterprise
E4: Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise
DEQ is working to promote the use of EMS and develop a better relationship with the regulated community.
Over 450 facilities
250,000 people covered by the program

10. Why do facilities participate?
Help support environmental efforts (zero waste)
Recognition internal and external
Peer-to-peer support network/ mentoring
Single point of contact at DEQ/relationship-building with DEQ
Mentoring
Possible alternative compliance methods (permit duration, inspection frequency, etc.)
Reduced annual permit fees
Recently developed a stormwater resource for VEEP facilities on our website
Increase efficient use of DEQ resources
Encourage innovation
Improve collaboration with regulated community
Improve environmental performance beyond compliance
Increase likelihood that facilities will maintain compliance
Mentoring – other VEEP members can help you with your EMS.
Annual Permit Fee Reductions for certain Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, and Water permits (reduction varies from 2% to 20% depending upon media and level of participation in VEEP)

11. VEEP Permit Benefits
Hazardous Waste Management: Participating E2 facilities will receive potentially up to a 5% discount; E3 facilities will receive potentially up to a 10% discount.
Water: Participating E2 facilities will receive potentially up to a 2% discount; E3 facilities will receive potentially up to a 5% discount.
Solid Waste Management: Participating E2 facilities will receive potentially up to a 10% discount on annual fees; E3 facilities will receive potentially up to a 20% discount.
Reduced inspections –VPDES Industrial Storm water General Permit has a waiver for the requirement of routine facility inspections for facilities that have maintained E3/E4 status.

12. What Does Virginia Support EMS?
Energy use reduced by 1,322,498 MMBTU
Hazardous waste recycled 249 tons
Waste-to-energy 11,451 tons
Non-hazardous waste recycled 22,196 tons
Total water use reduced by 235,407,819 gallons
Increased recycled water use by 88,458,793 gallons
288,748 tons of hazardous waste recycled
Total cost savings of $41 million
VEEP facilities report annually on environmental efforts. We are able to get a description of what they are doing and how they are doing it.
That include innovative manufacturing techniques and pollution prevention and recycling successes
Improved compliance
Better allocation of resources
Improved relationship with facilities
Information exchange on environmental management
Improved environmental performance

13. } } E2 E3 Elements of EMS Environmental Policy Statement
Evaluation of Environmental Impacts
Objectives & Targets
Pollution Prevention Plan
Regulatory Requirements Identification/Tracking
Roles/Responsibilities & Management Review
Training and Communication
Environmental Control and Monitoring
Compliance Change Management
Corrective and Preventative Actions
Records and Recordkeeping
Audits and Inspections E3
E4 = community outreach and third party certified.
EMS is often a training platform for improved compliance and a way to identify risk and liability.
That’s why we include a request for a pollution prevention plan in our VEEP applications. An EMS may identify a facilities most significant aspects and risks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have identified your pollution prevention opportunities . A lot of waste is institutionalized.
Onion story
You also need to be aware of pollution prevention opportunities when addressing objectives. Fuel aspect
P2 opportunities related to fuel handling – Right size the fleet, telecommuting, tele-meeting’ idling policy, alternative fuels, increase fuel efficiency, replace diesel back up generators with microturbine.
Microturbine has CHP and peak shaving applications.

14. DEQ EMS Development Develop EMS Manual Implement Audit
Two years to go from E2 to E3
Develop EMS Manual
Implement
Audit
First state agency to reach E3
We wanted to lead by example and develop resources for other agencies.

15. EMS Achievements Lead by example Periodic EMS Newsletter
Each region has its own EMS website
Improved tracking of environmental impacts
Working with all facility owners and managers
Waste audits
Increased emphasis on recycling
Set numerical reduction goals
Reduce total energy use by 5%
Reduce paper use by 10%
Also:
Tracking and reducing vehicle use and mileage
Investigating how to reduce personal commuting
Training the entire agency on EMS and they take that to the public.
The office of Pollution Prevention has 3 people. The agency has 900
These are all things hat basically weren’t happening before our E3 EMS.

16. Take Aways
An environmental management system takes time and commitment from the entire organization.
Effective application of an EMS will drive the continuous improvement necessary to reach a goal of zero waste.

17. Keith Boisvert Keith. Boisvert@deq. virginia
Keith Boisvert Office of Pollution Prevention