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Cincinnati - Environmental Management System
Environmental management systems (EMS) emerged in the early 1990s as a way for organizations to systematically identify how their operations might impact the environment, and then implement measures to minimize the potential for such impacts to occur. It provides a framework for combining all of the existing policies, programs, and activities at EPA's Cincinnati, Ohio, facilities, then adds a continuous process of measurement, evaluation, and program improvement. This cycle of continual improvement allows EPA's Cincinnati operations to adjust to the dynamic nature of its research operations while successfully adhering to EPA's mission and commitments.
EPA defined the scope for Cincinnati’s EMS following careful consideration of the range of activities undertaken by the Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) staff. As articulated in its EMS Policy, EPA also hopes to develop an EMS that would be a model for the federal community and the public. The result is an EMS that applies to all Cincinnati facilities, personnel, and resources.
One of the critical steps in designing Cincinnati’s EMS was to identify those aspects of the organization’s activities, products, and services that have or could have a significant impact on the environment. Thus far, the EMS Team has outlined a number or areas within facilities operations whose impact on the environment meet their definition of significant. These include:
- Energy Consumption (e.g., electricity, natural gas, fuel oil)
- Chemical Use
- Water and Wastewater Consumption
- Vehicle Use
- Air Emissions
- Recycling and Waste Minimization (e.g., paper consumption and waste management)
The EMS Team has developed environmental management programs with specific objectives and targets designed to lessen the environmental impacts caused by these significant aspects. If you would like to learn more about the EMS established for EPA's Cincinnati facilities, please contact the following EMS Coordinators:
Shawn Lafferty (lafferty.shawn@epa.gov)
Facilities Management and Services
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
26 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Phone: (513) 569-7771
Sherie Brown (brown.sherie@epa.gov)
Program Operations Staff
ORD/NERL
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
26 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Phone: (513) 569-7613