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EMS for EPA's San Francisco, CA Office
National Links
"The EMS is about how we practice environmental protection in our day-to-day lives. Who better to lead by example than the employees of EPA?”
Tom Huetteman, Associate Director, Waste Management Division
"Working on the EMS, and its related projects, has shown me that everyone can make a difference in their workplace and in their community... [We] can all do so much more to improve our business practices and lessen our impact on the environment. "
Heather White, EMS Representative, EPA Waste Management
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a continual cycle of planning, implementing, and reviewing activities to meet environmental regulations and improve a facility's overall performance. This includes non-regulated environmental impacts like energy use, carbon dioxide emissions, and purchase and use of products that have less impact on the environment. With an EMS, a facility's environmental impacts become the responsibility of all employees and managers.
This Web site documents the efforts of EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office (Region 9) in San Francisco, CA, to create an EMS and provide access to the information for our internal and external stakeholders.
In order to manage this facility in a manner that protects the environment, the safety of our employees, and public health, EPA Region 9 has committed to following an EMS for its office/facility at 75 Hawthorne Street in San Francisco. EPA's Region 9 Lab in Richmond, CA, is developing a separate EMS for its facility.
Details of Region 9's EMS
EPA Region 9 EMS Manual
Gathers together and organizes the documentation needed to support Region 9's EMS
Key sections:
Comments, questions, & suggestionsScope
Fenceline and facility informationEPA Region 9's EMS Policy
EMS goals are defined in this policy, which has been signed by the Regional Administrator.Planning and Environmental Aspects
Significant AspectsObjectives and Targets
Strategies to reduce environmental impactsProcedures
EMS system proceduresEnvironmental Management Programs
How to reach objectives and targets
How to contact Region 9's EMS Lead
Related Information
Environmental Management System (EMS) Training
Phase 1 and Phase 2 PowerPoint presentations
The Natural Step 
An international advisory and research organization
Executive Order 13423
Requires federal agencies to develop EMSs
PEER Center EMS Web page
Public Entity Environmental Management System Resource Center
Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange EMS Web Page
Contains EMS information for small to medium enterprises