Environmental Management in the UK - Essay Example

Environmental Management UK Government has laid down a vision all the way to 2020. The country's four priorities for instantaneous actionare sustainable consumption and production. The government believes that sustainable businesses as well as organisations can be influential drivers for higher sustainable production as well consumption. Thus they must consider: a) Environmental impacts (e.g. wastes generated) and of the company's environmental conditions. Presented below are examples of best practices the UK and abroad in terms of managing water resources and sustainable waste management. They are so selected on the bases of their aims, program implementations, strategies and environmental benefits. It sees to it that the priorities are being taken forward all the way through measures at the same time promote: a) only better products and services that lessen environmental impacts from utilization of energy, hazardous substances or resources; b) Cleaner, additional efficient production processes that strengthen competitiveness; and modifies in consumption headed for acquiring goods and services but with lower impacts. Case No. # 1 The program of the National Hydrological Monitoring Programme or NHMP in UK (Marsh, 2006; p 1-17) which was established in 1988 can be considered a best practice. The department functions to document the variability of hydrological and water resources across the UK. The programme is collaborative project between the Center of Ecology and Hydrology, the agency which maintains the National River Flow Archive and the other one is the British Geological Survey, responsible for maintaining the National Groundwater Level Archive. Both are National Environment Research Council's component bodies. The aforementioned regular capability reporting on the hydrological conditions all over UK as well as the wide dissemination of gathered information is a great help to heighten public understanding on issues confronting hydrological and water resources. In the course of time, constant monitoring facilitates hydrological trends to be determined and their implications assessed. The reports produced by National Hydrological Monitoring Programme includes regional rainfall data, that is both current and, where necessary, longer term gatherings for the most important administrative divisions in the area of water industry. Data generated are several maps and representative hydrographs of the flow of the river as well as groundwater levels with sustaining summary outline statistics and also a tabulation of current stocks needed for a collection of major reservoirs. Remarks are provided detailing prominent hydrological events and providing synthesis both the national hydrological standing and the water resources outlook. Consequently, the summaries are then published within ten (10) working days of the end of the month. In 1990 a series of wall charts illustrating long term variations in the groundwater levels was launched by the British Geological Survey. A report is in grounding for the Therfield Rectory that will include a long-term hydrograph simultaneously with other hydrological information as well as reference material. Case No # 2 Sembcorp is a dynamic, modern and responsive industrial utilities company which is based in the north east of England. This company supplies essential utilities like steam and power to chief international companies at Wilton International (UK's largest and most essential manufacturing sites). In February 2004, SembCorp Utilities (UK) was permitted to burn the fat of cattle culled which was carried out for about five-week trial at the Wilton power station, close to Redcar. The project is an offshoot to the electricity crisis. The Environment Agency has provided the company the "go ahead" signal to burn tallow until December 2005 (BBC News, 2004; p 1). The February 2004 trial marked a successful event for Sembcorp, trial conducted by the company in concluded that, there were reduced emissions of sulphur dioxide as the result of burning the tallow as an alternative of burning oil or coal. The emissions were at levels which do not and would not be a source of any significant environmental harm. Similarly, employees at SembCorp UK are determined to reduce the quantity of wide-ranging waste disposed of by the workers themselves. The company (SembCorp, 2004; p 1) employs more or less 600 staff, and has outstanding track record in terms of recycling several tonnes of waste products each year. Waste materials being recycled include: metal, wood, confidential waste paper, redundant electrical items, waste oils and ash which are from the Wilton Power Station. The employees take an active part in environmental considerations. Sembcorp is working strongly with its cleaning contractor, Redcar, ISS and Cleveland Council to make certain the initiative, presently in pilot form in the center of operations building, stores as well as and Environmental Services areas, and gladly, the action is a success. To date, the company continues to expand its business in UK and throughout Europe. The broad range of support services accessible to customers take account of the UK's biggest, privately owned industrial firefighting as well as chemical spill protection team; infrastructure maintenance, accredited analytical services, environmental services specialists, and electrical power expertise (SembCorp, 2008; p 1). Sembcorp Enviro is one of the pioneering organisations in its industry to achieve both the People Developer Standard as well as the Singapore Quality Class status (in their branch in Singapore). The company has ISO9001 certification on Quality Management System, OHSAS 18001's Occupational Health & Safety Management System and ISO14001 Environmental Management System. Major activities such as collection, recovery process, treatment and services are effectively carried out. The expert and experienced project developers of the companies contained within the organisation are actively developing some carbon assets in the course of new waste-to-energy as well as waste-to resource projects beneath the banner of the Clean Development Mechanism. To advance such sustainable practices, the employees participate in finding strategic partners within the carbon-chain. The cases presented previously can be considered as best practices in water resource and sustainable waste management. Although both are focused diversely on the type of resources being managed, both programs adhered to the guidelines set for each key indicator towards considering a program as best practice. Both promote optimum use of cost effective technology and productivity at the same time environmental friendliness in the overall operations. Both programs also highlight the significance of environmental risks and effects, collaborations among stakeholders or partnership-based, utilizing research as a basic tool in the implementation of project designs and important measures. Indeed both projects are directed to minimising the production of wastes at the same time have made use of all waste resources all the way through re-use, recycling, composting, and energy recovery, as envisioned in the principles of sustainable waste management . Further examples for ideal practices in environmental management are found below. Case No. # 3 The European Union (EU) initiated a policy process on Mine Waste Directive (Kroll et al. 2002) in response to one of the greatest environmental challenge confronting the mining sector worldwide, the acidic drainage relatively brought about by the mining operations. In Europe there are several examples of acidic drainage particularly in areas from the high Arctic going to circum-Mediterranean deserts. A technical, non-governmental, scientific and non-profit, organization known as PADRE, formally composed of the regional International Mine Water Association (IMWA) Commissioners, was institutionalized by a decision of the IMWA Executive Council in October 2003 and has the following aims: 1. Promote best practice internationally in the stewardship of waters as well as soils on European areas subject to the generation and also migration of acidic drainage; 2. Foster collaborative or partnership, international research and development interested in techniques for characterization as well as abatement of acidic drainage specific in Europe; 3. Promote propagation of knowledge of recent best-practice and innovations linking to acidic drainage prevention as well as remediation, by means of particular reference to European circumstances, including the evolving framework of pertinent EU legislation; 4. Progressing the training of current and future generations of European experts who will take on in the art and science subjects in acidic drainage prevention as well as remediation; 5. Dynamically collaborate with the Global Alliance of organizations which are based in other continents and which share similar objectives. Based on the latest research, PADRE will foster best practice in the acidic drainage remediation from active as well as abandoned mine sites all the way through Europe. The activities of the organization include: maintaining best practice course of actions on passive remediation and catchment-scale mine water management; to develop advance sources of guidance; executing as well as engaging in professional development activities intended for European scientists and engineers; and finally, functioning as the European branch (as convened by INAP) of the Global Alliance. When acidic water drainage is not remediated or controlled, it will affect the quality of water resources by contaminating water and other resource systems. The objectives, series of initiatives and program designed by Collaborators of PADRE have integrated a unique framework to achieved sustainability in their waste management. United Nations Environment Programme (2002, p 63) reiterates that, the sustainable waste management framework for a national system is can be achieved when the processes are being integrated together and implemented. Utilization of mix of alternative solutions may complement each other - partnerships, collaborations, knowledge dissemination and innovations. Case No. # 4 In the cases studied by John (1994), Griffin (1999), National Research Council (1999) and Sabatier et al. (2005), one of the most important institutional innovations and advancement in natural resources and environmental management is the widespread surfacing and growth of collaborative as well as partnership among stakeholders on watershed initiatives. These watershed initiatives have drastically grown over the recent years (Kenney 2000, Moore and Koontz 2003). Indeed, partnership and collaborations have come to pass on to a wide diversity of institutional arrangements which include informal, ad hoc coalitions, loosely configured citizen-dominated efforts, formally structured interagency agreements, as well as the formally incorporated non-profit organizations. Example is the initiative program initiated for Dungeness River Watershed. There were series of temporally and spatially partnership initiatives in the Dungeness River Watershed, where stakeholders demonstrate the impression of a dynamic institutional space. The said contemporary partnerships intended to save the watershed, situated on Washington's Olympic Peninsula also resulted to building upon successful experience. The Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT) was able to address a complex set of water resource issues that includes in-stream flows for fish and irrigation withdrawals. It also has restored flows to the river, enabled substantial support for irrigation efficiency improvements and reduced ambiguities on tribal claims to in-stream flows, as well as partly the federal habitat enhancement grants by the tribal government. The program has led to the creation watershed and river education center, which was funded in large part all through private donations. Industrialised countries such as UK are continuously finetuning regulatory framework as far as water resource management and sustainable waste management infrastructure are concerned. The sustainable resource management industry works with considerably increasing environmental and legal standards, best practices, efficiency, quality management as well as occupational health aspects. WORKS CITED Barreira, A. 2003. 'The Participatory Regime of Water Governance in the Iberian Peninsula.' Water International 28(3): 350-357. BBC News, 2004 'Cattle Fat Burning Plan Approved' Kroll, A., Amezaga, J.M., Younger, P.L., and Wolkersdorfer, C., 2002, 'Regulation of mine waters in the European Union: the contribution of scientific research to policy development. Mine Water and the Environment', 21, (4), pp 193-200. Demmeke, C. and Unfried. 2001. European Environmental Policy: The administrative challenge for the Member State, European Institute of Public Administration, The Netherlands. European Environment Agency. 2003. Global Water Partnership. 2002. Dialogue on Effective Water Governance. GWP, Stockholm. Lanz, K., and S. Scheuer. 2001. EEB Handbook on EU Water Policy under the Water Framework Directive. European Environment Bureau, Brussels. Marsh, T., Booker, D. and Fry, M. 'National Hydrological Monitoring Programme' Center for Ecology & Hydrology. Publication Manual, p 1-17. Olsen, A. 2001. 'The new water framework directive for the European Union and its possible effects on the Mediterranean insular context.' Conference proceedings of the I Balearic Congress: Water, Future Perspectives; p 1-2. Sands, P. 2004. 'Principles of International Environmental Law'. Cambridge University Press, Second Edition. SembCorp. 2004. 'Utilities' http://www.sembcorp.com.sg/Sembcorp/AR/ar2004/v_utilities.html Universities Council on Water Resources. 2006. 'Organizational Dynamics of Watershed Partnerships: A Key to Integrated Water Resources Management'. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 135, p 56-64. Universities Council on Water Resources. 2006. 'Water Governance at The European Union.' Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education Issue 135, p 80-85. UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 2006. 'Environmental Key Performance Indicators Reporting Guidelines for UK Business.' Queen's Printer and Controller Nobel House, London. Younger, P. l. Wolkersdorfer, C., Bowell, R. J., and Diels, L. 2006. 'Partnership For Acid Drainage Remediation In Europe'. University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom, p 2571-2574. Read More