International Environmental Management and Sustainability - Assignment Example

Topic: INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY You’ll have to fill this up yourself http carboncalculator.direct.gov.uk/carboncalc/html/ Table of Content Topic: INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY 1 Environmental Policy of Anglia Ruskin University 3 Green Impact Award 3 Audited Team: Corporate Marketing 4 Eco-Mapping of the Team 5 Environmental Policy of the Team 5 Scope of environmental policy 5 Objectives 6 Indicators 7 evaluation: 8 Business Opportunities and Management Challenges 8 Personal Opinion 9 References 10 Environmental Policy of Anglia Ruskin University 3 Green Impact Award 4 Audited Team: Corporate Marketing 5 Eco-Mapping of the Team 5 Environmental Policy of the Team 6 Scope of environmental policy 6 Objectives 7 Indicators 8 Activities 10 evaluation: 11 Business Opportunities and Management Challenges 11 Personal Opinion 12 References 13 Being green is the most crucial need of the day. It actually refers to the idea of being aware of one’s responsibilities towards one’s own surrounding environment so that, with the combination of individual efforts, the overall atmosphere of the planet may be improved greatly. There could never be a better platform for the start of such efforts other than a university which holds the interests of the majority of an area’s people. Anglia Ruskin University is one such educational institute that is actively participating and cooperating in the greening of the earth’s atmosphere. Environmental Policy of Anglia Ruskin University Being aware of the ecological impact that is casted by a huge amount of stationary being used inside the university premises, the fuel utilized for travelling to and from the campus as well as the impact of other electric gadgets and technical appliances, the university has developed a sound Environmental Management that is trying “…to ensure that concern for a sustainable environment locally, nationally and internationally, is embedded in everything…” that the people do (ARU, 2011). The environmental policy of the university can be concluded as follows: 1. The university environmental management is devoted to fulfil constitutional ecological agreement and aims at outdoing them in practice. 2. It will also try to be limited to its own energy resources so that to minimize waste and carbon emission for which it will also initiate “progressive waste management procedures” supported by recycling methods and less-fuel-consumption measures e.g., walk rather than car-driving for short distances (ARU, 2011). 3. For this purpose, awareness is to be raised through campaigns and posters among the staff and students; and such practices are to be monitored regularly through setting of ecological targets and evaluation of reports. The inclusion of such activities in curriculum is highly recommended. 4. One important step to be taken in this regard is to maintain cost-effective methods to ensure wildlife and biodiversity, and to avoid huge expenses in the name of futile luxuries (ARU, 2008). Green Impact Award This award is an initiative of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges that is abbreviated as ‘eauc’. It invites the zealous individuals from each university department to participate in a number of practical activities which are recorded in a workbook i.e., “…a workbook with practical, easy to implement and no or low cost actions to complete” (eauc, 2011). Each of the workbooks is specially designed for the particular university that participates. Initially the participants are asked to complete 20 Bronze activities while Silver, Gold and Bonus are optional. Once completing a Bronze, the participating team can move to Silver also. After the completion of these workbooks, volunteers are sent to each department to verify the tasks done, and in the end, a celebration is held to “…promote the achievements of those departments taking part through an awards ceremony” (eauc, 2011). Thus, Green Impact Award is a bottom-up project that aims to support and encourage eco-friendly practices by the individuals and departments alike. Through this, a healthy competition has been developed among the departments and faculties to monitor the environment around them and to take steps for its betterment. Audited Team: Corporate Marketing The team that is being audited in this report is Corporate Marketing that is housed at Cambridge (St George House). It is led by Joanna Nowak under whom there are five staff members. It is a fine, ambitious team that is trying to play its efficient role in the development of greener environment around, and to win Silver in Green Impact Award. Eco-Mapping of the Team Environmental Policy of the Team As mentioned earlier, this team is participating quite actively in greening of the surrounding. The team members pride themselves in their continuing progress and developments, not only to change their ways and their impacts on the environment, but influencing and persuading the students in this regard too. For this purpose, they have not only changed their behaviours in the office, but also at their homes indicating that they have comprehended the greater impact of their actions on the environment. Its environmental policy is as follows: 1. The team is devoted to the development of an eco-friendly and greener environment in the office to achieve silver in Green impact Award. All of their ambitious mottos and detail of their activities are given in a document called ‘the green Manifesto’ that is a document claiming all the steps taken in this regard. 2. The chief aim of this team is to make students and other colleagues realize of the useful resources that get wasted with little negligence; and consequently to bring them Scope of environmental policy This policy has displayed really positive and optimistic aspects. As it has already achieved Bronze level, it is now proceeding for mush higher level of ecological improvement measures that will cast positive aspects on not only the environment, but also will inspire students and fellows. Objectives As the team is now working to complete Silver category1, it has to complete the following activities to do so: 1. Reduction of Waste: The first objective is the reduction of wastage of resources. For this purpose, the team has to: Promote duplex printing Promote the reusable cups and glasses instead of disposable cups 2. Recycle of Waste: The second objective is to recycle the waste produced so that to make it reusable. Therefore, the team has to aware the staff members of the easy recycling processes 3. Energy-Saving Acts: The team has to make the staff members and students aware of the various acts which can be adopted to save valuable energy. These acts include: Regulation of Air-Conditioners to keep the temperature at 24 degrees Celsius Auditing of Electricity by Senior Management Control the Heaters to regulate the temperature at 21 degrees Celsius Avoidance of any other heating gadget, such as electric heaters 4. Fuel-Saving Acts: The team also has to promote the fuel saving acts by guiding the staff members, students and visitors of the various ways with which they can save a tremendous amount of fuel, such as: cycling, public transport, car-sharing, walking, etc. 5. Procurement: The team also has to monitor that if any cloth is bought at all, it should has been “manufactured within the International Labour Organisation’s nine core conventions” 6. Greening teams, action plans and communications: the team also has to communicate among the staff members to remind them to find for themselves a copy of university’s environmental strategy and policy; and to try to make environmental suggestions to the environment team. It also has to make an action plan for the purpose of greening so that to eliminate significant negative environmental impacts. Indicators The efficient work of the Corporate Marketing team is indicated by the following activities that the auditing team had noticed: Reduction of WASTE: As far as the reduction of waste is concerned, the auditing team has noticed a great achievement in this regard. The steps that corporate Marketing has taken to reduce the amount of waste production are as follows: The printing of personalized prospectus: The logic behind it was that the students need only the courses of their need; the details of other courses were useless to them. Moreover, the paper used for printing is FSC approved and in degradable packaging. The promotion of duplex printing when applicable. No use of paper cups but glass and plastic reusable stuff Preference for Electronic Communication via emails, webcams, etc. This cuts down the need of paper, ink as well as travel. Recycle of Waste: The following acts were indicated in the auditing: The printer ink cartridges are recycled and the team collects them when the prescribed box is full. Envelops are also reused, and for this purpose, they are collected in a specific box. Recycling of batteries is also encouraged. Energy-Saving Acts: the team has really worked hard in this regard. Other than the campaign of ‘Students switch off’, various posters and banners have been used to make people realize of the useful energy resources. These include: There have been posters which encourage the use of stairs instead of the electric lift Temperature is controlled by regulators and the staff members have no cay in it. The use of hot water generator stops the use of kettles every time a staff member wants come hot drink. Fuel-Saving Acts: Corporate Marketing trying to raise awareness for fuel-saving acts through various newsletters and practical examples. STAR stands for sustainable travel to Anglia Ruskin and has been created by the estates and facilities department. However the team promote this and help make sure that all visitors and students receive a copy. Greening teams, action plans and communications: The team is all but encouragement for other greening teams. It has used posters, newsletters, website articles, emails and documents to aware the fellow beings how they can make this world greener. Their newsletter by the name of Green Manifesto has been a great help. Moreover, placement of recycling bins at the right place is the great achievement of this team. Activities: However, other than these great efforts, there are still so many things that this team has over looked and the auditing team has to talk to them. The auditing team has communicated the need of more flyers and posters that may encourage recycling. Moreover, the team itself has to be careful not to caste negative impact on the people around. As a disposable paper cup was noticed on the desk of team leader, the team was communicated to avoid such bad examples. Also, a need of more paper bins was communicated which was complied quickly. Another issue that the auditing team has encouraged the corporate marketing team was the fixed control of heating and cooling system while the windows are open above the radiator, which was letting out heat. The minimization of energy waster through the use of extension leads was also communicated. Thus the auditing team has worked like a cooperating team which has pointed out a few of the lacking sides of the whole practice. evaluation: The corporate marketing team has really got positive results for all of their efforts. The place seemed to be speaking of greening efforts by the department as the people around seems to be very careful of the wastage of valuable resources. This fact throws quite positive light on the green impact training of this team. Though there were a few haphazard acts which needed to be reprimanded, yet the overall performance and efficiency of the team was appreciable. The auditing team has had provided whatever critical response the team had needed. The obvious appreciation had raised the morale of the staff members and the few advices and tricks had provided them with the needed insight into the matter for the betterment. Business Opportunities and Management Challenges a) Though Green Impact Award is a beneficiary-for-all programme, yet there have always been certain hurdles in its way. As far as the managerial obstacles are concerned, it is really hard to persuade the people to leave their long acquired habits of being careless about environment. Thus, the greatest difficulty that a team can face is the persuasion of team members to corporate in seemingly small and insignificant practice. b) The greening of the campus can contribute to the education for sustainability as both the staff and the students will put their mutual efforts in maintaining, rather lessening the carbon footprint of the campus. The more they are aware of the effects of their acts on this sustainability, the more conscious they will become and the more improvement will be observed. c) This type of activity nourishes and strengthens the personnel’s’ sense of responsibility as they start measuring the results and effects of their acts carefully. Personal Opinion This module has great impacts upon my own ways of thinking and behaving. I had never been that conscious of the wastage of resources as I am now. I have got knowledge of easy and beneficial recycling processes that have lessen my expenses. Also I have started thinking critically about the surrounding atmosphere and environment that is, obviously, a good sign. Now I am more than mere encouraged making my environment greener and healthier. References Environmental Management at Anglia Ruskin University. 2011. Environmental Management at Anglia Ruskin University. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/environmental_management.html. [Accessed 23 June 2011]. Environmental Management at Anglia Ruskin University. 2008. Environmental Policy Statement. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/environmental_management.Maincontent.0003.file.tmp/Environment%20Policy%20%20Sustainability%20Group%20Dec%2008.pdf. [Accessed 23 June 2011]. Green Impact - Anglia Ruskin University. 2011. Green Impact - Anglia Ruskin University. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/environmental_management/Green_Impact.html. [Accessed 23 June 2011]. 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