INTRODUCTION – EMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL

Abstract- For years universities have recognized that areas such as environmental protection and sustainability are important, creating related courses and academic programs. What many universities have not yet done is to consciously examine how they fulfill their academic mission and what effect do their operations have on the environment. Conducting university operations in an environmentally sound manner can be a powerful teaching tool. Setting the example and teaching by doing can be more powerful that the best lecture. An Environmental Management System is a set of policies, plans, review mechanisms, and procedures used to proactively manage the environmental aspects of an organization. The creation and implementation of an EMS requires the completion of the following steps – defining an environmental policy; planning what aspects will be managed; implementing the system with roles, responsibilities, documentation; checking if the aspects are being managed correctly; and having upper management reviewing the system. UPRM is evaluating what aspects of its operation affect the environment the most, and is designing a system to manage these aspects. This environmental self assessment has started the educational process by forcing the UPRM community to take a closer look at how things are done, what are the consequences of these actions, what benefits are generated by these actions, and if the benefits are worth the consequences. This paper covers the design and planning process and the lessons that have been learned during the EMS stage