EMS Objectives for Offices

• An EMS helps companies incorporate environmental concerns into their daily decision making .Recycle image by sarkee from Fotolia.com
  
  An EMS, or Environmental Management System, is designed to help a business achieve and maintain performance that is environmentally friendly. The objectives set by the EMS should not only be measurable, but also meet the legal requirements of the business. An EMS should take into consideration the cost and feasibility of the objectives.
  
  

Air Emissions

• An air emissions management program controls the amount of emissions an office produces. Objectives include compliance with requirements on pollutants entering the atmosphere and assessing and reducing the dependence on fuels that deplete the ozone layer.
  
  

Hazardous Material and Waste

• The hazardous material and waste objectives manage the storage and disposal of hazardous materials. Businesses must comply with all regulations concerning the matter and attempt to minimize the use of toxic and other hazardous materials if possible.
  
  

Wastewater

• A wastewater management program controls the quantity of wastewater released into sewer lines and how it is released. The EMS objective is to obey all legal requirements on wastewater release.
  
  

Alternate Transportation and Fuel Optimization

• Employers should attempt to reduce emissions from automobiles through transportation management. Objectives for this program might include promoting environmentally friendly alternatives to using vehicles, selectively using fleet vehicles or purchasing alternative fuels.
  
  

Green Purchasing and Sustainable Facilities

• An EMS should encourage the purchase of products that are sustainable and the operation of sustainable facilities. Purchasing products that are made of sustainable materials or are packaged in sustainable materials is one objective. Other objectives could be purchasing vehicles that run on alternative fuel products or maximizing the efficiency of water and energy systems of a building.
  
  

Pesticide Management

• Pesticides pose an environmental threat because of their toxicity, so managing the environmental impact of pesticide use is an important part of an EMS. The objective of managing pesticides is to comply with all regulations concerning pesticides and to use sustainable pesticides whenever possible.
  
  

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Creating a program where employees may reduce, reuse or recycle products is an important part of an EMS. The ultimate objective of reduce, reuse, recycle is to make the amount of waste that must be placed in a landfill less through sustainable product purchases and recycling.