Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. WELCOME TO ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS 101

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon Completion of this Training, you Will be able to: –Define Environmental Aspects and Impacts and Give Examples of Both –Describe What ISO Requires with Respect to Environmental Aspects –Identify Environmental Aspects Associated with your Organization’s Activities, Products and Services –Evaluate and Prioritize your Environmental Aspects

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT? ISO Defines Environmental Aspect as Aspects can be further defined as: –Controlled –Influenced –Significant –Non-significant –Positive element of an organization's activities, products or services that can interact with the environment

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS Environmental Aspects Include: –Air emissions –Waste generation and management –Releases to water –Contamination of land –Consumption of energy and natural resources (e.g., water, coal, natural gas, fuel oil, etc.) –Local and community issues (noise, odors, aesthetic conditions) –Positive aspects of operations on the environment (i.e., tree planting, recycling, etc.)

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. WHAT CAUSES ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS? Adverse Environmental Aspects are the unwanted byproducts or consequences of an organization’s Activities, Products and Services

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT? ISO Defines Environmental Impact as: Environmental Impacts are the effects of your Environmental Aspects any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization's environmental activities, products or services

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Environmental Impacts can Include: –Local air pollution –Global air pollution –Adverse impact to employee health –Degradation of local water quality –Depletion of natural resources –Impairment of property –Degradation of flora and fauna –Noise pollution

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. HOW DO ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, ASPECTS AND IMPACTS RELATE? ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. WHAT DOES ISO REQUIRE? ISO – Requires that you: Establish and maintain a procedure for identifying environmental aspects, which: –You can control –Over which you can be expected to exert influence Determine which aspects do/may have a significant impact on the environment Consider “significant aspects” when setting objectives and targets Keep your aspects current

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STOP AND REVIEW! Environmental Aspects: –Are the means in which your organization interacts with the environment –Can be: Controlled or influenced Adverse or positive Significant or non-significant –Stem from your organization’s activities, products and services –Do/can result in Environmental Impacts ISO requires that you identify, evaluate and manage significant environmental aspects

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. USE THE 5-STEP ASPECTS PROCESS MODEL Step 2 Identify your Environmental Aspects Step 3 Evaluate your Environmental Aspects Step 4 Prioritize your Environmental Aspects Step 5 Update your Environmental Aspects Step 1 Identify your Activities, Products and Services 5-STEP ASPECTS PROCESS MODEL

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 1 – IDENTIFY ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Determine the scope of your evaluation (directly controlled versus influenced) Compile an inventory of your organization’s activities, products and services that can interact with the environment Consider –Manufacturing processes (e.g., calcination, precipitation) –Products –Internal support services (e.g., maintenance, WWTP) –Services provided (e.g., transportation) –Contract services procured (e.g., asbestos removal) –Legacy issues (e.g., contamination, ongoing remediation)

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 2 – IDENTIFY ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS Select the categories of environmental aspects that you will identify (e.g., air, water, waste, etc.) Determine the level at which aspects will be identified (site, department, area) Review the inputs and outputs associated with each identified activity, product or service to identify the environmental aspects REMEMBER – ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS ARE THOSE ELEMENTS THAT CAN IMPACT THE ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING HUMAN (WORKER) HEALTH

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 2 – IDENTIFY ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS Examples of input aspects include: energy consumption, water consumption, etc. Examples of output aspects include: air emissions, waste streams, water discharges, chemical releases, etc. A process model can be an effective means to accomplish the inputs-outputs analysis Compile your identified aspects into an inventory

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. Location Department Process Equipment ID Chemical Release Waste Generation Air Emissions Water Discharges Land Mgmt. (contamination) Toxic Substances (worker exposure, product use) Labor Raw Matls Energy Water Product Output Location Mgmt. (odors, noise, aesthetics) Environmental Outputs Inputs Recyclables ACTIVITY, PRODUCT OR SERVICE

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 3 – EVALUATE ASPECTS The next step is evaluating and prioritizing aspects based on their actual or potential environmental impact This can be accomplished through “instincts”, risk matrices, algorithims, etc. The key is to define what key items to consider in evaluating aspects and factor them into the decision process The result are your Significant Aspects

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 3 – EVALUATE ASPECTS “Impact Factors” that many companies consider include: –Severity of environmental impact –Likelihood of environmental impact –Potential for employee exposure –Potential Liability –Legal Concerns –Etc.

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 3 – EVALUATE ASPECTS Once you have identified, inventoried and evaluated your aspects, you can assign significance Aspects that do or may have a significant environmental impact, based on your impact factors should be considered significant Aspects that do not have a significant environmental impact are not significant Once again, some companies set numerical thresholds, some companies use their instincts

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 4 – PRIORITIZE ASPECTS Significant aspects should be prioritized Priorities can be assigned based on: –Impact scoring –Risk –Technological, operational and financial limitations –Community good will –Etc.

Copyright The Solution Foundry. All rights reserved. STEP 5 – UPDATE ASPECTS Update your aspects –Integrate aspects identification/evaluation into new process/chemical reviews –Update aspects periodically to reflect site changes –Review aspects at least annually to ensure that your results continue to reflect site conditions