- Management commitment and senior leadership are two
of the most important aspects of the Green Zia Environmental
Excellence Program because they are essential for setting the
vision of excellence, ensuring continuity of the program and
allocating adequate resources to implement the program over the
long term. Environmental excellence requires strategies that set
environmental performance goals that go beyond mere compliance
with environment and health and safety regulations. This is a
shift to a "prevention-first" philosophy for
environmental performance instead of a focus solely on waste
management, which cannot be achieved without strong management
commitment.
- Management commitment and senior leadership at the highest
levels are essential for aligning organization goals and resources
towards prevention. Management sets the vision of continuous
improvement for using resources (including raw materials, energy
and water) efficiently and responsibly, thereby improving both the
environmental and economic performance of the organization.
Management may also establish long-term visionary goals of zero
waste, zero defects, eco-efficiency and sustainability.
- Management should clearly convey the organization's
environmental values to all employees so that individuals
understand their role and what they can do in their jobs to make
the organization environmentally and economically sustainable.
Management can demonstrate a commitment to continuous
environmental improvement through personal involvement, a strong
policy statement, and employee incentives.
- Management demonstrates strong commitment to continuous
environmental improvement by providing adequate financial and
human resources to assure implementation of action plans.
Management plays an active role in assuring project successes
through regular review of action plans designed for prevention or
resource efficiency to monitor progress and provide continued
support.
- Management committed to environmental excellence should take a
long-term view of the future regarding community environmental and
economic sustainability. Production processes designed to have no
adverse effects on the environment contribute to community
sustainability. Companies that incorporate pollution prevention
throughout their operations often have employees that practice
good environmental stewardship at home and in their community.
Responsible and efficient use of resources such as water, energy
and undeveloped land can contribute to a stronger local economy as
well as relieve pressures on availability of scarce resources that
affect the entire community.
- Management commitment and senior leadership can also be
demonstrated by sponsoring community environmental activities,
mentoring other businesses, partnering on innovative regulatory
approaches, and creating a "shared learning"
environment. As well, leadership towards excellence considers the
social and local economic consequences of organizational decisions
in terms of environmental justice, community redevelopment and
development of abandoned industrial sites such as the Brownfields
Redevelopment program. Clear and open communication with the
community concerning the organization's environmental performance,
its goals for improvement, and its overall affect on community
health and safety can also be crucial demonstrations of
leadership.
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