2
Environmental
Management
extensive travel and research that would have been necessary to provide a fair and comprehensive picture of the work in progress throughout Canada; and the situation was changing rapidly, which would have made the findings out of date and unfair to those whose actions had outpaced our knowledge of them. These circumstances forced a revision of the proposal. Instead of case studies, examples of actions that are being taken at a few universities are described in each section. It would be fruitful if a Canadian clearinghouse or network could be set up to keep track of such initiatives and their effects. It is inefficient for institutions to learn the same lessons independently, given that developing effective and efficient environmental management capabilities will be an ongoing learning process. Our work is based on two assumptions. The first assumption is that good environmental management requires both a good understanding of the science and technology, and sound management skills. On the one hand, a good understanding of environmental problems and of the technical and behlavioural options for solving the problems is needed. On the other hand, proficient management skills and knowledge are required for selection of the best options, effective impliementation
on
Canadian
Campuses
single sector management activities such as solid waste management, hazardous waste management, energy and water conservation. Rather than adding it onto an existing program, an environmental management system must eventually become an integral part of everyday activities at one level and strategic planning at the other. What follows is an overview of the literature addressing environmental management. This chapter concludes with a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;verybrief description of some of the unique characteristics of universities and colleges that can make problem solving on campuses complex and difficult, and an outline of the forces that are driving universities and colleges to take action. Chapter 2 outlines the set of environmental management tools that can be <appliedat universities and colleges. We then describe, in Chapters 3 to 7, some of the specific environmental challenges faced by universities and colleges: energy, water, solid waste, hazardous materials and transportation. Readers will note different levels of detail in some of the topics addressed. In particular, environmental audits, recycling and hazardous wastes receive more detailed consideration than some other topics. This difference in level of detail arises from our experience, from the relative importance of the topic, and from the level of development or state of advancement of the tools or solutions to the problems.
and continuous improvement. The second assumption is that effective environmental management calls for a systems approach. A systems or systematic approach is required for those environmental problems which arise because of the size or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;complexity of the system, or which arise in different places
Good problem definition is an essential part of problem solving. Our understanding of the detailed nature of the problems and their management will improve with experi-
in a large system, or which arise from or with respect to the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own characteristics (i.e.,
ence in the application of environmental management tools. It is important to start manag-
they are not a component problem). This integrated approach must go beyond a set of
ing environmental problems without delay, and to begin reaping the benefits, while taking