SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
by Antonio C. Antonio
August 29, 2014
Anyone who does a study or research on environmental
management will note that the word “sustainable” is a prefix closely associated
with the term. So what is the definition
of the word “sustainable”? The
dictionary defines sustainable as: (a) Able to be used without being completely
used up or destroyed; (b) Involving methods that do not completely use up or
destroy natural resources; and, (c) Able to last or continue for a long time.
The term “environmental” is defined as: (a) Relating to the
natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition; and, (b)
Relating to or arising from a person’s surroundings. Environment is anything and everything,
biotic or abiotic (living or non-living); and, supportive of life on planet
Earth. The 1st Law of Ecology
by Barry Commoner is: “Everything is connected to everything else.”
On the other hand, the word “management” is defined as: “The
function of coordinating human efforts to accomplish pre-set goals and
objectives using all available resources efficiently and effectively. The functions of management are to plan,
organize, staff, lead/direct and control an organization towards accomplishing
a goal and objective. Sustainable
environmental management, like most management-related disciplines, also uses
the management function.
Combining the 3 terms will give us “sustainable
environmental management”. This is a
broad field of study that combines both natural and social sciences and also
the arts as in the specific study of landscape ecology. Sustainable environmental management is a
multidisciplinary field which focuses on studying and finding solutions to the
world’s immediate environmental problems and concerns. It dwells on problem-solving and the
development of applied solutions to environmental issues at all levels (local,
national and international). Sustainable
environmental management is concerned and involved with the management of the
different types of ecosystems: (a) Land; (b) Water [fresh or salt]; and, (c)
The atmosphere.
Sustainable environmental management, in direct relationship
with the functions of management, can be presented in a circle of activities as
follows: (1) An environmental VISION; (2) An environmental STRATEGY; (3) Detailed
PLANNING; (4) A structured Environmental COMMUNICATION system; (5) A workable
IMPLIMENTATION plan; (6) A comprehensive REPORTING system; and, (7) An
oversight-focused evaluation of RESULTS.
More often, re-cycling of activities becomes necessary to address
failures in the plans and programs.
(Please see accompanying image.)
To promote a high level of success, the following principles of action
are also recommended: (1) Integration – ensures the all important activities
are harmonized; (2) Prevention before cure – ensure that immediate action is
taken to prevent the escalation problems and its irreversible effects; (3) Cost
efficiency and cost effectiveness – ensures the judicious utilization of
limited resources and the perennial problem of lack of funds; and, (4)
Participatory management – ensure trouble-free implementation of the project or
programme.
The study of sustainable environmental management is for the
following purposes: (a) To examine key concepts in sustainable development,
climate and other environmental change, environmental data collection and
analysis, bio security and ecological applications; (b) To integrate these to
provide an holistic approach to sustainable environmental management; and, (c)
To provide more specialist expertise in aspects of sustainable environmental
management relevant to human needs.
Sustainable development is the concept of utilizing natural resources
now while leaving the same resources for the utilization of the future
generations… this is the essence of sustainable environmental management.
Just my little thoughts…
REFERENCES: (Keywords:
Sustainable / Environmental / Management)
·
http://www.deakin.edu.au/study-at-deakin/find-a-course/environmental-management-and-sustainability
·
Barry Commoner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Commoner)
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Nice Blog! Thanks for sharing on Environmental Management System
ReplyDeleteNice Article. Best Sustainability Management
ReplyDeleteSuch a insightful read! Sustainable Environmental Management is at the forefront of creating a greener, more responsible future. Kudos to CarbonMinus for shedding light on effective strategies for achieving environmental goals. The emphasis on sustainability aligns perfectly with the need for businesses to contribute positively to our planet. Looking forward to more actionable insights from CarbonMinus!
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