As an Effective Tool for Improving Environmental Performance

 EPA National Environmental Management   System Work Group for Colleges & Universities

The EMS Work Group met in Chicago, Illinois on July 8, 2004 to discuss strategies for promoting EMS within the Colleges & Universities Sector. Dr. Harvest L. Collier, Director of the Missouri S&T Institute for Environmental Excellence, serves as Chair of the national work group.

The EMS Work Group is one of three work groups of the EPA Colleges & Universities (C/U) Sectors Strategies Program. The mission of the C/U Sector is to promote excellence in environmental stewardship within the nation's academic community.

In partnership with the U.S. EPA, the C/U Sector will identify and develop innovative programs and best management practices for promoting environmental stewardship and achieving performance objectives, and develop strategies to reduce regulatory barriers to environmental performance in academia.

EMS Work Group Objectives:

         1. Develop a strategy and program to promote the voluntary use of EMS across the Colleges and Universities Sector.

         2. Promote performance-based management system tools to help colleges and universities achieve regulatory compliance, encourage environmental stewardship, and reduce environmental impacts.

EMS Work Group Members include: