Program Details

Practice Type:	Promising
Program Name:	Central Michigan District Health Department CO Promising Environmental Health (Climate Change)
Organization:	Central Michigan District Health Department
Web site:
Overview:	The implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS) will expand on Denver's efforts to reduce the amount of resources (e.g., energy, water, raw materials, etc.) used by the city and reduce the amount of waste generated (e.g., solid, hazardous, etc.). This approach will help reduce the exposure of city employees and residents to a variety of chemicals and materials. The overall goal is to use the EMS to drive sustainability principles into all city operations. The goal is to develop, implement and certify an Environmental Management System (EMS) in all city departments by 2011. The EMS has been certified to the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001 environmental management series by an external auditor in about half of the departments so far. An EMS is a management tool built around the Plan-Do-Check-Adapt model and is based on the principle of continous improvement. Many businesses and a limited number of government agencies have used an EMS to improve their operations. The purpose of the EMS for the City and County of Denver is to reduce the environmental footprint of city operations, save money through efficiency gains, institute a culture of continuous improvement and promote the city as a center of sustainability. Reducing the environmental footprint of the city operations will reduce and prevent pollution, thereby improving worker safety and reducing the potential for adverse health effects to city residents. Long-term, the EMS work will be applied to any interested party within the boundaries of the City and County of Denver, including educational institutions, utilities, businesses, and non-profits. All departments will have a certified EMS by the end of 2010. This is one year ahead of schedule. Expansion outside of city operations has started. The City is already starting to see improvements in environmental practices at City facilities. For example, housekeeping practices (e.g., cleaning up small oil spills, correctly disposing of shop rags and waste materials, etc.) has dramatically improved at a number of City vehicle maintenance facilities. As a result of the EMS, the City has adopted a goal of reducing energy use at city facilities by 5% by the end of 2010, and has asked each department to describe their contribution that that goal. Strong progress has already been made in the direction of the goal. A variety of other environmental improvements have also been made in city departments, including reducing paper use, purchasing of green cleaning products, educating employees and eliminating waste streams, to name just a few.
Year Submitted:	2010
Responsiveness and Innovation:	An EMS focuses on preventing pollution and continuous improving operations. Through this principles, the EMS is being used to focus on a number of issues, including: -Emissions of a variety of chemicals and materials into the environment. -Exposure of city employees and residents to a variety of chemicals and materials. The City's sustainability agenda, known as Greenprint Denver, was developed in 2005–2006 by a variety of government, business and citizen leaders. A Greenprint Advisory Committee, also comprised of community leaders, continues to meet to oversee goal development and implementation. The issue of reducing emissions of chemicals and materials was a key component of both group's deliberations. For example, the Greenprint Denver Waste goal is "Reduce cost, raw materials and energy use through thoughtful purchasing, waste reduction and recycling". The EMS is being used to drive this goal and the other Greenprint Denver goals into all city operations.The EMS is a systematic process that introduces good environmental management into all operations. The Plan-Do-Check-Act model is used to guide all City Departments in addressing the public health issues. Each Department must Plan its work by identifying goals, targets and actions to reduce pollution. Each Department then must Do the work by budgeting, implementing, tracking and assigning. Following that, each Department must Check its work by continually evaluating progress, analyzing information and auditing the work. Finally, each Department must Act on that information and make adjustments to its work. This information is then used to inform the next round of Planning. This systematic management approach is used in a cyclical manner until the targets have been achieved. Internet searches were conducted to determine if other Cities or Counties have implemented a similar program. In addition, the City's consultant, who is very familiar with environmental management around the world, were able to determine that Denver's EMS program is new and unique. Our third-party auditor has also confirmed that this is a unique system in the US.Denver is one of the first cities in the US to certify all of its Departments to the ISO 14001 standard and is the first city in the US to link a certified EMS to a sustainability agenda. A handful of other cities have certified one or two departments, but no other city has implemented a comprehensive, third-party certified EMS and linked it to a city-wide sustainability initiative. This initiative, called Greenprint Denver (launched in 2006) describes an expansive agenda to create an environmentally, economically and socially sound city. Other entities have used pollution prevention techniques to reduce pollution and worker/resident exposure. But no government organization has used an EMS process to address the issues in a comprehensive manner.The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has a citizen's board which provides feedback on DEH policies. The members of the board represent citizens and businesses in Denver.On a periodic basis, updates are provided to the DEH Board on the EMS progress by the EMS Manager. The Department Manager meets regularly with the Board members and also provides updates, as needed.
Agency and Community Roles:	The Department of Environmental Health is the local health department and is leading this effort in Denver. The Greenprint Denver Committee exists to provide community input into the City's sustainability agenda. They set the overall Greenprint Denver goals. The EMS is being used to implement the sustainability agenda throughout all City operations. A number of the City Departments have regular interaction with segments of the community. These Departments receive input and use that information to modify their practices. The Departments include the Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Denver Zoo.
Costs and Expenditures:	A total of 1.5 Full-Time Equivalent staff in the Department of Environmental Health are dedicated to leading this effort. In addition, each City Department has representatives that assist in implementing the program. The City has also dedicated roughly $500,000 over 4 years for consulting services to implement this landmark effort. This project is funded by the Department of Environmental Health's Environmental Services Enterprise Fund. The Fund receives money from tipping fees at the city-owned landfill.
Implementation:	An EMS focuses on preventing pollution and continuous improving operations. Through this principles, the EMS is being used to focus on a number of issues, including: -Emissions of a variety of chemicals and materials into the environment. -Exposure of city employees and residents to a variety of chemicals and materials. The City's sustainability agenda, known as Greenprint Denver, was developed in 2005–2006 by a variety of government, business and citizen leaders. A Greenprint Advisory Committee, also comprised of community leaders, continues to meet to oversee goal development and implementation. The issue of reducing emissions of chemicals and materials was a key component of both group's deliberations. For example, the Greenprint Denver Waste goal is "Reduce cost, raw materials and energy use through thoughtful purchasing, waste reduction and recycling". The EMS is being used to drive this goal and the other Greenprint Denver goals into all city operations.The EMS is a systematic process that introduces good environmental management into all operations. The Plan-Do-Check-Act model is used to guide all City Departments in addressing the public health issues. Each Department must Plan its work by identifying goals, targets and actions to reduce pollution. Each Department then must Do the work by budgeting, implementing, tracking and assigning. Following that, each Department must Check its work by continually evaluating progress, analyzing information and auditing the work. Finally, each Department must Act on that information and make adjustments to its work. This information is then used to inform the next round of Planning. This systematic management approach is used in a cyclical manner until the targets have been achieved. Internet searches were conducted to determine if other Cities or Counties have implemented a similar program. In addition, the City's consultant, who is very familiar with environmental management around the world, were able to determine that Denver's EMS program is new and unique. Our third-party auditor has also confirmed that this is a unique system in the US.Denver is one of the first cities in the US to certify all of its Departments to the ISO 14001 standard and is the first city in the US to link a certified EMS to a sustainability agenda. A handful of other cities have certified one or two departments, but no other city has implemented a comprehensive, third-party certified EMS and linked it to a city-wide sustainability initiative. This initiative, called Greenprint Denver (launched in 2006) describes an expansive agenda to create an environmentally, economically and socially sound city. Other entities have used pollution prevention techniques to reduce pollution and worker/resident exposure. But no government organization has used an EMS process to address the issues in a comprehensive manner.The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has a citizen's board which provides feedback on DEH policies. The members of the board represent citizens and businesses in Denver.On a periodic basis, updates are provided to the DEH Board on the EMS progress by the EMS Manager. The Department Manager meets regularly with the Board members and also provides updates, as needed.
Sustainability:	- Auditing - Engagement with each Department's manager/director - Engagement with the Mayor's office - Continued long-term funding - Commitment of the City Departments to a sustainability agenda - Continued engagement with future Mayors - Expansion of the EMS to include educational institutions, businesses and nonprofits in Denver - Long-term funding source (EMS lead positions are full-time, permanent positions) - Engagement with external partners (City Council, trade associations, etc.)
Lessons Learned:

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