Sustainable Development as a Model
Ecological caution, economic farsightedness and social concern are the pillars of "sustainable development" as agreed to by the international community of nations at the World Summit on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The significance of this for the 21st century is summarized in the "Agenda 21". Through its "Conciliar Process for Peace, Justice and the Integrity of Creation", the world-wide Christian community has been acting in support of these goals since 1983.
The decision for sustainable development rests on two ethical considerations. For one, sustainable development seeks to establish a just relationship between the strong and the weak. For the other, it strives for justice between current and future generations. According to the agenda 21, all groups in society are called upon the work towards the solution of current problems. In particular, women and children are to be included in a process of common decision-making.
The three areas of ecology, economics and social sustainability are of equal rank and equal importance. Development can be considered to be sustainable when future generations have at least the same options in choosing a life-style as do people today. Humanity's inheritance is for one the supply of natural resources. Beyond that, humankind's economic and cultural achievements figure into this inheritence. Four basic demands can be derived from this:
The use of a resource must in the long run not be greater than the rate of regeneration or substitution.
The release of substances must in the long run not be greater than the capacity of the environment's ability to assimilate them.
Dangers and unacceptable risks for humanity and the environment brought about by human influence are to be avoided.
The measure of time for human interventions in the environment must be approximate to the time needed by the environment for corresponding adjustment.
Continuous Improvement is the Goal of the Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
The normative model for sustainable development can be implemented with the help of management systems. To do so, an institution's resource consumption and the ways by which this consumption could be reduced must first be compiled. The persons responsible and the programmes necessary must be included in the compilation. Similar to quality management, environmental management systems have a continuous improvement as their goal. These systems enable a model to be lived out.
In order to give organisations an understandable way of bettering their environmental balance sheet, the European Commission enacted Ordinance (EG) No. 761/2001 (19th March 2001) concerning the voluntary participation of organisations in a common system for environmental management and auditing (EMAS). EMAS stands for Environmental Management and Audit Scheme. Originally, the auditing process was conceived for trade and industry. Later, it was extended step for step to include service organisations, administrative offices, banks, homes, residence halls and learning institutions.
Experience since gained has been included in a subsequent amendment. For one, the site concept has been extended. In the future, it will be possible to combine several different sites of a single organisation. Indirect effects, such as planning decisions which have a bearing on the environment, have also been included. The amendment further emphasizes the role of the staff and the staff council.
The audit process concerns itself with several different areas, which are connected to each other in a control circuit. First, the organisation's management initiates an environmental stocktaking. Then, general environmental goals and an environmental policy – also known as environmental guidelines – are formulated.
The environmental programme is implemented through a management system. At the organisational and personnel level, this means the following:
At the management level, a person is made responsible for environmental protection. The names of the individuals participating are recorded; their competencies and responsibilities are delineated. Employees are schooled, so that their environmental consciousness is raised and they are capable of making tangible contributions.
As in quality control, organisational structures are needed. Event sequences must be agreed upon. Regulations are agreed upon, for example guidelines for procurement or for waste disposal. A controlling process must insure that regulations are adhered to.
What is written has lasting value. Accordingly, the management system installed and the characteristic environmental values must be documented. This is done by way of a handbook which includes procedures and working instructions. The presentation of characteristic environmental values must include the incoming substances and energies or inputs, as well as those substances and energies leaving the site, that is to say the outputs. Further, the internal inventories must be noted. It is also important to record the date sources, the data quality, the modes of computation and the methods of evaluation.
The EU Environmental Audit Procedure emphasizes internal and above all external communication. By way of an environmental statement, the general public must be informed of the current stand of the audit on a regular basis. As of late, this can also be done via internet.
A central area is the evaluation of environmental effects and the steering of further activities. It is thus that the control circuit is closed. When the external auditor determines that the systems and the measures taken are in accordance with EU standards, he or she validates the environmental statement. Following this, the site can be included in a register for certified institutions and can make use of the appropriate environmental logo of the European Union in its presentations.
The International Norm ISO 14 001
The International Standardization Organisation (ISO) has developed Norm 14 001. Esentially, it is concerned with the establishment of an environmental management system which can be externally audited. ISO 14 001 does not require that the general public be informed. The strength of ISO 14 001 is that it is valid world-wide.
Many organisations have experience with Quality Management and with ISO 9001. With only a minimum of effort, "Quality Management" can be expanded to be "Quality and Environmental Management". The greatest effort must be expended to set up appropriate management systems and to take the first data compilation for the environmental management. The "Quality Circles" can be upgraded to "Quality and Environmental Circles".
Cost and Use
In church institutions, it is often the case that an appropriate consciousness and plenty of good will are present, yet the integrity of creation is not implemented in a systematic way. The appropriate data, instruments and delineation of competences are not available. It is here that the introduction of an environmental auditing system is helpful. The systematic procedures indicate the potential for saving, both in terms of environmental resources and with regard to finances.
Environmental management offers the opportunity of obligating suppliers to adhere to ecological considerations. The appropriate demand leads to wider effectiveness. The positive example set serves the same end.
Further, the cross-section character of the system gives the opportunity of implementing common improvements across faculty and department lines. This strengthens corporate identity and fills the model with life.
By publishing an environmental report, churches demonstrate that when it comes to the environment, they are not only talking, but also taking action. This goes hand in hand with an image betterment.
In terms of cost, the effort, the time and the financial outlay required for the implementation of an environmental management system are the main factors. The complicated wording of the European Union's ordinance puts many off. However, many of the formalities enumerated therein have little to do with an internal audit. They are concerned rather with the overall framework and with public and legal recognition. Essentially, the audit ordinance is concerned with the implementation of an efficient management system, which in fact is needed by every organisation and which applies for quality management as well.
When environmental data are initially taken, management systems implemented and external consultants called in, the costs can run from Euro 5.000 to 50.000, depending on the size of the institution. In addition, the services of external auditors must be remunerated, for which four-digit amounts are required. The European Union offers financial support for the environmental audit. In addition, some countries provide support for the implementation of the systems required.
Due to the fact that the EU's environmental auditing process was originally developed for trade and industry, it contains a plethora of regulations which are not pertinent for service organisations. The development of standards which would conform to the needs of smaller service providers would be of great help, as this would reduce their overall outlay.
However, an environmental management system can be set up on a step-by-step basis without the help of expensive external consultants. Further, it is not unusual for external consultants to give advice which does not account for the history of an institution or its particular culture. In this regard, it is significant that the amendment to the EU Environmental Audit Ordinance emphasizes the role of the staff.
Experience Gained
In Germany, several parishes and church institutions have conducted environmental audits and have been certified according to EMAS standards. Within the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Württemberg, these include the church's Administrative Centre, its Department for Parish Services, its Training Centre at Birkach and 10 local parishes. For the parishes, an appropriate system has been developed on the basis of ISO 14.131, known as the "Green Cockerel" [Grüner Gockel].
With the support of the German Federal Environmental Foundation [DBU – Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt], an ecumenical network for church environmental management has been set up. This network is currently being used to help install a management system in the central offices of the Evangelical Church of Germany and in the monastery at Benediktbeuren. Participating in this network is the Research Centre of the Evangelical Study Community [F.E.S.T.] in Heidelberg. Environmental management systems have been developed in the churches of Finnland, Holland, Great Britain, Sweeden and Norway which are especially suited to the specific character of the church's task and the structure of church parishes. These systems are based in part on ISO 14.001
The following insights have been gained through projects conducted to date:
With the help of environmental management, decisions can be assessed as to their environmental and social acceptability while they are still in the drafting stage. In this way, environmental measures are not simply added on, but integrated, being considered from the outset. Further, this yields synergistic effects.
The value for the church's staff and members must be illustrated. The staff must recognize that their own health and their own social interests are at stake, for example with regard to noxious substances, clean water, low-radiation monitors or their own credibility. The feeling that something is being bureaucratically imposed and pushed through from the outside must be avoided at all costs.
The church's staff and members must be included in the process. EMAS II specifically emphasizes the role of the staff. The approach is not solely top-down. It operates in conjunction with a process from the bottom up, which is intended to be creative and participatory.
Institutional culture and aesthetics play an important role. In addition to practical and economic considerations, the concept of beauty should also be brought into play, so that employees enjoy being at their work places, identify with them and contribute their own ideas. A poetry contest can work wonders in this regard.
Learning should take place on a daily basis and in passing by. The environment programme must reach people by way of qualification and training. Helpful hints and tips placed strategically along the hallway to the work place or in the PCs can go al long way in this regard. A weekly "success story", a symbol or a computer installation with the latest results and successes can provide daily encouragement.
Looking Ahead
Obviously, the areas of job safety, quality and environment should be coupled with each other. Once a management system has been put into place, it is a small matter to extend it to include other areas as well. As it is compulsory to monitor job safety, combining this with other aspects leads to a synergetic effect. For example: Job safety demands that dangerous substances be properly identified and that appropriate information as to their use and correct disposal is available. The same holds true for environmental management systems.
As sustainable development is a model which enjoys world-wide recognition, for which the churches have made an substantial contribution and which the churches themselves over and again bring into the public discussion, it only follows that their own actions must be in accord with this model.
This means that existing systems must be further developed, so that social, ecological and economic factors can be catalogued and brought under control. In order to do so, indicators are necessary. The Research Centre of the Evangelical Study Community [F.E.S.T.] has developed such indicators for municipalities.
"Sustainability management" in institutions presupposes the discussion and implementation of meaningful indicators. Thinkable would also be social parameters for the educational and research investments of a given institution. In addition, participatory elements should be mentioned, for example the equal access of women to decision-making processes or efforts undertaken on behalf of international justice. The health and safety level at the work place should also have a role to play.
With regard to the areas of ecology and economics, the indicator "energy efficiency" must be formulated. The amount of energy needed to perform a specific service or to produce a specific product must be measured. Many studies have shown that there is a great savings potential in this area, often a factor of 4 to 10. Increased energy efficiency is important for the protection of the atmosphere and eases the financial burden as well.
By working towards the goal of sustainable development, as documented in environmental and sustainability audits, the church and its service organisations contribute towards the end of keeping the earth, the oikumene, inhabitable for future generations.
Written by by the ECEN {cms_selflink page="ecomanagement" text="Eco-Management Working Group"} for the 12th Assembly of the Conference of European Churches in Trondheim: Hearing 12: Sustainable Development after Johannesburg - A challenge to the churches
Dr. Hans-Hermann Böhm
Tel. 0049711-2068-253, Fax 0049711-2149-9800
Postbox 10 13 52, D-70012 Stuttgart
E-mail: Dr [dot] Boehm
elk-wue [dot] de
Coordinator of the ECEN-Working Group on Environmental Management Authorized Environmental Officer of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg.