EMS Association Newsletter Autumn 2009

1. Are you coming to the 2009 EMS National Conference
   15-17 September
   Bunbury WA
   Early Bird closes 30 June 2009
2. Opportunity to attend international EMAS/ISOeasy Courses in Australia
   Courses in Adelaide and Brisbane, September 2009
3. Entries open for 2009 EMS Awards
   Categories for local government, farmers and small business
4. Membership news
   Keep an eye out for renewal notices
   Corporate member case study - Medicare Australia
5. In the news
   Australian and New Zealand Government Framework for Sustainable Procurement
   CSIRO national consumption survey

1. Are you coming to the 2009 EMS National Conference

15-17 September
Bunbury, WA

Sponsored by: JAS-ANZ, Baiada Poultry, Custom Composts, DAFWA & drumMuster

The conference in Western Australia is shaping up to be our best event yet, with a great program covering a diverse range of topics, including

• Relevance of EMS to industries and agencies.
• Is it just about the carbon?
• Integration of management systems.
• Recognition and reward for EMS users.
• Sharing the responsibility for environmental management.

The conference is excellent value at $400 for members of EMSA and BestFarms with student and day rates also available.

Early Bird Registration closes 30 June 2009.

Why not take advantage of two great value workshops either side of the conference:

• EMS Fundamentals: For those wanting to brush up on their knowledge and application of an EMS.
  Monday 14 September
• An Easy Small Steps Process to an Effective Environmental Management System: The no frills/ no jargon approach to implementing an EMS
  Friday 18 September

For all the details and registration go to:

2. Opportunity to attend international EMAS/ISOeasy Courses in Australia

The EMS Association is offering two EMAS/ISOeasy courses in Australia in September 2009.

• Course 1: Wed 9 - Fri 11 September, Adelaide SA
• Course 2: Fri 18- Sun 20 September, Brisbane Qld

The three-day international course walks participants through the process of using an eco-map and then develop a full EMS in a sequence of easy to follow and logical steps. The process was originally designed for small to medium enterprises, but is also being successfully implemented by Government Departments.

The course will be presented by Heinz Werner Engel, developer of the Ecomapping process and one of the world leading experts in EMS systems. He will be supported by Genevieve Carruthers, EMS specialist and trained in Ecomapping, in Brisbane and Andy Chambers in Adelaide.

Numbers will be limited to no more than 15 in each course, to allow the greatest interaction between trainers and participants.

For all the details and registration go to: http://www.ems.asn.au/events/0909ecomap.htm

3. Entries open for 2009 EMS Awards

The EMS Awards continue to grow with a new Local Government category added for 2009. Sponsored by drumMuster, the Local Government Award is open to any local government agency with an EMS.

Inaugural sponsor, CGU, has continued with its support of the Small Business and Farmer categories.

Award entries in all categories close 15th July. Awards will be presented at the Gala Conference Dinner in Bunbury, WA on 16 September. All winners will receive free registration at the conference and the dinner and be supported to travel to Bunbury.

For more information and entry details go to: http://www.ems.asn.au/awards/index.htm

4. Membership news

Keep an eye out for renewal notices

At the 2008 AGM, the EMS Association changed membership to a rolling, rather than an annual subcription. Anyone who joined after November 2008 will receive a full year's membership due for renewal in a full 12 months. Those members on the old system - all memberships due on 30 June, received another six months membership in the changeover. So for many of your membership is due on 30 June 2009. You will receive a renewal notice, but login and check your details.

Corporate member case study

Medicare Australia plays a vital role in the delivery of health information and payments on behalf of the Australian Government.  In administering Medicare, PBS and other government programs, Medicare Australia processes around 500 million transactions each year, pays benefits of approximately $30 billion a year, and manages large volumes of personal information within strict privacy requirements.

Medicare Australia has around 6000 staff and operates a network of 238 Medicare branch offices. Medicare Australia also has offices in each capital city and a head office in Canberra.

In September 2006 Medicare Australia commenced implementation of a national environmental management framework, which is based on international standards using Environmental Management System (EMS) ISO 14001. This standard, as well as other standards in the ISO 14000 series have been integrated into normal business operations. The framework has been developed in the context of governing legislation and policies, business processes, organisational structure and stakeholders. The framework also supports Australia Government environmental and industry policies.

Click here for the full case study.

5. In the News

Australian and New Zealand Government Framework for Sustainable Procurement

More Australian government agencies are starting to follow the recommendations made in the Australian and New Zealand Government Framework for Sustainable Procurement, released by the Australian Procurement and Construction Council in September 2007.

The Framework States:
"Government procurement may be described as purchases made by public sector organisations in delivering their core activities to serve the community. Government procurement markets are significant within OECD countries, being estimated to account for 10% to 15% of gross domestic product (GDP). Australian  State, Territory and Federal governments spend approximately A$100 billion per annum on goods, services and construction, and the New Zealand Government’s spend is estimated to be in the range of NZ$14 to $20 billion. This expenditure presents a considerable opportunity to achieve direct sustainable development benefits. Sustainable procurement can minimise the environmental impacts of public sector organisations, as well as benefiting society, the natural environment and reducing overall operating costs.

Globally, there is a concerted effort to achieve sustainable procurement outcomes. The United Nations and OECD have been promoting sustainable procurement for many years. The UK, USA, Canadian and Japanese governments have sustainable procurement policies (or legislation) with extensive implementation programs.

The Australian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) has developed this Australian and New Zealand Government Framework for Sustainable Procurement (Framework) as a set of national and trans-Tasman principles to guide Australian State, Territory and Federal governments and the New Zealand Government in implementing sustainable procurement."

Click here to access the Framework Document (200 KB PDF)

CSIRO National Consumption Survey

Take part in a national online survey to inform innovative research into household consumption and lifestyles in Australia.
 
CSIRO's Household Consumption project is conducting research into household consumption, time use and lifestyles with the aim of developing a lifestyle typology based on the consumption and time use behaviour of Australian households. Our research hypothesis is that different household types and their way of consuming and living will result in distinguishable resource use and emission intensities. The project outcomes should enable the identification of pathways for consumption to promote a low carbon economy.
 
The launch of a national online survey offers you the opportunity to be involved with this important research. Information you provide will help shape the picture of Australian lifestyles and consumption patterns to inform further research and future policy.
 
How you can be involved:  

1. Take part in the online survey by clicking on this link: http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1169675. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
2.  Send this email on to your networks - our aim is to reach as many Australians, from as many different lifestyles and circumstances as we can.

For more information, please contact Sonia Graham at sonia.graham@csiro.au