Foreword

Two well know phrases now closely associated with management of the environment came to mind when I read Jean’s book for the first time – “think global, act local” and “silver buckshot”.  The latter recently made more famous by Al Gore in his climate change imperative and the former a catch-cry of activists for many decades.

In this easy to read book, Jean takes us on a journey of discovery for many of her small to medium sized business clients as they confront the challenges of managing their environment through the formal methodology of an Environment Management System or EMS.

She clearly and easily demonstrates that in methodically addressing environment management issues, we will identify multiple elements for our final solutions – the silver buckshot – as opposed to one silver bullet that will solve all of our problems.  At the same time she explains how these businesses have started in small incremental ways to investigate and solve their environment management issues, eventually leading to industry-wide change in practice and recognition – “acting locally with global thinking and global outcomes”.

For some business people EMS is perceived as just another management system that requires top management leadership and sponsorship and commits the company to torturous process-focused paperwork and audits that do not add value to the business.  They see EMS as another TQM or JIT initiative of consultants to drain the resources of the company and shift focus from production.

Such attitudes are ill informed and generally developed without any serious investigation or understanding of what an EMS can deliver and where an EMS can sit in terms of management systems hierarchy.  Businesses that are serious in the pursuit of effectively and sustainably managing the environment within which they operate will rapidly discover that both their licence (social and legal) to operate and their productive performance will be enhanced, and their employees will derive greater satisfaction from their contributions.

Managing the environment within which we work and operate is the first step to improving productivity and longevity for our businesses.  Once we have delved into the external/internal management ramifications of the EMS, Jean shows us that the logical articulation from there is development of production, quality and safety management systems, which are fundamentally internally focused on operating performance and practices.

The EMS sets the context and the foundation for other regulatory and productivity management systems that all combine to improve business performance.

It’s Easy Being Green is an easy and pleasurable read – ideal for that short flight between airports or a quick break on the weekend.  Jean presents compelling examples of people implementing environment management systems, using readily understood language and provides us with down-to-earth anecdotal stories of real people in real small to medium businesses who are trying to improve their business relationship with their environment.

Paul Howlett, Joint Managing Director, Wright Corporate Strategy

Paul Howlett has a passion for industry development and sustainability.  He has been a thought-leader and driver of the alliance of environment industry sectors including waste management, water, air, business, and sustainable energy, culminating in the whole-of-industry Enviro Convention and Exhibition initiative over six years.

He has outstanding expertise in the waste management as a former CEO of a listed waste management company, and for five years he was President of the Waste Management Association of Australia, leading that organisation through a significant period of change and growth, with strong emphasis on professionalism within the industry and training for all employees in the waste management sector.

Paul is a Life Member of both the Waste Management Association of Australia and Environment Business Australia.