Resources

Essential Information

Offered:

  • SP1, 2008
  • SP2, 2008
  • SP3, 2008

Core Unit for:

  • N/A

Elective Unit for:

Assessment:

  • Assignment 25%
  • Examination 75%

Pre-Requisites:

  • None

UNIT 405 : ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT


Overview

This unit has been structured around an initial core of seven topics that provide a knowledge foundation critical to sustainability and environmental management. We introduce and explain some fundamental environmental and sustainability management terms, concepts and principles, and through the use of case studies, we explore the wide-ranging implications of environmental and sustainability management to an organisation's everyday operations. This includes examining the evolution and application of regulatory controls, predominantly in Australia.

As well as discussing the business case for environmental management and sustainability, we present the ecological rationale behind this field. Issues such as local and global pollution are discussed, with the aim of illustrating the consequences of resource consumption and degradation in terms of environmental and social change, and the need for management so that these changes remain within acceptable levels. Environmental assessment techniques are described, as are methods of planning for, achieving, and clearly demonstrating an acceptable level of environmental management.

Aims

This unit aims to provide a strong understanding of the potentially broad and varied role of the environmental manager, an important change agent who commonly operates at the interface of business, society and government.

After studying this unit you should be able to:

  • explain the reasons for environmental management and sustainability, as well as the underpinning concepts of sustainable development
  • critically analyse industry practices that impact upon the global and local environment in which we operate
  • identify policy and legislative requirements relevant to environmental management-both globally and locally
  • consider societal and economic viewpoints and their relationship with the field of environmental management
  • outline the steps involved in environmental assessment, and identify and use a range of environmental management tools
  • develop preventive environmental management practices and systems
  • critically analyse current environmental and sustainability issues, determine their potential impacts on your business, identify the opportunities they present and determine appropriate responses.

Topics

  • Environment and sustainability reporting
  • Waste management and resource conservation
  • Responses to climate change
  • Environmental assessment
  • Management systems approaches
  • Social aspects of sustainability
  • The legislative context
  • Global pollution: issues and responses
  • The environmental imperative
  • Environmental management and sustainability

Study Guide Author

Stuart Ritchie

Stuart Ritchie is currently the National Sustainability Manager for Cement Australia Limited. Since 2005 he has also been working on secondment as the Sustainable Development Policy Manager for the Cement Industry Federation (CIF) of Australia, where he provides policy, strategic and operational support and advice on all matters relating to environment and sustainability within the Australian cement industry.

Stuart's career includes more than 20 years experience in environmental management roles for the mining and cement industries. His achievements include design and implementation planning for all-risks, intranet-based incident and hazard reporting systems for Cement Australia and the QCL Group, managing the CIF Sustainability Task Force and co-drafting of the 1998, 1999 and 2000 public environmental/ sustainability reports for the QCL Group.

Stuart's qualifications include a Master of Environmental Management. He is currently a member of The Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, where he has assisted on their regional certification panel.

Unit Chair

Richard White
BE, MEngSci, PhD

Richard is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Richard has worked in many industries: iron and steel, coal, pharmaceuticals, water and wool. He has worked on water supply and wastewater treatment projects in the UK, and as the Technical Manager in a leading wool scouring and carbonising company in Melbourne. His teaching areas include environmental engineering, pollution control and engineering management systems (including audits and QMS/EMS). His additional research interests include reactor design and operation.