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Annual Advanced EMS Workshop
October 11-12, 2006
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Co-Sponsored by:

	Presenting the 2006 Benchmark Survey of the State of Environmental Management Systems at Colleges and Universities©

The 2006 EMS conference served as the forum to present the results and case studies from the C2E2’s nation-wide college and university EMS Benchmarking Survey, “The State of the Campus EMSs: An On-Line Survey,” conducted by the Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence (C2E2). Nearly 80 campus professionals from across the U.S. and Canada shared in the workshop.

Over 250 colleges and universities responded to the survey which has provided a deeper understanding of the nature and extent of EMSs as they are being defined and implemented on college campuses. The survey information: (1) provides statistically significant results that effectively describe the state of EMS development at various colleges and universities; (2) allows for a comparison of EMS practices among schools; and (3) assists institutions with identifying and prioritizing areas for improvement, based on what other campuses are doing.

Corporate and college and university representatives presented case studies, each with a different focus on implementation experiences, tools, measurement and integration. Institutional speakers included representatives from the University of Connecticut, Rutgers University, the University of Vermont, Boston University, SUNY Albany, City University of New York (CUNY) and MIT. As is our tradition at the advanced EMS workshop, a speaker from a leading environmental corporation (this year, it was Johnson & Johnson) spoke about sustainability leadership and performance tracking. All the presentations were substantive, engaging and “grounded” in real life examples.

From our perspective, the highlights of the workshop included:
• Learning about where other colleges and universities are in their EMS development;
• Sharing the data and the analysis from the Benchmark Report with colleagues and receiving feedback;
• Enjoying a relaxing evening, good wine and a delicious meal at the Six Mile Creek Vineyard in Ithaca;
• Hearing from multiple voices that spoke to the relationship between sustainability programs and projects and environmental, health and safety roles and responsibilities;
• Recognizing that our EMS audience is changing; this year’s participants included facility, sustainability and risk management professionals in addition to EH&S staff;
• Participating in roundtable discussions that provided additional insight to the survey results;
• Understanding how institutions are addressing common challenges; and
• Learning about opportunities and resources that exist for colleges and universities developing EMSs.

This site includes some really good information for the campus EMS practitioner or novice. Check out the PowerPoint presentations, the Roundtable summary, the Benchmark Report and the “Delphi Polls,” which provide qualitative information on key EMS topics as “discussed” and judged by your peers and colleagues.

We thank all the participants for an informative and productive workshop. We thank our corporate sponsors, Cameron-Cole, EA Engineering, O'Brien & Gere, Triumvirate Environmental and Woodard & Curran for their financial support.

We hope readers will find the information helpful in developing and implementing EMSs on campus.

Laurie Cecere
Cornell University

Thomas Balf
Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence