As the C2E2 has explored the issue of improving the environmental performance of higher education, the concept of Environmental Management Systems has caught our attention. Based on our experience with the Lab XL project, we believe that EMS's provide a valuable tool to college and university campuses in certain situations, which can potentially improve both the campus' environmental performance and regulatory compliance status.

In researching this issue, we developed a sense that many or most campuses has some of the elements of a traditional Environmental Management System in place, although few have a complete EMS in the ISO 14001 sense. To help campuses move their EMS's forward, we have developed an EMS self-assessment tool. This is a 33 part questionaire designed to help a campus identify the strengths and weaknesses of its current EMS.

Because of the technical nature of the questions, from the management point of view, we have also developed presentations explaining the concepts and intent behind the tool. These presentations are geared to different audiences, so if one is not clear, another may be. If you have any questions about the tool, please contact Tom Balf at

EMS Assessment Presentations to Date:

1. EPA Region 1 Conference on "Environmental Management Systems in Higher Education": Basic description of Environmental Management theory and review of the tool

2. Eastern Regional Association of Physical Plant Administrators Annual Meeting: Similar to EPA presentation, but also includes discussion of the EPA Enforcement Initative and the how the Lab XL project has influenced our EMS thinking.

3. University of California System EHS Managers