(ENVT003) Environmental Management

Power station cooling towers

Overview

Course start date: to be confirmed
Price: £150.00

Lecturer(s): To be confirmed
Course Code: ENVT003
Level: Non-accredited, non-credit bearing
Assessments/Exams: None. Throughout the course you will be given ideas and questions to respond to in the online discussion area. Participation in online discussion is encouraged, but not compulsory.
Duration: 10 weeks
Estimated Student Study Time: 2 – 5 hours per week are recommended, but time spent is flexible and at your discretion.
Fee: £150.00
Pre-Requisites: No academic qualifications or experience of environmental geology are required, only a strong enthusiasm for the subject.
Delivery: Online Distance Learning
Late Entrants: If this course is not full by the start date then late entrants will be accepted for up to two weeks after the start of the course. As a late entrant you can choose to catch up on the material you have missed or you can skip the missed weeks and concentrate on the material at the point where you join the course, but unfortunately we cannot offer fee reductions or course extensions for late entrants.
Recommended Reading**:
The aim of this Module is to provide as much accessible information as possible in the course notes, but for reading around the subject the following would assist:

Lewis Owen, Tim Unwin, 1997. Environmental Management, John Wiley and Sons Ltd Blackwell Publishers, Paperback
ISBN10: 9780631201175  ISBN13: 9780631201175.

Christopher J Barrow, 2006. Environmental Management for Sustainable Development, Taylor & Francis Ltd Routledge, Paperback
ISBN10: 9780415365352  ISBN13: 9780415365352.

Dr Sven Erik Jorgensen, Joao Carlos Marques, Soren Nors Nielsen, 2015. Intergrated Environmental Management. Taylor & Francis Inc Productivity Press
ISBN10: 9781498705103  ISBN13: 9781498705103.

Required Reading**: None

**Please note: All courses are subject to sufficient numbers of students registering before they are confirmed as running. Therefore, after booking your place you are advised not to purchase any texts until you have received confirmation that the course is running.

This course was previously taught by Dr John Merefield when it was offered by the University of Exeter*. If you studied it with the University of Exeter* you might not wish to study it again with Learn for Pleasure as although we have revised and updated our courses where necessary, it will likely be substantively the same.

Summary

This course will introduce you to Environmental Management Systems and the ways in which they can benefit both the environment and business.

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is now recognised by many businesses as a way of:

  • reducing costs through waste minimisation and energy efficiency
  • protecting the environment
  • complying with regulations, especially as environmental legislation becomes more widespread
  • developing a reputation for positive environmental policies

Syllabus Plan

Unit 1: Management and the Environment

Unit 2: Land, Water, Air, Biota

Unit 3: A Brief History of Environmental (Mis?)Management

Unit 4: Legislative Background

Unit 5: Environmental Impact Assessment

Unit 6: Environmental Management Systems

Unit 7: Environmental Audits

Unit 8: Environmental Monitoring

Unit 9: Interpretation of Environmental Data

Unit 10: Costs and Benefits of Environmental Management Systems

Course Content in Depth

This course relates EMS’s to the impact of human activities on the four major environmental media:

Air

  • The properties of the atmosphere itself
  • The dispersion and effects of gaseous emissions and particulates
  • Implications for air quality, human health, and both local and global environments

Water

  • Surface and groundwater resources
  • The dispersion of pollutants in water systems
  • The consequent effects of pollutants on water quality

Soil

  • As the living medium which supports plant growth
  • As a source of pollution and a transport medium for pollutants when contaminated by waste disposal or industrial activity

Biological Systems

  • The impact of pollution on flora and fauna
  • The use of biological materials in environmental monitoring

The EMS we will study is ISO 14001, the International Standard for environmental management. We will see how it relates to quality management in the ISO 9000 Quality System, and you will also learn how it compares with the European Community’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which offers an alternative to ISO 14001, particularly for local government.

The course explains the structure and operation of EMS’s through the use of real-life examples and case studies from businesses. The role of environmental monitoring will also be considered with particular emphasis on the design and planning of monitoring systems.

Learning Outcomes

This course will help students to acquire an understanding of:

  • The environmental media that need to be managed (land, water, air, biota)
  • Some of the most widely used approaches taken up by both private and public sector business to establish progress towards sound environmental goals
  • The critical issues related to environmental management and sustainability appraisal
  • Relevant factors in determining the usefulness of management systems, both in conservation and in protection of the environment and its resources