4. 4
Definition
An environmental impact is a change to the
environment, either adverse or beneficial,
wholly or partially resulting from an
organization’s activities, products, or
services.
5. 5
Another Definition
The environment is the surroundings in which
an organization operates: including air,
water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna,
humans and their interactions.
(scale goes from within an organization
to the global system)
6. 6
Environmental Impacts
• Measurable
• Regulated or below regulatory thresholds
• Removed from source
• Some are focus of current environmental
programs
• Others – no current program
7. 7
Examples of Aspects & Impacts
• Vehicles emit exhaust
• Water leaks
• Fueling spills occur
• Containers not closed
• Noise from engine runup
• Lights, computers left on
at night
• Paper bleached w/ Cl
• Bicycles don’t emit
exhaust
• Sulfur oxides released
• Water resource depleted
• Stormwater contaminated
• Chemical may be spilled
• Hearing, sleep impaired
• Increased CO2, coal-fired
power plant emissions
• Dioxins created in W/W
• Air pollution reduced
ASPECTS IMPACTS
8. 8
National Air Pollutant Emissions:
1970 to 1998
0
50
100
150
200
250
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1998
Year
MillionsofTons
PM-10
Sulfur Dioxide
Nitrogen Dioxide
VOCs
CO
Lead (tons)
9. 9
U.S. Water Withdrawals: 1940 to 1995
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1995
Year
GalsorBillionGals
Per capita (gal)
Total (bil.gal.)
10. 10
MSW Generation and Recovery:
1980 to 1999
0
50
100
150
200
250
MillionsofTons
1980 1993 1995 1997 1999
Year
Waste Generated
Materials Recovered
11. 11
MSW Generation and Recovery
Per Capita: 1980 to 1999
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Poundsperpersonperday
1980 1993 1995 1997 1999
Year
Waste Generated
Materials Recovered
12. 12
U.S. Toxic Chemical Releases:
1988 to 1999
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
MillionsofPounds
1988 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Year
Total Releases
On site
Off site
13. 13
U.S. Pesticide Usage for Agriculture:
1990 to 1997
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
MillionsofPoundsof
ActiveIngredient
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
Year
14. 14
U.S. Energy Consumption:
1960 to 1999
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
QuadrillionBtus
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1999
Year
15. 15
EMS and Impacts
• Use the aspects register to identify impacts
• Environmental policy dictates which
aspects are significant
• EMS addresses significant aspects
• Document your process for identifying
aspects and impacts – look at your NEPA or
PPOA process
16. 16
Impacts from Your Facility
• Prepare summary of environmental impacts
– Graphs make large amounts of data easy to
understand
– Document where the data came from
– Use to help build support for EMS
• If you don’t have the data, start collecting!
17. 17
Summary
• Identification of environmental aspects and
impacts is a key part of an EMS
• Aspects and impacts arise from activities,
products, and services
• An EMS includes procedures for
identification and updating of aspects and
impacts
Editor's Notes
Example of impact not typically part of an environmental program – paper consumption
Examples of regulated, unregulated impacts
Example of natural resource impact
Examples of actual and potential impacts
Example of human impacts
Example of offsite impacts due to products used
Example of positive environmental impact