Step 5 – Plan

• nominate an individual or team to take on the role of developing the plan
• take each of your objectives or targets as listed in your environmental policy and develop actions or a set of actions to meet these
• assess the cost of each action. Remember that doing nothing also has costs associated with it (rising fuel costs, government fines, landfill disposal fees, replacing faulty materials, to name a few)
• prioritise which of the actions you will do first and timetable the others.

Click here to download Steps 5 & 7 Checksheets. This template will enable you to start planning action in accordance with the environmental policy you wrote. It is vital to both Step 5 and Step 7. How are these two steps related? Step 5 helps you plan what actions will be taken. In Step 7, those actions will be checked to make sure all processes are moving smoothly. Go through this tool with all staff members present. Get them involved with the discussion and planning, and let them bring their own valuable ideas to the table. Everyone will have an important part to play. The Steps 5 & 7 Checksheets also contains a ‘legal register’ template. This will help you take into consideration the legal implications of how your company is currently operating.

Download the
Steps 5 & 7 Checksheets.xls

Step 6 – Do

• carry out the actions you have identified
• train your staff appropriately and continually seek their feedback
• communicate, quantify your measurements and document what is being done
• carry out the day-to-day business operations in line with the goals of the business environmental policy and plan.

At this stage, you will carry out the actions you identified in the tools found in Step 5.  Step 6 has another valuable tool to help you carry out your actions, take measurements and keep organised.  Click here to download Step 6 Checksheets.  There are instructions in the tool to help you get started.

Also, there are also some other tools you may find helpful, depending on what areas you are working on in your company (click on each link to download):

• Office Supply Tips Click here provides some valuable advice when it comes to purchasing office supplies. From paper to furniture, you can start making sustainable decisions for the things you use every day. 
• Vehicle Tips Click here will help you to use your company vehicles more efficiently, saving petrol, lowering emissions and costing you less money.
• Procurement Policy Click here details some larger decisions you can make when it comes to responsible procurement.  From negotiating contracts to choosing sustainable products, you will learn how to change the way your business purchases products and services.
  

Step 7 – Check

• measure and monitor the activities of the business about the environmental impacts you identified in your policy
• correct problems and resolve issues as they occur
• audit the system so that it is functioning properly.

This step is all about managing the process you have going on. By now, at least several areas of the company’s processes have been measured.  These measurements have given insight into significant environmental impacts.  At this stage, your company can begin to alter its processes to minimise or eliminate those impacts.

Are staff members taking appropriate measurements?  Are impacts of processes being recorded?  What sorts of trends are you beginning to see?  Monitor and adjust the systems you put in place to make sure they are functioning properly, and refer to the Step 5 & 7 Checksheets you downloaded earlier.  In this step, you will be completing the 'Check' portion of the template.

Step 8 – Review

• review the system to ensure it’s working properly
• understand where your company is succeeding and identify areas that still need improvement
• add new and improved goals, targets and objectives in line with your business activities.

You and your company have made substantial headway at this stage.  You have implemented an environmental policy, and set up an EMS to track your environmental impacts. It is now time to review your progress.  You and your staff should now sit down again and discuss how things are going. What have you all noticed as you've worked through this process? What are your major impacts? 

Click here to download Step 8 Checksheets.  This tool will help you identify your impacts, understand their ramifications and formulate solutions.  Essentially, this step involves taking a bird’s-eye view of your company’s operations and asking “How can we improve?”

An EMS can be a powerful tool for your building business to both improve your environmental performance and enhance your business efficiency. An EMS is not intended to be prescriptive or onerous; rather it requires you to take an active role in examining your business practices, and then determining how your impacts should best be managed relative to your business activities. If you also have a quality system, then one of the best shortcuts is to align your EMS with it – often they cover the same aspects of the business.

Download the
Step 8 Checksheet.xls

Resources

If assistance is needed to develop an EMS and a reporting framework (Section 3 deals with sustainability reporting), guidelines from the following methods might help:

Cleaner Production is a method of reducing environmental impacts from processes, products and services by using better management strategies, methods and tools. For ideas see: www.ccc.govt.nz/ or TargetZero or www.rebri.org.nz

Enviro-Mark®NZ is an internet-based five-step certification programme based on health, safety and environmental management for organisations of all sizes. Developed by Landcare Research, you can find out how to use the programme at: www.enviro-mark.co.nz

ISO 14001 is the international standard for EMSs. It sets out the requirements and specifications for certification which must be met by a company in order to comply with the standard. For more information see: www.iso.org/iso/en/iso9000-14000/understand/inbrief.html

The Natural Step is a framework that provides a set of ideas and methods for moving toward sustainability. To see if The Natural Step is for you, check out: www.tns.org.nz

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was established in late 1997 with the mission of developing globally applicable guidelines for reporting on economic, environmental and social performance for any business. The GRI Guidelines can be found at: www.globalreporting.org

AA1000 is a framework begun in 1999 by AccountAbility, a UK-based institute of social and ethical accountability. It was developed to assist organisations in the integration of their stakeholder engagement processes into daily activities. Worldwide, it has been used by public bodies, non-profit organisations and businesses. More information is available at: www.accountability.org.uk/aa1000/default.asp