Over the past several years, I have been working on an EHS organizational management model and methodology that provides organizations with a way to bring innovation and fresh thinking to its Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) function. Some of these ideas have been presented in email newsletters and white papers, including ways to integrate the EHS function within itself as well as within the organization.
Central to this work have been ways to elevate EHS thinking as a driver in business strategy for competitive advantage, take EHS performance to zero or near zero, and empower EHS professionals as leaders in their organizations. I was excited when I first learned of and read Green to Gold, as it reinforced and validated much of this work. Read More
The issues and challenges presented in Green to Gold and suggested in REACH and the nanotechnology areas raise several issues. The first relates to an organization’s Management of Change structures and functions, while the second relates to the EHS function’s capacity to manage and guide the organization in these areas.
Nanotech issues and ideas metaphorically presented in the movie The Fantastic Voyage in 1963 are here. Nano-engineered materials are being incorporated into everyday products, including stain- or bacteria-resistant materials, stronger and lighter tennis rackets, more effective sunscreens, and super precise drug delivery vehicles. The promise of nano materials appears to be wide, impacting many industries and products.
With issues like global warming, sustainability, small industrial footprint, industrial ecology, and carbon calculus swirling in the press and the minds of many, there is increased attention on how organizations do or don’t incorporate environmental thinking into their business strategy. There have been numerous articles in the Harvard Business Review (most recently a special report titled “Climate Business-Business Climate”) and other business journals. The Wall Street Journal has been sponsoring a prominent conference titled, “ECO:NOMICS, Creating Environmental Capital.”