LEVELS OF ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT

There are three levels of environment management:

1. International level – Serious environment problems are taken up at the international level. For e.g. The need to increase area under forest cover has to be tackled by all countries in order to reduce global warming
2. National level – Every country must have its national policy for environment management
3. Local level – Environment management is important at local level. For e.g. every industrial establishment must clear its waste before discharging it into air / water bodies.

Environment Management is the management of eco-friendly development.

Effective environment management needs:

1. Good knowledge of existing physical and economic environment
2. Studying the impact of economic activities on the environment
3. Enacting laws and regulations which protect the environment
4. Political will to apply laws and regulations strictly at local, national and international levels.

ROLE OF AN ENVIRONMENT MANAGER

• Tackling environmental issues and problems, such as ecology, natural resources and pollution
• Advising management about natural resources and environmental depletion as well as conservation policy.
• Conducting audit of energy consumption.
• Keeping updates about environmental legislations.
• Studying and dissolving environmental conflicts.

CSR AND E-WASTE MANAGEMENT / MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

E-WASTE (ELECTRONIC WASTE) / WEEE (WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT) / E-SCRAP

Electronic waste or e-waste describes all used and discarded electrical or electronic devices. Some of the components of electronic equipments (e-waste)are considered toxic and non-biodegradable.

E-waste includes secondary computers, entertainment devices, mobile phones, office electronic equipment, television sets, refrigerators, etc.

If treated properly e-waste can be a valuable source of secondary raw materials. However, if not treated properly, it becomes a major source of toxins and carcinogens.

The problem of e-waste is a fast growing one around the globe on account of rapid technological change, low initial costs as well as the growing problem of consumerism. The growth in the electronic industry has led to economic as well as social impacts. With high rates of production and exports, increase in consumption rates there is higher generation of electronic waste.

As countries like India have lower environmental standards, electronic waste is being sent here for processing – in most cases illegally. Delhi and Bangalore have electronic waste processing areas. The uncontrolled disassembling / burning and disposal cause both environmental as well as health problems.

The need of the hour is to have proper e-waste management. One of the best ways is to encourage recycling. Television sets, mobile phones, audio visual equipment contain valuable elements and substances that can be recycled. For e.g. Circuit boards contain precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, etc and base metals such as copper, iron, aluminum, etc. which can be extracted and reused.

The proper disposing of or reusing of electronics and e-waste can help prevent health problems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs with reuse thus offering a more environment friendly and socially conscious alternative.

MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

Medical waste management is a major concern and responsibility of health care organisations. Disposal mechanisms for medical waste must be stringent and foolproof to prevent the risk of infection, toxicity and contamination. Ethical and religious norms are also to be respected.