Structure of the Module and Outcomes

The purpose of this module is to give you an understanding of how environmental improvements may be achieved within organisations. This is particularly important where a company is planning or engaged in the implementation of an Environmental Management Systems (EMS), which is seeking accreditation / certification to a standard such as ISO 14001.

The module will address the means by which companies can improve their environmental performance and gives a good ISO 14001 compliant framework to do this in. The first units of the module concentrate upon how a company can firstly identify its significant environmental effects and in turn, how it can embark on improving it's environmental performance in areas that are deemed to have a negative significant impact, in a systematic manner. The subsequent parts of the module will then act as a guide in setting environmental objectives and targets and in formulating an improvement programme to deal with these.

The later units of the module focus upon improvement strategies themselves. These are useful to both companies that are not planning to implement a formal EMS, but need guidance in how to approach making environmental improvements in certain areas. This section of the module will also be useful to those wishing to implement an EMS and require guidance and examples on how to implement projects to fulfil environmental objectives and targets set.

Throughout the module you will be asked to complete exercises, the blank forms to which are also given in Appendix. . You are also strongly advised to complete the reading given, which is mainly visiting websites.

You will have the opportunity to liaise with a consultant/tutor online should you have any queries or feel that you may need to raise certain issues and you are also encouraged to use the chat room where you can post any queries or questions to other companies / individuals.

Monitoring and Measuring Level 5 is a useful module to undertake once you have completed Improvement Strategy Level 4- it compliments this module well in that it details actual monitoring and measuring methods and techniques that may be required when a company is implementing certain improvement strategies.

A good point to start