There
are many resources available to help your organization develop and implement the
EFEC program. The AHFA guidance
document is specific to EFEC. Additional
assistance includes general information on Environmental Management Systems or
specific information on the ISO 14000/14001 standards.
This Appendix provides a list of information sources to aid your
organization.
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is a useful resource in the
development of an EFEC program. The
USEPA provides information on a number of topics including: assistance with
interpreting environmental laws and regulations; pollution prevention
technologies; case studies; fact sheets; and help lines to answer environmental
questions.
State
environmental regulatory agencies are also an excellent source of assistance
with the development of an EFEC program. Many
state agencies offer education and outreach programs for businesses that are
developing and implementing environmental management systems such as EFEC.
Resources such as publications and on-line help pertaining to
environmental laws, pollution prevention technologies, waste reduction, and
permitting are available from most state agencies.
Other
companies within the furniture manufacturing industry and companies with which
you do business may also be excellent sources of information on EFEC and other
environmental management systems. It
is an program requirement that EFEC registered companies share non-confidential
information on environmental issues and EFEC development and implementation with
other AHFA member organizations.
There
is a great deal of information on environmental management systems available
through the Internet. Many
government agencies and other organizations have web pages containing
information on pollution prevention technologies, waste minimization,
environmental laws and regulations, etc. All
of this information can be helpful in developing and implementing the EFEC
program.
| Organization |
Resource |
Contact Information |
Description |
|
USEPA |
Center
for Environmental Research Information |
www.epa.gov/epahome/program.htm
|
|
|
Pollution
Prevention Clearinghouse |
www.epa.gov/opptintr/p2home
|
Technical
information on materials and processes, including publications related to
waste minimization |
|
|
Public
Information Center |
www.epa.gov/epahome/general.htm |
General
information about EPA programs |
|
|
|
www.epa.gov/superfund |
Provides
information on hazardous waste regulations and handles requests for
federal documents and laws |
|
|
|
Electronic
database of selected letters, memoranda, and questions and answers written
by the EPA’s Office of Solid Waste since 1980 |
||
|
Technology
Transfer and Support Division |
(513)
569-7562 |
Access
to the Office of Research and Development’s research information and
publications |
|
|
Enviro$en$e |
Solvent
alternatives, international, federal, and state programs, other research
and development, government profiles of various industrial categories |
||
|
US
EPA Home Page |
Information
about EPA regulations, initiatives, and links to the home pages of other
government agencies and EPA regional offices |
||
|
Environmental
Management Systems |
Contains
links to information about EPA’s efforts to develop policies and related
materials about environmental management systems |
||
|
Design
for the Environment EMS |
Contains
general information about Environmental Management Systems and the Design
for the Environment principles and how to implement them into an EMS |
||
|
National Environmental Performance Track |
Program to recognize top environmental performers who go beyond compliance to attain excellence in environmental management. |
||
|
State
Environmental Protection Agencies |
Environmental
Assistance Programs |
Contact
your state’s environmental protection agency |
Many
state and environmental protection agencies provide publications,
technical assistance, and information on pollution prevention
technologies, waste reduction, and regulatory compliance |
|
Small
Business Assistance Programs (mandated under Title V of the Federal Clean
Air Act) |
Call
EPA Small Business Ombudsman (800) 368-5888 for the phone number of the
Small Business Assistance Program in your state |
Provides
technical assistance and information to small businesses regulated under
the Clean Air Act |
|
|
State
and Local Pollution Prevention Programs |
Contact
the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable at (202)466-7272 for the
phone number and address of the pollution prevention program in your state |
Provides
information and technical assistance on pollution prevention |
|
|
North
Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources |
Pollution
Prevention and Assistance Service – Environmental Management Systems |
Site
provides background and technical information regarding the ISO 14000
family of standards and Environmental Management Systems |
|
|
Environmental
Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized
Organizations |
Excellent
document developed by NSF that provide guidance and examples on all
aspects of environmental management systems |
||
|
Governmental
Refuse Collections & Disposal Association |
|
(301)
585-2898 |
Association
of officials from public agencies and private corporations that work
towards improvements in solid waste management |
|
The
National Pollution Prevention Roundtable |
|
www.p2.org |
Provides
publications related to pollution prevention |
|
National
Solid Waste Management Association |
|
(202)
244-4700 |
Association
of private organizations involved in the solid waste industry |
|
Air
and Waste Management Association |
|
(412)
232-3444 |
An
international technical, scientific and educational organization that
provides a forum for viewpoints on environmental issues |
|
Institute
for Hazardous Materials Management |
|
(301)
984-8969 |
Promotes
professional practice in the field of hazardous materials management |
|
National
Association for Environmental Professionals |
|
(202)
331-9659 |
International
association dedicated to the promotion of ethical practice, technical
competency, and professional standards in the environmental field |
|
National
Environmental Training Association |
|
(602)
956-6099 |
International
association that promotes quality, standards, and competency in the
environmental training field |
|
National
Registry of Environmental Professionals |
|
(847)
724-6631 |
An
organization that provides a variety of professional credentials in the
environmental field |
|
Industrial
Technology Institute |
|
(800)
292-4484 |
Offers
technical assistance to small and mid-sized manufacturers, performs
energy, environmental and manufacturing assessments as well as performance
benchmarking and QS 9000 and ISO 14000 implementation assistance and
training |
|
Manufacturing
Extension Partnership |
|
(800)
MEP-4MFG |
Assists
manufacturers with assessing technological needs, and works to help small
manufacturers solve environmental problems with cost-effective solutions |
|
ANSI
Online |
|
Contains
information related to the American National Standards Institute |
|
|
Industrial
Technology Institute Home Page |
|
Information
about ITI, how to find environmental information on the Internet, and
links to other organizations |
|
|
ISO
14000 Information Center |
|
Answers
to questions on ISO 14000 standards |
|
|
ISO
14000 Integrated Solutions (ANSI/GETF) |
|
Will
provide training, conferencing, on-line information services and
publications on a fee basis |
|
|
NSF
Home Page |
|
Contains
information on NSF and its pilot projects in EMS implementation |
|
|
Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality – Environmental Assistance Division |
Business
Waste Reduction - Creating an Action Plan |
(517)
373-9400 |
Workbook
with sections on organization and policy, data collection and analysis,
identifying waste reduction opportunities, monitoring and evaluating
program success, and implementation resources |
|
NSF
International |
EMS
Self Assessment Tool for ISO 14001 |
(800)
NSF-MARK |
A
tool to help organizations benchmark their environmental management
systems against the requirements of ISO 14001 |
|
Research
Triangle Institute |
EMS-Plus |
Site
provides an Environmental Management System Evaluation Tool |
|
| Favorite Websites |
The
Enterprise Development Website |
Lists
and rates electronic resources related to the interface between enterprise
and the environment |
|
|
Environmental
Health and Safety Freeware |
Virtual
library with on-line databases for information, software, and other
resources related to environmental, health and safety |
||
|
The
ISO14000 Information Center |
Contains
information on ISO14000 and Environmental Management System
implementation, training, and resources |
||
| Managing Environmental Challenges | |||
|
Michigan
Manufacturing Technology Center/Small Business Development Center |
Environmental
Help for Small Manufacturers |
(313)
769-4554 |
Contains
information about integrated environmental management, regulatory issues,
pollution prevention, spill prevention, and environmental checklists |
Several documents and web sites were very helpful during development of this EFEC Guidance Document. These include:
| Environmental Management
Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations,
NSF International, Ann Arbor, Michigan 1996. www.p2pays.org/ref/01/00327.pdf |
| Environmental Management
Systems: A Design for the Environment Approach, EPA, March 1999. www.epa.gov/opptintr/dfe/tools/ems/ems.htm |