The Sustainable Earth Initiative (SEI) is pleased to offer training on Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for the Arizona Chapter of the APWA. SEI is a nonprofit organization designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to serve as the LocalResourceCenter providing EMS implementation services tolocal and state government entities under the EPA PEER (Public Entity EMS Resource) Center ( Some of the public sector organizations that we have assisted or continue to work with include Sonoma County Water Agency, Cities of Scottsdale AZ and San JoseCA, and the California EPA.

Proposed EMS Training

The following is a draft outline of the proposed course.

1)Introduction and Overview

a)Speaker introduction

b)Background of EMS (ISO 14001, status of registrations)

c)Reasons for EMS (Global conditions, operational efficiency, etc.)

d) Case Studies (public and private sector)

2)Elements of an EMS

a)Overview of the ISO 14001 Standard

b)Phase 1, Pre-Planning: policy, legal requirements, core team

c)Phase 2, Planning: aspects and impacts, significance, environmental management programs

d)Phase 3, Implementing: tra;ining, communication, documents and records, emergency preparedness

e)Phase 4, Checking and Corrective Action: monitoring and measurement, internal auditing, nonconformance and corrective action

f)Phase 5: Management Review

3)Case Studies

a)Presentation: TBD (will invite Larry Person, City of Scottsdale)

b)Presentation: TBD (will invite City of Phoenix transit)

4)Taking Action

a)Resources available (guidelines, EPAPEERCenter, websites)

b)Sample workplan and schedule

Or, for your use in promoting the course, here is a paragraph description:

The Sustainable Earth Initiative (SEI), in cooperation with the Arizona Chapter of the APWA., will present “What An EMS Can Do For You,” a workshop that provides practical and meaningful tools and techniques that public works managers can utilize to address the challenges of regulatory compliance, staff turnover and loss of institutional knowledge, and rising costs. The Environmental Management System (EMS) is both a “gold standard” of good management and a practical toolkit for performance improvement. The workshop will cover the elements of an EMS, providing examples of its application and resultant benefits. Local guest speakers who have had first hand experience with EMS implementation have been invited.

SEI Team Bios

Susan Sakaki

Susan Sakaki has worked in the environmental management field for 30 years. As a manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ms. Sakaki was involved in the development of strategies and the management of multi-state, multi-media programs. Her private sector experience includes regulatory compliance management and auditing, and pollution prevention. As co-founder of Sustainable Earth Initiative, she is working in Sustainability and Environmental Management System (EMS) development and offers particular expertise in strategic planning and meeting facilitation. Since 2002, Ms. Sakaki has been serving as consultant to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in thedevelopment and implementation of an EMS. She has been involved in every step of the process, and continues to serve as an advisor and member of the EMS core team, now in its third year. She serves in a similar capacity for the EMS work at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. With the City of San Jose and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), she has conducted EMS workshops, and has assisted in the drafting of EMS documents. In Arizona, she conducted an initial gap assessment for the City of Glendale and is scheduled to conduct a third party audit of the City of Scottsdale EMS.

Education

M.P.A., Public Policy and Administration, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, 1982
M.A., Curriculum and Instruction, University of Oregon, Eugene, 1969
B.A. English, University of Oregon, Eugene, 1968

Certifications/Affiliations

Western Regional Pollution Prevention Network

Environmental Auditing Roundtable

ANSI-RAB Certified ISO 14000 Auditor (pending)

GARY A. LUCKS, JD

Mr. Lucks is a co-founder of SEI and has 25 years of regulatory compliance and sustainability experience. He is an environmental attorney, scientist and a certified professional environmental auditor who advises clients on pollution prevention and sustainability strategies, provides regulatory review, his regulatory expertise includesthe regulated media (air, water, toxics), planning (NEPA/CEQA), and auditing.Mr. Lucks has led or participated in more than 200 major multimedia environmental compliance and management systems audits. Mr. Lucks developed over a dozen EMSs for U.S. Air Force installations; he also participated in the development of the EMS for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Mr. Lucks serves as Project Manager and Lead EMS Facilitator for the Sonoma County Water Agency EMS implementation project.Mr. Lucks has been publishing and lecturing on California environmental legislation for the past 14 years, his articles are published in California Environmental Law Reporter, and his book Guide to California Environmental Law will be released soon.

EDUCATION

University of Pacific, McGeorgeSchool of Law: J.D., 1985

TulaneUniversity: B.S., Biology and Environmental Sciences (Cum Laude), 1982

REGISTRATIONS

California State Bar, 1985

California Environmental Assessor, 1993

Certified Professional Environmental Auditor