Environmental Management System (EMS) is a constantly evolving concept, aiming to regulate human activities in order to prevent the nature from degradation. Each EMS has generic components like policy, planning, procedures and controls, training and education, communication, assessment and improvement (Williams, P.W. and Todd, S.E., 1997). According to Todd S.E. (1996) evolution of sustainable tourism “from concept to practice” can be divided into three stages: stage one includes the development of principles on environmental management, stage two concerns sustainable practice like greening programs in tourism industry, stage three is environmental auditing. The highest point of sustainable tourism evolution should be EMS. Shot and Fisher (1993) were mentioned in a paper by Williams P.W. (1997) when speaking about analysis of greening industry. They also suppose EMS the latest stage in the development of environmentalism, but they have identified in the process of industry greening (1970-1992) the period of resistant adaptation (1970-1985).
Todd S.E. supposes that EMS could be very useful for sky industry (1996), among benefits are workplace health and safety, internal control, due diligence and total quality management. Todd S. E. also mentioned, that integration of EMS model could be of great value, among benefits the author enumerated reducing the risk of penalties and financial liability, improving customer and public relations, reducing operating costs, improving access to lenders, insurers, investors (Todd S.E., 1996). Recently mountain areas faced environmental problems, which demanded complex measures, but EMS can meet the requirements of modern world. The main challenges are achieving sustainability and business compliance with legislation, because such elements as commitment and policy statement or procedures and controls depend on the choice of operations.
Let us see how Sky areas are managed in the framework of EMS.
Managing a large sky area is usually connected with on-slope and off-slope activities, implementing such targets as recycling, energy conservation, re-vegetation, wetland protection, water and air quality protection, noise level regulation, protection of wildlife population (Todd, S.E. and Williams, P.W., 1996).
Investigations in the field of Sky area management concern North American Sky areas, and author payed attention primarily to activities of operation division of the certain skiplace (Williams, P.W. and Todd, S.E., 1997). Operation division includes food services, human resources, mountain planning operations, grooming, snowmaking, vehicle maintenance, lifts and sky patrol. The goals of case study were to understand how management programs were related to EMS, and how EMS should guide in order to protect nature. Key problems were solid waste management and soil and vegetation protection (Williams, P.W. and Todd, S.E., 1997). As a result of investigation I became clear that at the sky place were programs aiming at solid waste management and vegetation and soil protection, but they need to be corrected. For example, at the skiplace the main goal in solid waste management was recycling, but it should be better to pay attention at reducing of solid waste. What concerns vegetation and soil protection, it was mentioned, that the slopes was not seeded immediately, that’s why the place has lost its beauty for a while (Williams, P.W. and Todd, S.E., 1997).
EMS system first of all concerns policy statement in order to show direction of environmental actions for organizations. Environmental effects analysis during the process of planning could help to make precise implementation plan for action in the framework of EMS, aiming at more sustainable development. The stage of procedures and control is for evaluation of environmental programs, including identifying of responsible organizational structures, testing procedures, information collection in the form of manuals of environmental procedures and incident response. Training and educational chain is for staff training, research providing and guests educating for example in waste reduction strategies. Communication is an element, penetrating all the system of EMS, both internal with the staff and external with general public. Assessment and Improvement element of EMS system is a key moment in EMS system. As a result of system reviews and environmental audit a follow-up plan is worked out in order to make correctives in an EMS system (Williams, P.W. and Todd, S.E., 1997; Todd, S.E. and Williams, P.W., 1996).
According to Todd and Williams (1996), the most important environmental issues for North America’s largest sky area companies were scenic beauty, sewage facilities and water quality. The most effective motivation factors for management activity for companies were public image, environmental quality and community relations. In the questions of using EMS elements there is still the room for improvement especially in the field of documentation (business practice compliance with the legislation challenge). Employees, stakeholders and directors are still in need to be educated in the questions of environmental degradation.
Comparing investigations of Williams (1997) and Todd (1996), we can see common features in EMS applying in management programs, for example re-vegetation and soil protection are connected with scenic beauty of a place, and beauty is an important environmental issue for North America’s largest sky area companies at all. Reaching the goals of sustainable development of Sky Area, still of great importance, therefore EMS is of great importance too.
References
Todd, S.E., Williams, P. W. (1996). From white to green: a proposed environmental management system framework for ski areas. Journal of sustainable tourism, 4 (3). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669589608667265.
Williams, P.W., Todd, S.E. (1997). Towards an environmental management system for ski areas. Mountain research and development, 17 (1). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3673916.
