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Linking US & Russian Communities Through Environmental Management Councils

Region: Russia
Author: Environmental Quality Management Institute (EQMI)
Consortium Member: ECOLOGIA US
Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $5285 Collected: $5285 Needs: $0
Result: To provide a Russian intern with training in a community-based approach towards environmental management systems, so that this model may be replicated in the Russian Federation.
Donors: St. Joseph County (Michigan) Community Environmental Management Council, and Virtual Foundation matching funds [April 1999]
Comment: Investing in the education and technical expertise of Russian citizens will have long term benefits for both Russia and the US.

Project Background

The Environmental Quality Management Institute (EQMI) is a non-profit organization established to educate the public about the use of voluntary environmental management systems (EMS) by companies. The goal is to increase community awareness of the use of voluntary EMSs and increase the community's capacity to work effectively with companies implementing these voluntary systems. Empowering communities through education and outreach ensures the greatest benefits. Communities will realize true environmental performance improvements while companies will learn to operate more efficiently. Unfortunately, without community involvement in these voluntary initiatives, companies may not know or care to address environmental aspects that are of particular concern to the community.

EQMI has developed a Community-Based Phase I, II, III Environmental Management System model that communities can use to interact effectively with companies implementing these systems in their community. The EQMI model helps to set up Community Environmental Management Councils (CEMC), provides the Council with basic technical training in the management system approach, and offers a three-tiered system of performance and verification. This model has proven to be successful in a pilot project in the US. EQMI and the local CEMC would like to share our experience and training with a Russian citizen.

Last October, representatives from EQMI participated in an USAID/AED ISO 14001 training program with ECOLOGIA USA and Ecoline-Moscow. During that training, we met Andrei Severny, a student in Moscow. He showed great interest in our Community-Based concepts. In April, Andrei will be coming to the US for six weeks of training in management systems and the EQMI community-based approach.

Project Description & Goals

The project proposes to bring Andrei Severny to Centreville, Michigan for six weeks. While here, Mr. Severny will receive basic technical training in ISO 9000 and ISO 14000, the Community-Based Phase I, II, III EMS model, and organizing and establishing Community Environmental Management Councils. Currently in Russia, there are pilot projects (organized by Ecoline-Moscow) to involve the community in the environmental management of companies.

We believe the EQMI Community-Based model will be easy to establish in Russia and will link the communities in Russia with communities in the US that are working to achieve the same environmental goals. Networking between Community Environmental Management Councils in the two countries will allow "best practices" and "lessons learned" to be shared in a cost-effective manner.

Project Implementation

EQMI understands that opportunity for community-based EMS training in Russia does not currently exist. To our knowledge, EQMI is the only management systems training facility that includes extensive training in community awareness and on-site apprenticing. It is our goal to give Andrei Severny an education experience that can have immediate application in Russia.

Mr. Severny will arrive in Michigan on April 26, 1999. His training and activity schedule is listed below:

WEEK 1
4/27 - Meet EQMI staff and get an overview of the Institute.
4/28 - On-site visit to a facility implementing a management system.
4/29 - One-day classroom training on ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 Integrated management.
4/30 - Visit and tour of the Michigan community (i.e., Wastewater Treatment Facility, etc.)

WEEK 2
5/3-5/7 Full week on site at a manufacturing facility apprenticing implementation methods.

WEEK 3
5/10-5/14 Full week in classroom training on the Phase I, II, III Community-Based model and consultations with the local Community Environmental Management Council .

WEEK 4
5/17-5/21 Full week back in the field at a job site.

WEEK 5
5/24-5/28 Three-day classroom training on environmental aspects and Phase I Environmental Auditing.

WEEK 6
5/31-6/6 Tour Michigan communities.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of his training, Mr. Severny will return to Russia with knowledge and expertise in effective environmental management systems that are community-based. There is an established need in the Russian communities for this type of management approach. Having a trained Russian citizen available in Russia increases the potential for use of this approach. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has been inundated with expensive consultants from the US and other countries. EQMI believes that communities know best what their environmental needs are and consultants from the outside can charge huge sums of money, yet never deliver a product useful to the Russian citizens. Investing in the education and technical expertise of Russian citizens will have long term benefits for both Russia and the US. These communities can network together to share "lessons learned" from a community perspective.

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