EMS deters waste, assures environmental stewardship Published June 15, 2016 By Senior Airman Joseph Raatz 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- While Barksdale’s Airmen give their all to enable mission success, they must also be mindful of the impact their actions have on the world around them. The Environmental Management System ensures Team Barksdale remain good stewards of the environment while continuing to accomplish their mission goals. Rather than a fixed program, the EMS is a management process designed to integrate environmental considerations into everyday decision making. “You really have to think of it as more of a management philosophy, instead of a program,” said Bill Lee, 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron hazardous waste manager. “It constantly evolves as the circumstances behind those decisions change. That continual improvement is the trademark of the EMS.” A Department of Defense-mandated program, the EMS aids organizations in fulfilling their obligations by improving existing processes to ensure responsible environmental stewardship and compliance with all environmental laws and regulations. Barksdale’s EMS is integrated into the safe storage and disposal of hazardous materials, recycling initiatives and continual monitoring of air and water quality, and also impacts the handling of fuel and lubricants, the removal of toxic substances and mitigating noise pollution related to base operations. “Environmental stewardship is everyone’s responsibility,” said Roger Suiter, EMS installation coordinator. “We each have a personal responsibility and obligation to conduct and manage our lives, and to perform our mission in a manner that protects and conserves our environment and natural resources.” The basic methodology of EMS is a simple cycle of decision-making, known as the plan-do-check-act process. In the “plan” phase, processes and objectives are established regarding environmental aspects and impacts with consideration to legal and mission requirements. Those processes are then implemented in the “do” phase. The implementation is monitored during the “check” phase, where results are also measured and corrective and preventative actions taken. Users then enter the “act” phase, where they take action to improve the performance of EMS based on the gathered results. This cyclical management process can be used at any level, from individual to institutional, Suiter said. Everyone down to the newest member of the team can use EMS to positively impact their work center and the environment. All Barksdale Airmen, civilian employees and contractors are required to complete awareness EMS training. This training reinforces the plan-do-act-check method, and encourages Team Barksdale to recognize how their work could impact the environment. This mandatory training is located on the EMS sharepoint, https://cs1.eis.af.mil/sites/edash-ins3/barksdale/SitePages/Home.aspx, which can be accessed from any DoD-networked computer. For more information on how you can use EMS, contact Roger Suiter at 318-456-4694 or Roger.Suiter@us.af.mil.