An environmental management system (EMS) is based on continual improvement and provides a structured process for managing environmental matters. EMSs are voluntary and can result in benefits to both business and the environment.

This EMS tool creates a snapshot of all activities that occur at your organization that can potentially interact with the environment. It is important to capture and document this snapshot to use in developing your EMS. This tool also enables the user to prioritize the organization's most significant environmental impacts.

Upon completion of this online guide, you will have created a table that displays your identified activities and the related environmental aspects and impacts, ranked from highest to lowest in order of your selected criteria.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This guidance tool was developed through a cooperative effort of state agencies - N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance (DPPEA), N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, and N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation from funding by the Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Water. Eight farms were selected as pilots to design and implement an EMS for their specific producer activities. These producers have gained benefits both environmentally and economically from EMS implementation. You can view their testimonials on completing the EMS process by clicking on the below Quotes button.