tions become tighter, the standards people demand go up. So the second cycle will go further than the fi rst, and the process will continue, each successive phase building on and improving on what went before.

It should not need saying (but possibly it does) that throughout the entire process it is vital to ensure that you speak – and listen – to everyone who has agreed to support it, in order to make sure that they continue to do so. Feeling that you are being ignored is a very effective route to losing confidence in someone else’s big idea. Also, make sure you try continually to win new supporters, and explain what you are doing to the public –

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

One potentially useful tool that businesses as well as local administration can make use of for the process of starting to work towards climate neutrality is an environmental (or sustainability) management system or EMS based on a simple principle, the Continual Improvement Cycle: Plan – Do – Check – Act. An EMS focuses on environmental management practices, rather than the activities themselves, so it will ensure that proper procedures are in place and training for workers exists, but it will not specify the
methods to use or the frequency that a pollutant needs to be sampled or monitored.

It can assure managers that they are in control of processes and activities that impact on the environment, and confi rm to employees that they are working for an environmentally responsible organization. Beyond this, it helps the company to provide assurance on environmental issues to customers, the community and regulators, and to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

The basic EMS framework is established by the international standard ISO 14001 (developed by the International Organization for Standardization). Another EMS framework is EMAS, the European Eco Management and Audit Scheme, used by numerous companies throughout the EU. Many local