NASA's Environmental Management System was developed under the standards of the ISO 14001. In creating the EMS it was vital to provide maximum flexibility to each centers of NASA while living up to the standards of the ISO 14001, along with the "Executive Order 13148". the system was designed to benefit in "increased involvement of management and shop level personnel; reduced mission delays; improved procedures; reduction in single point failures; identification of pollution prevention opportunities; improved compliance; and better relationships with regulators and the public."
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Current Issues
NASA Environmental Management System (EMS) is a major contributor to the knowledge of Earth; (EMS) has used satellites and pictures from space to show and display the change over years. (EMS) has used there Goddard Space Flight Center, to keep constant watch over our rapidly changing atmosphere, and ecosystem. (EMS) continues its research of the damage black soot has on the earth’s climate. Recent findings show that the black carbon or soot is indeed causing harm to the North pole, for example the rapid melting of sea ice, and snow changing the temperature of the atmosphere.
Dorothy Koch of Columbia University and whose study appeared in the Journal of Geophysical Research mentions "This research offers additional evidence black carbon, generated through the process of incomplete combustion,MAY may have a significant warming impact on the Arctic," Koch said. "Further, it means there may be immediate consequences for Arctic ecosystems, and potentially long-term implications on climate patterns for much of the globe," she added. NASA hopes to soon be able to use satellites in the measuring of public health. Their mission is "to help determine how weather, climate, and other key environmental factors correlate with the occurrence of chronic and infectious diseases."
History
Michael J. Green and Michael DeWit are important links to the EMS chain in NASA. Michael J. Green is a senior Environmental engineer in the EMS along with being a program manager at NASA currently. Michael DeWit is the project manager at "ICF Consulting INC's Environment, Transportation and Emergency Management group." Dewit has worked on the EMS project for over 3 years dating back to 2002.
NASA's EMS development team has been awarded the Circle award from the White House for “creating an agency wide environmental management system”.
These are the locations that the EMS was tested. "Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi." the test study was created to understand the challenges of it being created such as "costs, resource requirements, and benefits."