EMD Functional Areas
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The NASA EMS is built on the “Plan, Do, Check, Act” model, which leads to continual improvement of the process and actions that NASA undertakes to meet its organizational and environmental goals.
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The purpose of the EMS is to have a single, overall Agency approach to managing environmental activities that allows for efficient, prioritized system execution. The focus of the EMS is to improve environmental performance and to maintain compliance with applicable environmental legislation and regulations, as well as with other requirements to which NASA subscribes.
Since EMS and risk management are analogous activities that proactively identify potential positive or negative impacts from NASA products, activities, and services, EMS supports an Agency approach to risk management that achieves appropriate coverage and manages environmentally driven risks. These risks are frequently cross-cutting in nature and simultaneously affect multiple programs, projects, and mission support activities.
EMS fulfills its role in many ways, including:
- Incorporates people, procedures, and work practices into a formal structure to ensure that the important environmental impacts of the organization are identified and addressed;
- Promotes continual improvement, including periodically evaluating environmental performance.
- Involves all members of the organization, as appropriate;
- Actively involves senior management in support of the EMS.
How Environmental Management Systems / Risk Management Supports NASA’s Mission
The EMS allows NASA programs to function in more environmentally friendly ways and improves the success and environmental impact of NASA missions. It streamlines risk management through the Risk-Informed Decision Making (RIDM) and Continuous Risk Management (CRM) processes with environmental considerations, and facilitates the growth of the agency as a green entity.
Environmental Management Systems / Risk Management Regulatory Drivers
NASA Procedural Directives (NPDs) and NASA Procedural Requirements (NPRs)
- NPR 8000.4A Agency Risk Management Procedural Requirements
- NPD 8500.1B NASA Environmental Management
- NPR 8553.1B NASA Environmental Management System
Federal Regulations
- 48 CFR, subpart 23.9 Contractor Compliance with Environmental Management Systems
Executive Orders (EO)
- EO 13423 Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management
- EO 13514 Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance
Environmental Management Systems / Risk Management Point of Contact