GREEN AUDIT?

Driving home after brunch last week I tuned in to my favorite radio station Bfm. It was unfortunate that I only got the tail-end of this program. The program guest mentioned that part of their Green Audit on organizations encourage their clients to cut down on air travel and do more video conferencing. Dang! I have conducted Safety Audits, ISO Audits and Training Audits. I am always looking forward to our Auditor General’s no-holds-barred Audit Report. Green Audit? This must be about the environment, but cutting down on air travel? This is something new to me and I made a mental note to get into this Green Audit thing.

Green Audit is ultimately about corporate responsibility. Scientific research and statistical analysis conducted by Green Audit uncovers the truth about statements made by national governments, large multinationals and the military with regard to the health effects of environmental pollution.

Green Audit was founded in 1992 as an environmental consultancy and review organisation with the aim of monitoring the performance of companies and organizations whose activities might threaten the environment and the health of citizens. Democratic values are threatened when information is kept from the public and all routes of access are controlled. The aim of Green Audit is to give citizens the information they need to be able to question the companies which are destroying the environment we all depend on. It was the worrying recognition that such information is presently suppressed and restricted which provided the impetus for the founding of Green Audit.

Green Audit is also the inspection of a company to assess the total environmental impact of its activities or of a particular product or process.

For example, a green audit of a manufactured product looks at the impact of production (including energy use and the extraction of raw materials used in manufacture), use (which may cause pollution and other hazards), and disposal (potential for recycling, and whether waste causes pollution).

Such surveys allow a widening of the traditional scope of economics by ascribing costs to variables that are usually ignored, such as despoliation of the countryside or air pollution.

MORE HERE

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Why must Singapore be the first to start on good practices. They have introduced it in their schools! Have we?

SCHOOL’S GREEN AUDIT AWARD

Singapore Premier Environmental Recognition Program for Schools.

The Schools' Green Audit programme is designed as a simple environmental audit programme for all schools in Singapore. Students work in teams to audit their school and submit results together with a report on their environmental efforts, including plans for improvements. The Council then conducts on-site visits to verify claims and provides suggestions for improvements.

Based on results, institutions can qualify for one of four award levels, the entry level Palm Award, intermediate level Hibiscus and Orchid Award, or the top level Lotus Award. A Sustained Achievement award is given to schools who have received the Lotus Award three consecutive times.

The aim of the programme is to adopt a holistic approach to environmental management and encourage continuous improvement. It addresses issues such as waste minimisation, resource conservation, and greening of the school grounds amongst others.

In 2008, 170 schools qualified for awards and the awards scheme is run on alternate years (biennial).

The closing date for submissions is 16th August 2010.