The first audit of TKU’s IS014001 Environmental Management System (EMS) was held last Thursday to assess environmental protection regulations and environmental aspects. The two external auditors from SGS, Messrs Lu Jing-shing and Hsien Jen-cheng, also inspected a few departments and made suggestions for improvement. Vice President for Administrative Affairs, Dr Flora C. I. Chang, announced at the closing meeting of the first audit that further training would be offered to all the staff and students of the University.

At the present the University hopes to obtain ISO14001 environmental certification by this year’s Anniversary, which is only one month away. Therefore, the first audit was particularly important. Last Thursday the auditors inspected the departments of Chemistry, Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Civil Engineering, assessing the environmental aspects; they also looked into various laboratories, the darkrooms of the department of Mass Communication, the co-op fast food restaurant, and the student canteen in Sung-tao Hall.

At the closing meeting Mr Lu Jing-shing remarked that, at present, the University should aim at establishing performance indicators of environmental improvement. In the process of applying for ISO14001 certification, the University would become more and more environmentally friendly. Mr Lu suggested that, to reduce misunderstanding and increase efficiency when implementing the standards, the departments concerned should establish certain common principles.

With regard to the implementation of the standards, Mr Lu also believed, environmental safety was closely related to the amount and kinds of chemicals used on campus. Therefore those departments with a significant impact on the campus environment, such as Chemistry, Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Civil Engineering, should pay attention to the quantity and control of chemicals as well as the composition of waste and exhaust. To increase the efficiency of waste reduction, the departments could draw up clear scales of components of chemicals, waste and exhaust, Mr Lu advised.

The other auditor, Mr Hsie Jen-cheng, believed that the staff in charge of the implementation should have adequate understanding of the environmental regulations already set out in ISO14001, and that the environmental standard operating procedures (SOP) set up by the departments should comply with the management system of the University. Mr Hsie also pointed out that the division of recyclable items on campus had improved, which was a step in the right direction. He suggested quantifying recyclable items to increase the efficiency of recycling.

Dean of General Affairs Hung Ching-jen, also head of Environmental Safety Center and representative of EMS, called for participation in environmental protection by all members of the University: “This is not the sole responsibility of the Environmental Safety Center, nor of the Office of General Affairs, but the duty of everyone at Tamkang University.”

Yao Rong-tai, member of TKU’s ISO14001 committee and internal audit team, said: “ISO14001 certification is just like our health checkup. It helps you find your problems so that you can do something about them.”