Escudo de la República de Colombia Escudo de la República de Colombia
Escudo de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia Escudo de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Escudo de la República de Colombia Escudo de la República de Colombia

SGA | SISTEMA DE GESTIÓN AMBIENTAL

Panel de Accesibilidad

Management models

Environmental Management SystemDocumentationManagement models

The Environmental Management System (EMS, SGA for its acronym in Spanish) is included in the Reference Management Model established by Universidad Nacional de Colombia for the diagnosis, application, monitoring, evaluation, and analysis of the necessary or convenient transformation of institutional management, viewed from the identification of common aspects in academic, administrative, and environmental matters (SIGA for its acronym in Spanish). This system is based on elements from different models such as NTC ISO 14001 and Sustainable Campuses, among others; this aims to develop and to implement the environmental policy, as well as the management of the environmental aspects of the university, including the structure of the organization, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources.

Sustainable Campus

Broadly speaking, the concept of Sustainable Campus refers to higher education institutions that have an environmental system that allows them to propose actions to identify their environmental aspects and to manage the impacts derived from them. In doing so, their mission-related objectives and their operational and financial performance comprise responses and implement environmentally responsible solutions to ensure the coexistence of the beings that inhabit the campuses and, by extension, that of the communities, societies, and areas of influence. The sustainability of environmental resources for the future is also promoted.

What is the NTC ISO 14001?

Achieving a balance among environment, society, and economy is considered essential to meet the needs of the present without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

ISO 14001 is an international standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS) that helps organizations to identify, to prioritize, and to manage environmental risks as part of their normal practices, so that they can find a balance among profitability, reduction, and elimination of environmental impacts, as well as comply with current environmental regulations.

Importance of the EMS

The purpose of an Environmental Management System is to provide organizations with a framework for protecting the environment and respond to changing environmental conditions, in balance with socio-economic needs.

It is also important to establish an Environmental Management System to:

  1. Acknowledge the improvement of the campus in its environmental performance.
  2. Acknowledge the commitment of the university community to achieve a better quality of life by preserving the natural environment.
  3. Position itself as one of the first sustainable universities in the country.
  4. Demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations and commitment to sustainable development.
  5. Reduce the environmental impacts made by the university.
  6. Improve the quality of life inside the campuses.

 

Who certify?

The certification is provided by bodies accredited by the National Organization of Accreditation in Colombia (ONAC for its acronym in Spanish), so the performance of the Management System is in accordance with the established requirements.

Other management models

Environmental activity includes changes in technology, implementation of processes, strengthening of culture, redefinition of paradigms, and structural decisions of institutional, territorial, and national nature. Based on this, the evolution of environmental thinking leads to new ways of addressing the challenge of sustainability and, in general, the responsibility to ensure healthy and appropriate natural environments for the preservation of species. This is part of different management models, which allow the EMS to adopt its components and strengthen its challenging vision of being a benchmark for good environmental results that contribute to the fulfillment of the mission of the university.