The University of Western Macedonia, perceiving the impact of its activities on the environment, aims at the optimal use of natural resources and waste reduction. Our contribution to the management and protection of the environment is two-dimensional, both internal and external. Internal environmental management involves our effort to reduce the environmental impact of our functions, whereas external to enhance the students and local communities’ environmental awareness. To meet the specific objective, we are committed to continuously improving the Environmental Management System, pursuing compliance obligations and following the principles and requirements of ISO 14001: 2015 concerning the preventive and corrective measures to deter the decline of internal and external environments. Environmental Management Systems can be improved by means of reviews and revisions of both the management system and objectives.
All UoWM staff are required to follow the relevant procedures and guidelines, as well as all revisions, which result from the implementation of the Environmental Management System. The specific UoWM Environmental Policy sets out the following general objectives of environmental management:
- Ongoing investigation of preventive or corrective actions to enable optimal use of the resources required for the University functions
- Staff training and education in environmental awareness issues
- Constant efforts to reduce the potential impact on the environment through the improvement of our educational functions and services
- Promoting open dialogue and information sharing to students based on genuine and mutual respect
- Communicating the environmental impact of the University functions, as well as the measures to reduce impact.
To achieve the above general objectives, the University should apply control, monitoring and measurement methods for all University processes, and formulate specific quantifiable management objectives. In the context of applying environmental management and policy, the University implements environmental awareness programmes and communicates appropriate documented information of the Environmental Management System to all those involved.