ISSS 1998 Conference, July 20, 1998 -- (Rough) Transcriptions

The balance method: A holistic approach to enterprise environmental impact assessment [Emilio LaTorre, ISSS 1998 Paper Session, July 20/98]

These notes are a rough transcription, prepared as each individual presenter and/or commentator spoke at the ISSS 1998 conference. Gaps and errors have likely occurred. For more accurate citations, please consult the original presenters. These notes have been contributed to the ISSS by David Ing, of the IBM Advanced Business Institute (sabi@systemicbusiness.org).

[Paper session, July 20/98, 3:45 p.m.]

Emilio LaTorre, Professor in Engineering in Cali, Colombia.

Teaching systems, working in environmental planning.
Will review the most important points of the paper.

Three experiences, working with ...

Concrete industries in Cali, concerned with environmental management planning.
Government agency for a land use plan for a small wetland.
Non-government industries, environmental impact of petroleum companies

Wanted to think about working towards sustainability.

Models:

ISO 14001, Environmental Management System -- international voluntary regulations

Works for a single industry, but adding up multiple industries, will have negative synergetic environmental impact.
Need to include a territory around ISO 14001.

Government and society needs to determine limits to growth (a territorial base), on how many industries can be supported.

Three limits on land use:

Density
Raw materials or resources (renewable and non-renewable)
Pollution or waste.

Then (third) need to add:

Ethics /culture for societal value.

Thus, balance method:

Industry
Territory
Culture.

Model developed by Jean-Louis Lemoigne.

First need imagination and conception system.
Second, need a decision and selection system.
Third, information system.
Fourth, operating system (system being taken into account), with input and output.

	Imagination and conception system \| v		Development plan
	Decision and selection system \| v		^ \| Structure and regulation
	Information system \| v		^ \| Information
Input -->	Operating system	--> Output

Unfortunately, industries don't think this way: they think ISO 14001 is sufficient.

Questions

Will the balance come from a real representation of people?

This works in Columbia.
Starts from election of mayor --> development plan which is studied by a group from society --> decisions to city council for approval.

How are the deliverable handled?

The development plan has an objective image, which is broken down into projects with responsibility.

Chiapas, clash of cultures with two different frames of reference.

It is an issue: approvals at the federal level (by minister of environment and minister of energy) and impacts at local level.

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	Imagination and conception system \| v		Development plan
	Decision and selection system \| v		^ \| Structure and regulation
	Information system \| v		^ \| Information
Input -->	Operating system	--> Output