Environmental management and sustainability are more important now than they’ve ever been. Darren Male has been working with ACT as a consultant and accredited NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate tutor for over 10 years, and has been heavily involved in the field for his entire working career.
In this Q&A session with him, we find out more about how the field of environmental health and safety has changed over the years and the advice he’d give to anyone looking to follow in his footsteps.
How did you first become interested in environmental issues or sustainability?
As a child I was involved in Scouting and canoeing and my father was a landscape gardener and imported plants into the UK, so nature has been always close to my heart. My first degree was in Civil Engineering majoring in public health and environmental management, and then I did a Masters in Environmental Pollution Control. I am now a Fellow the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA, soon to be renamed Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP)), and a Chartered Environmentalist.
What drives you to teach others about environmental management and sustainability?
I’ve always been involved in training and mentoring even when I was at University. I like to see people develop and understand the world about them. Whilst I am also a health & safety trainer I find environmental issues a much more interesting subject to teach as environmental management is more complex, and has a good mix of science and practical skills. I also volunteer as a Scout Leader, so I see my mentoring and training as starting at 6 years old, and I’ll teach people to any age if they want to listen.
How have you seen the field of environmental management evolve over the years?
Environmental Management didn’t really exist in 1990 when I started, but the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 (which I was involved in as a Student Environmental Ambassador, but unfortunately I didn’t get to go to Rio), really brought environmental issues to global attention, and was the foundation stone for many international protocols and conventions afterwards, which is what national law is based on. Environmental management is now a significant issue of concern to many companies and they are influencing their supply chain to improve performance. It is also essential that if we are to be sustainable that we taken action now to secure the rights of future generations to a quality of life. The recent change of IEMA’s name to ISEP reflects this change in approach.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in environmental management?
The NEBOSH National Environmental Certificate is the perfect place to start. Day one of the course teaches about the many ways we impact the environment, and can be a bit daunting (and depressing) but the other four days are about taking that challenge and learning about how we can reduce our environmental impacts, and delegates learn about environmental management systems, environmental risk and impact assessments, and then practical guidance on managing waste, water pollution, air pollution, noise & other nuisance impacts, and environmental emergency response. After the NEC delegates can do the NEBOSH Diploma, and even consider a degree in environmental management. Delegates can join IEMA / ISEP as an Associate and work up the levels through Practitioner and Full Member and become as Chartered Environmentalist.
Take your first steps towards a career in environmental management and sustainbility
NEBOSH Environmental Awareness at Work Qualification
This one-day live online course is an excellent way to develop your understanding of key environmental issues, and is suitable for any industry and role but is particularly suited to facilities managers, team leaders or supervisors, and anyone wishing to implement an environmental management system such as ISO 14001.
NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate
Darren regularly leads our NEBOSH Environmental Management Certificate course, a certificate level qualification that develops your knowledge and understanding of the principles of environmental management. The course includes information that is relevant for both the UK and international markets and is designed to give a broad understanding of environmental issues that affect workplaces and how to efficiently manage them. It can also be used as a solid basis on which to work towards an Environmental Diploma.
If you’d like to build your health and safety knowledge further, our NEBOSH General Certificate course is a great place to start. It’s designed for anyone looking to develop practical skills and gain a respected qualification in workplace safety. To find out more, get in touch with the ACT team today.
