ISMM conducts seminar on “Sustainable Logistics”

Institute of Supply & Materials Management (ISMM) conducted an evening seminar under their Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program on 02nd June 2011 in the auditorium of Organisation of Professional Association.

In the opening address ISMM President Danesha Perera said that the institute is committed to the development of their members and it has many activities planned in the calendar for members to develop their knowledge.

Perera elaborated the plan for the next couple of months and he said ISMM has plans to conduct two one day seminars in the near future and the subjects will be “Project Management” and “Best Practices in Purchasing”. Also he has plans to conduct a half day seminar in collaboration with Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

He further elaborated and said Training of Trainers workshops are conducted frequently for the faculty members for continuous up grading of knowledge and teaching methods to ensure that ISMM meets the market demand.

Perera further indicated that ISMM will be celebrating the 40th Anniversary on 23rd October 2012 and plans are drawn to celebrate this occasion in grand scale.

The ISMM Chief thanked Ravi de Silva - Consultant on Environmental Management for accepting the invitation to share his valuable knowledge and experience. Also he thanked the Seminars and Functions Committee Chairman Cdr. Asela Bulathsinghala and Secretary of the committee Dhananjaya Dharmaratne and his team for organising the seminar in excellent manner.

Ravi de Silva starting life as an engineer, moved into environmental management through almost natural compulsion after working as the Project Manager on the construction of the Kandalama hotel project. He lived in the Kandalama village and faced all the controversies and helped Aitken Spence to emerge winners at the end.

Delivering his speech on the “Sustainable Logistics” de Silva elaborated the importance of the focus on sustainability for own survival. He spoke on all aspects of sustainability including economic, social, environmental and cultural. While asking why we should be sustainable wherever we are as a current necessity in all our approaches to all aspects of life was explained well. How each one of us should change our lifestyles to move away from destructive methods to more sustainable techniques in a simple way was described in a very appealing manner. It was almost a passionate request.

De Silva requested the audience to focus on waste management and it is very simple if each one of us whether personally or as corporates do our part properly. Garbage, he said, was created by us. Waste can be managed very easily by separating. If all waste is put into one bin, it becomes garbage and it cannot be managed, unless expensive, high technology is employed. If separated, waste can be turned into a resource. The ‘3R Principle’ is used all over the world. Ravi de Silva explained ‘7R Principle’ which he introduced to many hotels and other industries, and they end up with zero dumping of waste. All these organizations earn substantial amounts of money by selling their waste. Instead of garbage which cannot be managed, waste can be managed by separating and converting into a resource.

He further indicated that a simple change such as the ‘Switching Off Policy’ can save so much of electrical energy. A ‘Closing Tap Policy’ can save large amounts of water. All these are simple measures which can be implemented in any place at any time by anybody, resulting in the reduction of adverse impacts on the environment. To lead a healthy life is extremely essential and this can be achieved by eating a balanced meal which is also inexpensive. It is important to be sustainable and also improve productivity by reducing the food miles and localizing your purchases, in turn helping the neighboring community.

De Silva reiterated that Sustainable lifestyles can help reduce your carbon footprint. The use of eco techniques and eco designs is a good start at the concept and design stages of any operation.

He finally said we should draw all inspiration from our forefathers who were very sustainable for many centuries. These influences should be combined with whatever good practices we can draw from modern technologies to ensure sustainability.