Environmental Management Systems in Local Authorities: The Case Study of the Cesana Torinese Municipality, a Turin 2006 Olympic Site

Environmental certification according to the ISO 14001 standard and EMAS regulation represents an efficient tool for those organizations who want to continuously improve their environmental performances. Even though first thought up for application to the industrial section, in recent years these schemes have also proved to be valid in organizations with territorial competences, such as local authorities. The case study of the Cesana Torinese municipality, an important ski resort in North West Italy involved in the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games, which was one of the first local authorities in Italy and in Europe to apply these schemes, is presented in this paper. In particular, the paper is focused on the method used for the implementation of the scheme and on the main results obtained throughout on the territory, in terms of sustainable tourism, reduction in energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, but also in terms of improvement in the quality of life of the citizens, integrating environmental aspects with social accountability. At the same time, the ability of the management scheme to respond to relevant modifications of the environmental scenario, such as the designation of the area as one of the competition sites for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games, is highlighted.