Clean Air-Cool Planet Climate Action Toolkit


3. Plan



Global Warming and Purchase Decisions

Purchasing decisions are always powerful. The goods we purchase require energy and resources to produce, package, transport, use, and/or dispose of - so choosing products whose life-cycle impacts are minimal can really reduce overall campus emissions.

Many campus purchasing decisions are made through specific institutional offices, who by according to set policies that are based primarily on cost, convenience, and familiarity.

Background Information

Buying for the Future: One of the definitive works on “green” procurement practices for campuses, written by Rutgers University buyer Kevin Lyons.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)
This Green Purchasing powerpoint presentation put together by Ellen Gandsman at Yale University’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety, provides a great overview. If you need a platform from which to begin thinking about procurement issues, start here.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)

Databases, Networks and Technical Resources

The EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) database provides product specs, suppliers, general standards and more.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)
Commonwealth of Massachusetts EPP Procurement site provides more general whys and wherefores, as well as Massachusetts-specific vendor and contract information.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)
New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability provides technical resources for NJ schools as well as a fabulous clearinghouse of sustainable purchasing info for all campuses.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)
The Higher Education Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (HEEPP) Listserv, hosted by NJHEPS, is an interactive forum for event announcements, resources, and issues related to green purchasing on college campuses. You’ve got questions – they’ve got answers.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)
The University Leaders for a Sustainable Future site has a database that also includes some excellent EPP resources.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)

“Best Practice” Examples and Snapshots:

Part of NWF’s Campus Ecology program, a catalogue of successful campus sustainable purchasing projects – a great portal for access to tons of “best practices” examples
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)
A recent National Association of Education Buyers (NAEB) newsletter feature on socially responsible purchasing gives you a sense that the idea is catching on – slowly.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 15, 2005)
Duke University implemented a comprehensive green purchasing program in 2004. The Campus Bookstore, Duke Stores, also has a green purchasing policy that includes in-store labeling of items.
Clean Air-Cool Planet (Feb 24, 2005)