What is “Green Purchasing”?

1. What are some examples of green products? What are the benefits of buying green products? How can I start or expand a green purchasing program? What can I learn from other school success stories? How can you help me seek out greener substitutes? What green purchasing links and resources exist? What is “Green Purchasing”? Also known as environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), it is the practice of “buying products and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose.” - Excerpt from Federal Executive Order 13101, “Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition”. Signed by President Clinton in 1998, this policy strengthens the Federal government's commitment to buying recycled content and other environmental products. Environment + Price + Performance = EPP

2. Examples of Green Products Recycled-content products, such as recycled plastic furniture and playground equipment Energy conserving products, such as low-mercury,fluorescent lights Less toxic products, such as ceramic glazes that avoid heavy metals Bio-based products, such as soy inks

3. The Benefits of Buying Green Products • Keep recycling programs going and save natural resources when buying recycled products. • Example: Buying 1 ton of 100% post-consumer recycled paper(which is about 40 reams of paper), saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. • Improve worker safety andlower disposal costs by choosing less toxic products. • Example: The City of Santa Monica replaced traditional cleaners with less toxic alternatives which eliminated 3,200 pounds of hazardous materials. • Save money by using energy-efficient and water-conserving products. • Example: According to EPA, buying 100 Energy Star computers & monitors can save $10,000 in energy costs over 5 years. • Save money and reduce waste by using reusable or repairable products. • Example: Buying remanufactured toner cartridges generally costs 20% to 50% less than the cost of new cartridges.

4. How to Start or Expand Your Green Purchasing Program • Adopt a team approach. It’s best if you can bring together the school purchaser, a health and safety officer or environmental advisor, the custodial supervisor, and interested teachers and students. • Get buy-in from the principal.Gaining the support of the school administration helps raise school-wide awareness, creates enthusiasm, and encourages involvement. • Begin with “low hanging fruit”.For example, choose products that save money, such as remanufactured toner cartridges or find safer substitutes for products that are of a particular threat to children’s health, such as certain pesticides. • Do your homework. • When looking for “green” substitutes, research product cost, performance, and availability. Then, choose the product that best meets your needs. • Put the products to work. Once an alternative product is purchased, make sure the key users are satisfied with it. Share successes school-wide to win support for “green” products.

5. Green Purchasing Success Story • Who: Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL • What they did: • Students researched cost and availability of recycled paper. • Students presented options to school business manager. • School switched to recycled copy paper, including white paper and colors. • Students and business manager encouraged other schools to do the same. • Result: The school now uses Great White, a 30% post-consumer • recycled paper. While it costs 5-8% * more, the high school • considers this reasonable given the environmental benefit. * Note: Recycled paper doesn’t always cost more. Check with local vendors for pricing in your area.

6. Greener Substitutes: A List of Ideas

7. Greener Substitutes: A List of Ideas (continued)

8. Green Purchasing Resources and Links • Overview of green purchasing • Center for a New American Dream • Provides a clearinghouse of information on green policies and products. • www.newdream.org/procure/ • Minnesota’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide • Provides cost and performance information for over 30 green products. • www.swmcb.org/EPPG/1_1.htm • Purchasing less toxic products • INFORM, Inc.Click on “fact sheets”, and “Schools/Universities” for a list of less toxic products. • www.informinc.org/PBT.htm • Healthy Building NetworkClick on “arsenic treated wood” for safer alternatives for playground equipment. • www.healthybuilding.net/index.html • School IPM (Integrated Pest Management Program) • http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/ • Contains materials on specific pests, sample contracts for pest control services, sample letters to parents and teachers, and training presentations.

9. Green Purchasing Resources and Links • Other environmental resources specific to schools • EPA’s Pollution Prevention Education Toolbox • Helps teachers integrate pollution prevention concepts into the classroom. • www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/p2pages/toolbox.htm • Oregon Green Schools Tools • Includes waste audits and energy/water efficiency assessments. • www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/solwaste/documents/schtools.pdf • St. Louis County, Missouri’s Resourceful Schools Project • Assists schools with implementing recycling programs and provides lessons, games, activities related to garbage and waste reduction. • www.resourcefulschools.org/ • Mid America Energy & Resource Partners • www.merp.org/players.html • Provides examples of how schools are reducing waste and recycling more. • Alliance for Sustainable Energy’s Green Schools Program • This program combines energy-efficiency management and building retrofits • with student involvement in implementing school-wide behavior changes. • www.ase.org/greenschools/