procurement
A campus that purchases 75 tons (6,000 cases) of 100% post-consumer toilet tissue is responsible for the release of 4,500 fewer pounds of air pollutants and uses 525,000 fewer gallons of water, 225 fewer cubic yards of landfill space, 307,500 fewer kilowatts of energy and 1,275 fewer trees than a campus that purchases the same amount of virgin toilet paper, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Students and campuses have an incredible amount of purchasing power; by requiring that suppliers carry green products, universities and colleges can drive the demand for more sustainable offerings from office supply companies, food services and other industries.
Idea starters
- Paper:
- Use double-sided copying, e-mail and online resources to cut down on paper use. Buy recycled paper to preserve trees and other resources used to make "virgin" paper. Try to maximize recycled fiber content.
- Efficiency:
- Encourage the purchasing of more efficient products like low-flow shower heads, Energy Star office equipment and longer-lasting light bulbs.
- Campus policies:
- Adopt a green purchasing policy that guides the school toward greener purchases. Provide a cost-benefit analysis to show the overall benefits of going green.
- Health:
- Talk to different departments (art, chemistry, biology, etc.) about finding alternatives to the hazardous materials among their supplies.
In practice
Ball State University, in Indiana, is currently working with Barnes & Noble to make more environmentally and socially preferable products available to students on campus. In addition, the university made 30% post-consumer recycled paper its default paper, and made 100% post-consumer recycled paper available to all departments on campus.
Resources
- Environmental Protection Agency
- http://www.epa.gov/oppt/epp
- Environmental Virtual Campus
- http://www.c2e2.org/evc/CafGree_BP.html