Best Practice Action 15.8
GreenStep City Best Practices: Environmental Management
Sustainable Purchasing No. 15
Adopt environmentally preferable purchasing policies and practices to improve health and environmental outcomes.
Best Practice Action Detail
Best Practice Action 8
Use state and national green standards/guidelines for at least 3 categories of purchasing/investments such as electronics, cleaning products, flooring/coatings.
- See additional purchasing actions and resources in the GreenStep best practices for New Green Buildings, Outdoor Lighting and Signals, City Fleets, and Parks & Trails (related to purchasing native plants, pollinator-friendly plants).
- Cities are able to purchase products coded with an environmentally beneficial attribute through Minnesota's Cooperative Purchasing Venture.
- EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) allows purchasers to evaluate, compare and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes. Only EPEAT-certified products are available through Minnesota's Cooperative Purchasing Venture.
- The city of St. Cloud specifies ductile iron pipe for drinking water mains due to its strength, lifespan, long-term cost savings, ability to be thawed using electric current, and its elimination of any potential (as PVC pipes have) to leach carcinogens into the public water supply. St. Cloud uses the SMaRT certification standard of the Institute for Market Transformation, which incorporates human health concerns and full life-cycle assessment, and is ANSI accredited. Ductile pipe and other MTS-certified products are allowable innovation credits under LEED.
- Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) paper product standards of the Chlorine Free Products Association.
- FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) product standards.
- USDA Organic food standard
- See standards, specifications, policies and more for cleaners from the national Responsible Purchasing Network. Green Seal or EcoLogo certified or U.S. EPA Safer Choice are recommended by the GREEN Group of Minnesota cities and counties, working with the MPCA.
- GreenGuard Indoor Air standard for non-recycled content paint and Green Seal Environmental Standard for Recycled-Content Latex Paint.
- Carpet Standards from the Carpet and Rug Institute.
- The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) International Furniture Sustainability Standard. Note also that cities can purchase remanufactured Herman Miller System furniture through MN's Cooperative Purchasing Venture.
- See bills, resolutions and policies for moving city banking/investments to community banks and credit unions. Relevant to city investments (cash, bonds, pensions) see Divestment from Fossil Fuels: A Guide for City Officials and Activists from the Mayors Innovation Project based in Madison, WI. Employee support for organizations that protect, conserve and restore Minnesota’s environment can be facilitated via payroll deductions through organizations such as the MN Environmental Fund.
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List the categories for which the city has adopted standards/guidelines: (a) Electronics (including computer, printers, printer operation, and printer supplies - especially remanufactured cartridges); (b) Wood products / bio-based products (including compostable 'dinnerware'); (c) Organic food; (d) Cleaning products; (e) Less/non-toxic pesticides/herbicides; (f) Paints, coatings and adhesives, (g) Carpets, flooring; (h) Furniture - especially remanufactured; (i) Paper products. Report street lighting/traffic signal purchasing under action 4.2; vehicles under 13.2 & 13.3 |
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Report the benefits of using greener electronics and remanufactured cartridges by using the calculators at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/epp ; move city banking to community banks and credit unions; facilitate employee support for organizations that protect, conserve and restore Minnesota’s environment via payroll deductions. |
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Shift investments/pension funding from fossil fuels to renewables; specify ductile iron pipe for city drinking water system; certify under http://www.stateelectronicschallenge.net |
Who's doing it
Maplewood -
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed:
Implementation details:
In Maplewood's Environmental Purchasing Policy, it specifies the use of state and national green standards/guidelines for purchasing cleaning products, paints, coatings and adhesives, carpets, and paper products.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Descriptive File:
Descriptive links:
For more information contact:
Shann Finwall (City staff) | shann.finwall@maplewoodmn.gov | 651-249-2304
Partners:
Greenstep Advisor
Melissa Peck, Sustainable Purchasing Specialist, MN Pollution Control Agency: 651/757-2343, melissa.peck@state.mn.us, www.pca.state.mn.us/epp