Green Tips—Purchasing

What is "green" purchasing? It means purchasing products or services that have a reduced or lesser effect on human health and the environment, compared to competing products or services. This comparison takes into account all aspects associated with providing a product or service, including acquiring raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, and disposal. Green products include those that are energy-efficient and/or contain recycled and/or biobased content.

Why should NREL purchase green products? Executive Order 13101, "Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition," challenges federal agencies and their contractors to use environmentally preferable products and services. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) directs federal agencies and their contractors to establish Affirmative Procurement (Green Purchasing) programs for acquiring recycled-content products.

The EPA has designated products in the following categories: paper products; nonpaper office products; landscaping; construction; vehicles; other transportation; parks and recreation; and miscellaneous. Some designated products commonly used at NREL include: printing/copier and writing paper, toner cartridges, printer ribbons, plastic envelopes, binders, plastic file folders, plastic presentation folders, plastic desktop accessories, and awards/plaques. Visit the EPA Web site for more information.

Always look for the "recycled" symbol when ordering supplies from the CADDO office supplies catalog.