Responsible City Agency: Sustainability Department
Keywords: Sustainability, climate change, air quality, environment, building, conservation, efficiency, emissions, energy, food, hardwood, infrastructure, pesticide, products, property, purchasing, vehicles, water.
1. General
1.1 It is the city’s policy to purchase environmentally preferable products containing the maximum amount of post-consumer and/or recovered materials practicable in both the product and the product packaging, to purchase energy efficient electrical products, and to source products from local, sustainable businesses, whenever practicable.
1.2 The department’s director or their designee will work with their purchasing agent to ensure that data is collected to analyze and target areas for consideration that support the purchase of products that will minimize negative environmental impacts and support markets for recycled and other environmentally preferable products.
1.3 Definitions
A. Energy Efficient Product: Products among the highest 25 percent of equivalent products for energy efficiency as designated by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).
B. Environmentally Preferable: Products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or disposal related to the product or service.
C. Non-Tropical Hardwood Equivalent: Any and all hardwood other than virgin redwood that grows in any geographically temperate regions, as defined by the U.S. Forest Service, and is equivalent to tropical hardwood in density, texture, grain, stability or durability.
D. Non-Virgin Redwood Equivalent: Any and all wood or wood product (including wood from the species scientifically classified as “sequoia sempervirens”) that is not a tropical hardwood or a tropical hardwood wood product and is equivalent to virgin redwood in density, texture, grain, stability or durability.
E. Post-consumer recycled products: Those products generated by a business or consumer that have served their intended end uses, and that have been separated or diverted from the solid waste stream for the purposes of collection, recycling and disposition.
F. Practicable: Sufficient in performance and available at a reasonable price.
G. Recovered materials: Waste material and by-products that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste, but not materials and by-products generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing process.
H. Tropical Hardwood: Any and all hardwood, scientifically classified as angiosperm, that grows in any tropical moist forest.
I. Tropical hardwood wood products: Any wood product that is composed, in whole or in part, of tropical hardwood.
J. Virgin Redwood: Wood from the species scientifically classified as “sequoia sempervirens,” including wood that is graded “clear heart” or “clear all heart” (or any successor or equivalent terms) under lumber industry grading standards, unless such wood is either:
(1.1) Reclaimed or recycled; or
(1.2) Certified as sustainably harvested redwood by a certification organization that bases its standards on the principles and criteria of the United States Forest Stewardship Council.
2. Post-Consumer Recycled Content
2.1 City departments or service providers purchasing items on behalf of the city that have been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Comprehensive Procurement Guideline shall purchase such items at the minimum content level recommended in the EPA’s Recovered Materials Advisory Notices.
2.2 When post-consumer material is impracticable for a specific type of product, products shall be purchased containing the highest amount possible of recovered materials. In all purchases, consideration shall be given to products made from recyclable materials. Such products must meet industry accepted performance standards and be available at a reasonable price and within a reasonable time.
3. Energy Efficiency
3.1 Elimination of energy waste shall be prioritized.
3.2 City departments shall minimize energy consumption by:
A. Purchasing only the appliances, equipment and other energy consuming devices that are deemed necessary for their operations;
B. Purchasing ENERGY STAR and/or other energy efficient products;
C. Selecting options that maximize energy efficiency and lifecycle savings for product groups where ENERGY STAR labels are not available; and
D. Using LED light bulbs whenever practicable.
3.3 The International Dark-Sky Association and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America’s Model Lighting Ordinance shall be used as a guide whenever practicable when upgrading exterior lighting in order to provide effective and safe outdoor lighting while conserving energy.
4. Food and Beverage
4.1 When food or beverage is purchased using city funds, food and beverages that have a low carbon and water footprint are preferable. When procuring food or beverages, employees shall:
A. Consider options that use local and organic ingredients when available;
B. Ensure that there are sufficient vegan and vegetarian options available; and
C. Consider poultry and meat alternative options that have a lower carbon and water footprint than other meat options.
4.2 Bottled water shall not be purchased using city funds, except:
A. When there are no reasonable alternatives to access safe drinking water;
B. When there are hydration requirements for employees working outside of City facilities;
C. When there are legal or contractual reasons to the contrary; or
D. In case of any emergency requiring bottled water to be supplied.
1.1 Styrofoam products and single serving disposable beverage pods such as K-cups shall not be purchased using city funds.
5. Other Products
5.1 Whenever practicable, the city shall not purchase or obtain for any purpose tropical hardwoods, tropical hardwood wood products, virgin redwood or virgin redwood wood products, wholesale or retail, in any form, unless such wood is either:
A. Reclaimed or recycled; or
B. Certified as sustainably harvested tropical hardwood or redwood by a certification organization that bases its standards on the principles and criteria of the United States Forest Stewardship Council.
5.2 All departments shall obtain non-PVC plastics where appropriate alternative products composed of non-chlorinated materials are available and practicable.