Buying Green...Buying Smart Conference Summary
March 18, 2009, MetroCenter Auditorium, Oakland, CA
Welcoming Remarks
Mayor Mark Green, Union City, ABAG Vice President, Vice Chair of the Hazardous Waste Management Facility Allocation Committee, and member of Alameda County Waste Management Board and Recycling Authority.
Mayor Green welcomed participants to the conference. He talked about ABAG's interest in organizing the event, which grew out of the Hazardous Waste Management Committee's commitment to promote pollution prevention and resource conservation. The Committee established the Bay Area Green Business Program in 1995 to help small businesses and public agencies improve their practices. The Green Business Program checklists encourage and will soon include the requirement that businesses adopt an EPP policy.
Mayor Green remarked that Hazardous Waste Management Committee members have followed the Department of Toxic Substances Control and the California Integrated Waste Management Board Green Chemistry, and Extended Producer Responsibility initiatives, as well as both of their efforts to address E-Wastes. He noted that in 2009 we are seeing a convergence of environmental initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, achieve zero waste, use less water, and avoid the use of toxic chemicals in the products and services we buy. Environmentally Preferable Purchasing is where it all comes together.
Panel One:
Why EPP?: How EPP can help public agencies reach climate protection, toxics reduction and zero waste goals, and save money!
Debbie Raphael, Deputy Director, San Francisco Department of the Environment, Moderator.
Councilmember Sam Liccardo, San Jose.
Councilmember Sam Liccardo offered tips for cities and counties based upon San Jose's experience. To get San Jose's EPP Policy in place, staff leadership has been critical in prioritizing issues and making recommendations to elected officials. Media opportunities bring issues to the forefront for both elected officials and the general public. The designation of San Jose's City Hall as the first LEED Platinum City Hall is a good example. Researching and educating people about the total life-cycle costs of products (e.g. janitorial products, LED lights, & EPEAT computers) is key to demonstrating that while a product may seem more expensive in the short run, it makes good fiscal sense in the long run. Currently San Jose a 5% price preference for green procurement.
Carolyn Bloede, Sustainability Program Manager, Alameda County General Services Administration.
Carolyn Bloede described key initiatives of the Alameda County Sustainability Program. While Alameda doesn’t have an overarching EPP (an overarching policy is in development), it has policies that relate to purchasing, including Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins, Integrated Pest Management, Green Building, and Bay Friendly Landscaping. Alameda purchases a wide range of products with environmental specs--everything from paper to vending machines to furniture to low VOC paint to janitorial products. Alameda has also found that sometimes the best purchase is one you don’t make; the county has a property & salvage department that reuses furniture and other items.
Panel Two: The Basics: How to Start an EPP Program
Supervisor Mark Luce, Napa County, Chair of the Hazardous Waste Management Facility Allocation Committee, Moderator.
Supervisor Luce opened the panel by discussing steps Napa County has taken towards making the county more environmentally friendly. These include initiating a process to develop an Environmental Purchasing Policy and working with cities in Napa County that are similarly engaged. He and the county are very interested in protecting the environment, while also managing fiscal and staff resources responsibly. They believe EPP promotes both agendas.
Alicia Culver, Executive Director, Green Purchasing Institute.
Julie Weiss, Environmental Specialist, Public Works, City of Palo Alto.
Walter Rossmann, Chief Purchasing Officer, City of San Jose.
Toni Stein, CA Department of General Services Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program.
Robert J. Brushia, Ph. D., Research Scientist, Department of Toxic Substances Control
The Challenge to Local Governments
Mayor Mark Green, Union City, ABAG Vice President
Mayor Green noted that the Challenge for ABAG and its partners is to assist them in strengthening their Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policies. He encouraged everyone present to complete the Evaluation/Challenge form to provide ABAG with the information needed to plan the next conference & to develop the tools and resources to help cities and counties in building and implementing successful programs.
Sponsored by the Association of Bay Area Governments & StopWaste.Org
In partnership with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control
And with sincere thanks to all the Working Group Members
- Mary Bell Austin, Danielle Lee, Peter Tocchini, San Mateo County
- Rachel Balsley, Debra Kaufman, StopWaste.Org
- Robert Brushia, Stan Lau, Claudia Polsky, Cal EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control
- Alicia Culver, Environmental Purchasing Institute
- Beth Eckl, Consultant/StopWaste.Org
- Kathy Frevert, California Integrated Waste Management Board
- Amy Garden, Steve Lederer, Napa County
- Delyn Kies, Consultant/StopWaste.Org
- Kara LaPierre, SVEDA
- Kevin Miller, City of Napa
- Debbie Raphael, City and County of San Francisco
- Walter Rossman, Linden Skjeie, City of San Jose
- Laura Speare, Alameda County
- Antoinette Stein, California Department of General Services
- Robert Tetz, California Department of General Services
- Julie Weiss, City of Palo Alto
- Halimah Pasha Anderson, Kathleen Cha, Jennifer Krebs, Ceil Scandone, Barbara Walden, Association of Bay Area Governments
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