Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 81.45
Liaison Lindsey Lyons
Submission Date March 1, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Dickinson College
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Neil Leary
Director
Center for Sustainability Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have written policies, guidelines or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across commodity categories institution-wide?:
Yes

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
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The policies, guidelines or directives:

Dickinson's Procurement of Goods and Services Policy is available online: http://www.dickinson.edu/download/downloads/id/1015/policy_viii-d-1.

It includes the following regarding sustainability: "When possible, Dickinson College considers the environmental impact in purchasing decisions. The use of products and services with less environmental impact will be considered favorably when it is a best-value decision to do so. Factors included in the decision are: energy efficiency; shipping materials (returnable, reusable or made from recycled content); and environmental performance of the supplier/producer (waste prevention, waste reduction, pollution prevention, clean air/water programs and other initiatives)."


Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
Institution employs LCCA as a matter of policy and standard practice when evaluating all energy- and water-using products, systems and building components

A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:

Dickinson's Campus Master Plan states the following guideline on page 49: "Evaluate materials and systems based on life cycle costs rather than on capital costs alone."
http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20074/campus_operations/1695/planning_studies


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services (e.g. building and facilities maintenance, cleaning and sanitizing, landscaping and grounds maintenance)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating construction and renovation products (e.g. furnishings and building materials)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for construction and renovation products:

Dickinson's Campus Master Plan includes the following "Building Stewardship and Sustainability Guidelines" on page 49:

1. Evaluate materials and systems based on life cycle costs rather than on capital costs alone.
2. Evaluate systems that use natural ventilation, heating, and cooling during certain periods of the year.
3. Orient buildings to minimize solar gain and maximize usable daylight.
4. Consider the placement, eventual size and density of trees planted near buildings in relation to solar gain and natural daylight use.
5. Progressively replace existing fixtures with water conserving fixtures.
6. Treat and reuse storm runoff from roofs and other surfaces.
7. Select locally manufactured materials to limit transport-related costs and impacts.
8. Specify materials manufactured using environmentally sound production processes and renewable material sources. Favor certified wood products and recycled content materials.
9. Use materials that are durable, require limited maintenance, and are recyclable.
10. Eliminate CFCs, HCFC, halons and volatile organic compounds in building materials, mechanical systems, paints and adhesives.
11. Accommodate reclamation and recycling of chemicals in buildings; accommodate solid waste recycling within all new and remodeled buildings; protect indoor environmental quality.
12. Increase building materials salvage and construction waste recycling rates; encourage energy auditing by suppliers.
13. Increase on-site effluent treatment from laboratories to protect the campus environment.
14. Make consistent use of performance measures to determine the environmental and cost effectiveness of energy reduction and sustainability investments.
15. Use a consistent and tested set of guidelines to achieve project-wide sustainability.
16. Meet or exceed standards endorsed by the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUCCP).


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) products and services (e.g. computers, imaging equipment, mobile phones, data centers and cloud services)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for IT products and services:

From Dickinson's computer acquisition policy, section 5: "Dickinson has an institution-wide preference to purchase EPA Energy Star computers and monitors and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Certified Computers and Monitors. The College has currently standardized to all EPEAT Gold and Energy Star-compliant equipment for all Windows- and Mac-based desktop and mobile computers. Additionally, the College is working to achieve this for monitors as well."
http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20198/technology_services/2213/technology_policies_and_best_practices/20#_5


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food services (i.e. franchises, vending services, concessions, convenience stores)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food services:

Dickinson Dining Services (DDS) has a vendor preference statement that applies to dining services, concessions and vending services that states DDS "shares the values of sustainable practices held by Dickinson College and the members of the Dickinson Community. We prefer working with vendors who have well-developed sustainability statements, policies, and practices – a simple paragraph does not reflect a serious belief in our values." Specific criteria included in the vendor preference statement cover employee welfare, animal welfare, energy and water use, local and community based producers and products, composting-recycling-landfill diversion, and wholesome foods. The full statement can be found online: http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20205/campus_dining/1968/special_announcements/11.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
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Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional services (e.g. architectural, engineering, public relations, financial)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional services:
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Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels (e.g. travel, vehicles, delivery services, long haul transport, generator fuels, steam plants)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
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Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating wood and paper products?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for wood and paper products:

Dickinson's paper purchasing policy is posted online: http://www.dickinson.edu/download/downloads/id/8621/sustainable_paper_policy.pdf. It states:

The Dickinson Print Center is an FSC operation that is committed to sustainable purchasing policies related to paper. Every attempt is made to purchase paper with a recycle content of at least 30%. Over half of all paper purchased (51%) is FSC Mixed Credit and 11% is FSC Recycled Content (62% of all paper is FSC-certified). Non-FSC items are those that do not have a recycled alternate available such as mailing labels, billing and tax forms, and water-proof papers. Paper policies related to sustainability is as follows:

I-Gen Paper: Purchase paper with FSC Mixed Credit or FSC Recycled based on customer specifications.

White Copy Paper: Purchase paper that is FSC Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified or World Wildlife Foundation Panda Certified, and with a minimum of 30% recycled content.

Color Copy Paper: Purchase paper with 30-100% recycled content.

Outsourcing: When outsourcing projects, Design Services requires that contractors use sustainable printing practices and are FSC-certified. The college also requires the use of FSC certified paper stock with preference given to those with recycled content, depending on the job.

Local Suppliers: Whenever possible, Dickinson prefers the local manufacturing and distribution of supplies and materials. The college purchases paper from within a 50 mile radius of the college.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating products and services in other commodity categories that the institution has determined to have significant sustainability impacts?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for other commodity categories:

Dickinson's Landscape Design Guidelines, 2014, sets sustainability goals that include procuring landscape materials that are local and have a low impact on the environment (pg 7). Many of the materials procured for use in Dickinson's landscape are required to meet LEED Materials and Resources Credit 4 for recycled content and Credit 5 for regional materials that are sourced or manufactured within 500 miles. These include unit paving (pg 54); porous unit paving (pg 57); aggregate paving (pg 59); stone curbs, edges and steps (pg 60); pipe and tube railings (pg 60); and soils (pg 132).


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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