| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.31 |
| Liaison | Amanda Whittingham |
| Submission Date | Oct. 22, 2024 |
Fanshawe College
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.25 / 3.00 |
Amanda
Whittingham Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Operations and Sustainability |
Part 1. Institution-wide sustainable procurement policies
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
Part 2. Life Cycle Cost Analysis
Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
Formal LCCA is not conducted in all steps of project process. It is done for specific systems, for example, HVAC when options have different operating costs and benefits. Options on capital costs and life cycle operational costs are being compared to justify implementing sustainable technologies.
Part 3. Product-specific sustainability criteria
To count, the criteria must address the specific sustainability challenges and impacts associated with products and/or services in each category, e.g. by requiring or giving preference to multi-criteria sustainability standards, certifications and labels appropriate to the category. Broader, institution-wide policies should be reported in Part 1, above.
Chemically intensive products and services
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
The college reviews custodial cleaning products for "Green Seal" approval before any new products are used by college staff. When purchasing new custodial products from a company, the college always asks for samples to review the product and ensure it has a Green Seal.
Excerpt from the current custodial contract:
17.4 All chemical products shall bear the Ecologo (www.ecologo.org), Green Seal (www.greenseal.org), or equivalent acceptable certification.
Any new chemical coming into the college must go through a chemical review as part of our Management of Change process. Health and Safety services review them for health and environmental hazards, looking at toxicity, concentration, chemicals in the product, handling, amount needed, waste generated, and if there is a safer product available.
The college reviews custodial cleaning products for "Green Seal" approval before any new products are used by college staff. When purchasing new custodial products from a company the college always asks for samples to review the product and to be sure it has a Green Seal. The college will do sample areas with the new product to confirm its task in custodial work.
Fanshawe follow the tenants of IPM, and do not use pesticides on campus. Our controls include mechanical (hoeing, cultivation, hand weeding, and using plastic covers to sterilize contaminated bed areas). Additionally, we select plant species for their pest and disease tolerance and remove and replace problematic species, For scale insect problems we use a pressure washer to remove or reduce their populations from the bark of problematic species. We have a program to protect our Ash species (from Emerald Ash Borer) by using an injected biological solution developed from the Neem tree (a species native to India). This solution kills the larvae of the beetle and this protects the tree.
Consumable office products
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
Furniture and furnishings
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
Furnishings: Fabric consistently complies with the ACT standards, which state ASTM-E84 with a remark on Class A compliance.CAL TB117-2013 NFPA 260 Class 1 flammability requirements are also met by the chosen fabrics. (ACT - The Association for Contract Textiles - created a technical performance standard. These requirements relate to abrasion resistance, colorfastness to light and fading, physical characteristics, and fire retardancy)
Flooring, ceiling, and walls made of composite wood: When choosing finishes and wood materials, our decisions are guided by a sustainability-focused approach similar to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Whether we handle the procurement ourselves or rely on consulting firms for specification, our goal is to align with Fanshawe College's sustainability objectives. We prioritize the use of FSC-certified wood, which we employed in the Innovation Village project and whenever feasible. Additionally, we insist on low or zero VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content, as these requirements have been integral to our practices for many years.
Information Technology (IT) and equipment
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
The college does not follow any specific regulations for purchasing IT. While ensuring the purchased equipment satisfies the College's requirements, we continue to consider sustainable initiatives, such as striving for Gold EPEAT ratings from Dell and Apple for our computing equipment.
Food service providers
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
All franchises on campus are operated by our Food Services company, Chartwells. While purchasing guidelines are difficult to enforce with franchisees, Chartwells does engage their vendor partners with all other sustainability initiatives in their sustainability platform which involves "address[ing] waste management, recycling, composting, sustainable purchasing policies, Fair Trade purchasing policies, and local environmental programs. This includes a focus on local food, plant-forward menu options, sustainable seafood, an emphasis on animal welfare, and ethically sourced products."
https://www.chartwellscanada.ca/he-sustainability
All eateries on campus collect food scraps and waste from the kitchens during food preparation, which is then transferred to a collection area on site to be picked up and transferred to an off-site composting facility.
Garments and linens
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
Professional service providers
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
Transportation and fuels
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.