Luther College
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Luther College has a Food, Purchasing, and Waste Task Group as part of its Sustainability Council. Throughout the years this committee has worked with dining services as the 35 percent local food goal was achieved, developed purchasing guidelines for items such as paper and cleaning supplies and worked closely with students looking to make positive change on campus. https://www.luther.edu/sustainability/about/council/

We have begun to use LCCA in evaluating mechanical systems as a way to better understand the total cost of operation for our buildings. Although we are new to the process, we ask our engineers to help with with the evaluations. In the future the plan is to develop our capabilities more with this.

Luther College has a Green Cleaning Policy.
https://www.luther.edu/policies/assets/Green_Cleaning_Policy.pdf

Description of the Green Cleaning Policy:
When procuring cleaning products, Luther College personnel and contractors will consult the list of Green Seal products, USGBC products, or products certified by other independent certifying bodies. In the absence of products certified as sustainable alternatives by independent organizations, Luther and its contractors will utilize the attached appendix of purchasing guidelines as a resource and purchase the products they deem as the most environmentally and socially responsible.
Luther College also has guidelines for herbicide use and application:
Our Herbicide Application Process policy outlines the prudent use of herbicides to provide well-maintained, visually attractive grounds for Luther students, employees and visitors and to control undesirable weeds on athletic fields. The College weed control methods use a holistic approach to turf management. The Luther College Policy for Herbicide Application is approved by the Cabinet.

Using a holistic approach to turf management, the procedures for the year are based on the premise to improve the overall quality and quantity of turf grass. This is accomplished by fertilization, aeration, overseeding, use of salt resistant grass seed adjacent to sidewalk edges, and irrigation. By improving the turf grass quality, weed growth will be inhibited and herbicide use can be decreased.

Luther College will investigate and test alternative methods and products for weed control. In conjunction with the Land Use Committee, alternative methods will be identified for investigation. Records of products used, areas treated, dates, times, and notes on effectiveness will be located at Facilities Services.

Facilities Services will maintain open communication with those testing alternative methods. This may include other lawn management practices such as replacing turf grass with native plantings.

Sustainability criteria and chemically intenstive product application guidelines include:
Application of herbicides shall be applied at times when the campus population is low. The main campus turf grass areas will be sprayed the week following Commencement, early August, and/or fall break, weather permitting. If at all possible, herbicide applications shall be at times before and after normal work hours and on weekends.
 Only persons trained and having proper certification by the State of Iowa may apply restricted use herbicides. For safety reasons, Luther grounds staff will annually obtain certification to apply herbicides whether restricted or general use.
 Application will be done according to the product label and in compliance with the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which will be maintained for all products used.
 In the application of spray herbicides, wind speeds will be checked and application of spray herbicide to be applied per product label. In no case will product be applied when the wind speed exceeds 10 mph.
 Signage shall be in accordance with chemical requirements set by the herbicide label and in accordance with the State of Iowa.
o Notification will be in the Tuesday the week before the intent to spray.
o Notification will be in the Bulletin preceding the time period identified to spray.
o Notification on Residence Hall entrance doors at least one day prior to the spray period.
o Notification to Security and Information Desk at least one day prior to the spray period
 The use of the herbicide 2-4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) shall not be used.

The policy can be accessed here:
https://www.luther.edu/policies/assets/Herbicide_Application_Process_2_2.pdf

I. Policy
Luther College is committed to environmental sustainability and will construct all new projects to LEED silver standards. Luther College will also use a LEED checklist during remodeling and repurposing projects, striving to incorporate as many LEED points as possible.

II. Purpose
Environmental sustainability is more than designing “green buildings” or maintaining natural reserves. At its best, it reflects an institutional commitment to minimize the use and waste of nonrenewable natural resources, thereby recognizing the economic as well as ecological benefit of this commitment without compromising institutional mission and goals. One result of being a signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) is that in January 2007, Luther College committed to building all new projects to LEED silver standards.

III. Scope
To the best of their ability, all Luther employees and or contractors hired by Luther will adhere to LEED silver standards with regard to any new building project. Architects, engineers, contractors and designers must follow LEED guidelines and provide documentation of points for all new projects. A LEED checklist will guide decisions for meeting LEED standards.

IV. Procedures and Guidelines
All projects are to adhere to the following practices:
Construction Waste
All non-hazardous waste materials will be reused, repurposed, or recycled. Disposal of waste materials in a landfill will occur only if all other avenues have been exhausted. Hazardous materials will be disposed of according to EPA regulations.

Energy Efficiency
Lighting, heating, and plumbing fixtures will be chosen according to efficiency ratings. Any
appliances will be purchased according to the College’s Energy Star Policy.

Material Selection
When possible and practical, materials purchased will be environmentally safe and/or repurposed from other projects.

Indoor Air Quality
All projects will be done to ensure and/or improve the indoor air quality.

Educational Component
When possible, signage should be installed to educate building occupants about the sustainability practices being used in the building.

Behavioral Element
Buildings will be designed to encourage sustainable behavior. For example, slower elevators result in more people taking the stairs just as small trashcans coupled with sizable recycling bins encourage responsible waste disposal.

New Construction
The LEED-NC checklist will be used for all new construction projects. LEED Checklists
A LEED checklist will be completed for all major remodels, redesigns and renovations.

V. Confidentiality and Records
Records on new constructions and remodels will be kept at the Facilities Office and are open to any Luther student or employee upon request.

Luther College, and vendors purchasing for Luther College, will purchase appliances, building products, electronics and other energy products that have Energy Star certification.

In regards to electronic equipment, Luther College and its contractors will purchase electronic equipment with computer components that meet EPEAT standards. Exceptions may be permitted, i.e., when products are unavailable, when it is documented to be financially prohibitive. In the absence of Energy Star or EPEAT certified products, purchasers will select products that are in the upper twenty-five percent of energy efficiency as designated by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).

We have a policy for office paper purchasing but do not have one for wood. https://www.luther.edu/policies/assets/Paper_Purchasing.pdf

Luther College Document Center, Book Shop and all offices and departments shall purchase and use FSC-certified white, 8.5 x 11 inch, 20# copier paper made with at least 50% post-consumer fiber.

II. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to assist in achieving Luther’s goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 50% by 2015, as stated in the five-year strategic plan. It is also a specific goal for Luther to switch to 8.5 x 11 inch, 20# copier paper with at least 50% post-consumer content.

III. Scope
This policy applies to all offices and departments of Luther College along with any contracted services operating on campus.

IV. Terms and Definition
● Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC certification provides a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products, enabling consumers and businesses to make purchasing decisions that benefit people and the environment as well as providing ongoing business value.
● Post-consumer content is the paper material that individuals routinely discard, that finds its way to a landfill. Paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer content contains more paper that has been used and recovered through the recycling process, and less raw material from forests.