| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.74 |
| Liaison | Kristyn Achilich |
| Submission Date | May 11, 2021 |
Saint Michael's College
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 3.00 |
Karen
Talentino Professor of Biology Biology |
Does the institution have written policies, guidelines, or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across multiple commodity categories institution-wide?:
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
Individual departments have established sustainable purchasing policies, but there is no sweeping, written purchasing policy for the whole institution. Purchasing recycled items and acknowledging and supporting sustainability on campus is the preferred practice for most departments (though not a written mandate). For example, the HVAC department purchases energy star equipment as a default, offices/departments are encouraged to purchase "green" office supplies through the campus vendor WB Mason (environmentally friendly products are specifically categorized as such), the bookstore purchases recycled cap and gown attire for commencement, etc.
Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Custodial Services:
Custodial Services has initiated a comprehensive program in each of the college's buildings using a new line of environmentally preferred & eco-label certified clean products that directly contribute towards a cleaner environment through reduced toxicity, improved indoor air quality and worker safety while providing a healthier enviroment for our employees, students, staff and visitors.
The majority of the cleaning products Custodial Services uses to maintain bathrooms, carpeting & floors are biodegradable, non-toxic and phosphate-free. They are also free of chlorine bleach, ammonia and petroleum by-products. These products are also certified by an independent 3rd party organization, such as Green Seal and Environmental Choice. Saint Michael's College uses Clean by Proxy, which in addition to being Green Seal certified, has also replaced the use of 5 additional cleaning products (reducing the amount of materials from the waste stream)!
For Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance refer to OP 9.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
The College does not have one for wood products but we do for paper.
The college looked into buying post-consumer paper for two aspects: in-house printing (Marketing, Advancement, etc.) and the copier fleet. The sheets used for in-house printing tend to be 70-120 lb text and cover. A decision was made to support northeastern paper mills and buy sheets such as Accent Opaque which is a virgin sheet and milled at the Ticonderoga Plant and supports many Addison County, VT jobs rather than pay premium prices for recycled content being trucked from other parts of the country.
For the 20lb bond used in the MFP fleet, the cost associated with post-consumer content was always more than double what we could purchase by the pallet load at $24-27 per case. The few cases we purchased of recycled paper at ($58-66) did not perform well in our Ricoh devices at the time, making the decision an easy one.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
The Information Technology department has a strict protocol of energy efficient equipment. The department only purchases EPEAT certified products, and we have preference for gold.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
Vending services do not provide any drinks in plastic bottles, due to our institutional policy about not having plastic bottles on campus.
Most catering is done through our food service provider Sodexo, and they follow our institutional sustainability criteria as far as composting, and the use of compostable plates, cups and utensils (when not using reusable items).
Also, Einstein's Cafe is also under the same sustainability criteria as Sodexo, as Sodexo oversees their operation.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
The College is a member of the Fair Labor Association and works to make sure garment vendors follow the FLA's strict code of conduct. For all garments sold in the Campus Bookstore: we keep letters from all our vendors on file that explain their fair labor practices, and we will not buy from a vendor that cannot give us in writing a letter of compliance to the standards.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
The Trash/Recycling RFP (Request for Proposals) clearly stated a desire that our trash/recycling hauler needed to be a partner with the college in terms of tackling waste diversion on campus (such as providing materials/resources to help with education campus occupants about waste and recycling; providing data to the Center for the Environment to help track tonnage of materials sent to recycling and the landfill, etc)
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable procurement program or initiatives is available:
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.