Guidelines and Criteria for Departmental Purchasing Assistants and Buyers

This page provides information to assist departmental purchasers and buyers with strategic sourcing and environmentally preferable procurement (EPP). We encourage you to make an impact on your departmental operations by recommending and selecting energy efficient and EPP items for your students, faculty, and staff. Before making a purchase, consider the 5 "R"s:

  • Reduce
  • Reuse
  • Buy Recycled
  • Resources
  • Recycle (contact Central Stores at x2732 for assistance in properly disposing of "excess" items)

When you receive a request for a piece of equipment, take a quick moment to check the energy star product site to see if there is a more efficient product available that has an energy star rating. Providing the PI, faculty, staff, or student with the energy-saving option will assist us in meeting campus goals.

Taking the time to consistently check the energy effectiveness on equipment prior to purchase will make a big impact on energy use and the greenhouse gas emissions created by our operations.

If your faculty, staff, or students have selected a product for purchase, you can check through the following sites to see if you can find the most energy efficient product that meets their needs:

  • Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT): EPEAT is a system designed to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare, and select desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors based on their environmental attributes.
  • Energy Star: A program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started in 1992 that aims to reduce energy usage by identifying products that meet specific standards for energy efficiency and features.
  • Green Seal: Founded in 1989, this non-profit organization uses scientific criteria to choose environmentally preferable options from a wide range of consumer products, which are then identified with the Green Seal logo.
  • Scientific Certification Systitalicizes (SCS): Established in 1984 to certify fresh produce based on pesticide residues, SCS now provides third-party certification of environmental performance and quality standards for many different manufacturing industries.

We will be adding additional links to this page as they become available.