United States Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7409) 
EPA742-F-98-019 
September 1998 
www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp 



                         EPP UPDATE
            Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

                           Issue 3
                       September 1998



************************************************************
     --   A New Pilot Approach for EPP 

     --   Parking Lot Pilot Project Update 

     --   "Green" Conference Planning 

     --   EPA Initiates Copier Paper Pilot Project 

     --   EPP Upcoming Events 

     --   EPP Resources 
************************************************************


EPP COULD SAVE ACADEMIA $2.6 BILLION ANNUALLY

     Many public and private universities are saving money
while preserving the environment. These schools, which are
using their multimillion dollar budgets to purchase
environmentally preferable goods and services, also are
discovering that EPP offers significant financial benefits.
Green Investment, Green Return, a report written by David J.
Eagan, Ph.D., and Julian Keniry of the National Wildlife
Federation (NWF), discusses environmentally preferable
purchasing on 15 college campuses. The procurement practices
undertaken by these institutions resulted in cost savings of
more than $16 million annually. In addition, the report
indicates a potential cost savings of $2.6 billion annually
if all of the nation's 3,700 college and university campuses
practiced environmentally preferable purchasing.

     A few examples of academia's new environmentally
preferable procurement strategies, documented in Green
Investment, Green Return, include microscale science labs;
integrated pest management, native landscaping, and
groundcovers; and ecological building design and
maintenance. Other cost-saving environmental purchasing
efforts documented in the report include energy
conservation, transportation, and reuse in dining
facilities. In addition, the book Ecodemia, also written by
Keniry, discusses in detail the methods public and private
universities employ when procuring environmentally
preferable products.


************************************************************
     Schools are discovering that EPP offers
     significant financial benefits.
************************************************************


Microscale Science 

     One procurement method that has significantly changed
many university chemistry laboratories is microscale
science, a new way of conducting experiments using smaller
amounts of chemicals and miniature glassware. This
alternative teaching method was first developed and used at
Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, by Dr. Dana Mayo, a
chemistry professor. In the fall of 1979, Bowdoin faced
serious air pollution problems in its organic chemistry labs
due to large amounts of chemicals used in crowded and poorly
ventilated spaces. To remedy this situation, Bowdoin was
prepared to fund extensive and expensive lab renovations.
Instead, to prevent pollution and avoid such costly
reconstruction, Mayo proposed a down-scaling of the
methodologies used to perform experiments. By significantly
decreasing the amount of chemicals purchased and lowering
the disposal fees for managing hazardous wastes, Bowdoin
reduced its annual organic laboratory operating costs by
87.5 percent.

     The University of Minnesota (UM) is another school
benefitting from micro-scale science. Due to air and water
quality regulations, UM developed a blend of conventional
and microscale lab experiments that reduce the use of heavy
metals and hazardous solvents. The result was an annual cost
savings of $37,000.


Integrated Pest Management, Native Landscaping, and
Groundcovers 

     Integrated pest management (IPM) and native landscaping
are methods of grounds maintenance that reduce pesticide
use. Rather than blanketing an area with pesticides, IPM
uses certain pesticides at specific times of the year to
control targeted pest populations. Intended to complement
IPM, native landscaping uses local plant species as primary
vegetation. Both methods promote the growth of native plant
and animal species. James Luce, director of grounds for
Connecticut College, uses native landscaping techniques, but
relies on IPM as a last resort. Instead of treating an
existing problem, Luce prevents pests and weeds from
invading in the first place. The college maintains taller
grass in its lawns, for example, to shade out weeds. To
avoid overgrown lawns, the grounds crew mows more
frequently.

     According to Luce, "We're doing different work, not
more of it. Instead of spraying pesticides we are mowing the
lawns more frequently, composting leaves, and planting
endophytic (naturally pest-resistant) plants and grasses.

     "The university has saved substantially by using these
alternative methods because they don't require purchasing
expensive pesticide chemicals or application equipment." In
other words, the potentially higher costs for practicing IPM
and native landscaping are offset by lowered chemical costs.

     Seattle University also has achieved considerable
annual cost savings through environmentally preferable
landscaping. Grounds Manager Ciscoe Morris used
dense-growing "weed fighter" groundcovers to obtain
weed-free areas within 3 years, while reducing chemical
inputs, reducing soil loss due to erosion, and lowering
equipment maintenance costs. Thanks to its use of
groundcovers, the university saves $1,300 annually.


Ecological Building Design and Maintenance 

     Ecological building design and maintenance, or "green
building," is another new purchasing practice that saves
money. Universities are "going green" by installing low-flow
shower and faucet heads, weather-stripping windows and
doors, installing motion sensors for lights, and taking
advantage of solar energy for heating and lighting. The
Energy and Environmental Education building at the
University of Northern Iowa, for example, uses daylighting
(the illumination of rooms with sunlight) to reduce the need
for electrical lighting. In addition, the building minimizes
fuel consumption by using direct sunlight as a primary
source of heat. Architects incorporated energy conservation
into the building design by choosing construction materials
that require less energy to produce and transport. The
structure's limestone, for example, came from a local
quarry. Northern Iowa's green building initiatives reduced
the school's annual energy expenditures by 50 percent, while
initial construction costs remained comparable to those of a
regular building.

     These are just a few EPP strategies that have proven to
be both financially and environmentally rewarding. All
across the country, academic institutions are finding that
protecting the environment and cutting costs go hand in
hand. For further information on environmentally preferable
purchasing, call NWF's Campus Ecology Program at 202
797-5468. To order Green Investment, Green Return
(094-505-1654, $14.95) call 410 516-6583. For general
information about the Campus Ecology Program, call 703
790-4318, or visit the NWF Web site at <www.nwf.org/campus>.


************************************************************
  Cost Savings from Reducing Hazardous Wastes Generated by
       Chemistry Labs at the University of Minnesota 

Volume of      Volume of                          Annual
waste before   waste after    Average disposal    cost
conversion     conversion     cost                savings

2,500 gallons  23 gallons     $15/gallon          $37,000*

*The total cost of the lab conversion was $30,000, with most
expenses covered by a grant from the Minnesota Office of
Waste Management. The payback period for this initiative was
less than 1 year. 
************************************************************


GSA GOES GREENER

     The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the
"nation's landlord" and a major supply and purchasing agency
for the federal government, acquires more than $40 billion
in goods and services from the private sector annually,
affording many opportunities for the agency to go "green."
David J. Barram, GSA Administrator, introduced "Planet GSA,"
with the goal of enhancing GSA's efforts in four areas--
buying green (procurement), building green (design and
construction), driving green (alternative-fuel vehicles),
and saving green (energy), at GSA's annual Earth Day
celebration in April 1998.

     While some departments and individuals at GSA have
implemented their own environmental initiatives in years
past, Planet GSA is the first comprehensive, agency-wide
environmental program that aims to coordinate and build on
what has been done to date, and might prove to be an
effective model for other federal agencies.


Buying Green 

     In an effort to increase the procurement of green
products, GSA developed the Environmental Products Guide.
The guide features a wide variety of items with reduced
environmental impacts, including 1,000 recycled paper items,
generating sales of more than $200 million each year. The
guide also contains information on products designed to
prevent pollution, minimize waste, and conserve natural
resources. Working with EPA, and the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE), GSA promotes the procurement of
energy-efficient computers, office equipment, and household
appliances, and offers more than 2,000 Energy Star items on
its Federal Supply Schedules. Tom Daily, coordinator of
GSA's Buy Green program, sees Planet GSA as an opportunity
to build upon and capitalize on these ongoing efforts to
educate GSA's employees and other agencies. Providing
information on products with environmental attributes in all
of GSA's catalogues is one example of this procurement
education effort.


Building Green 

     GSA oversees more than 250 million square feet of
office space for more than 100 federal organizations. It
designs, constructs, leases, and maintains diverse
facilities, including office buildings, federal courthouses,
border stations, and data processing centers. While details
are still in development, GSA has already outlined short-,
mid-, and long-term goals for the Building Green portion of
Planet GSA, according to Debra Yap, GSA's Building Green
coordinator. Short-term goals include promoting the use of
building materials with more recycled content as required by
EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG); mid-term
goals focus on construction waste management; and the
long-term goals concentrate more broadly on sustainable
design.


Driving Green 

     GSA operates an interagency fleet of more than 14,500
alternative-fuel vehicles that run on ethanol, methanol,
natural gas, and electricity, thus reducing air pollution.
In fiscal year 1999, GSA will increase acquisitions of
passenger vehicles and light vans for major metropolitan
areas to 75 percent, according to Larry Frisbee, GSA's Drive
Green coordinator. Other Drive Green initiatives include
using retread tires and re-refined oil, and taking fuel
efficiency into consideration when acquiring fleet vehicles.
To promote Planet GSA's green fleet, GSA and Federal
Aviation Administration employees drove a Ford Crown
Victoria, fueled by compressed natural gas, from Washington,
DC, to the National Fleet Manager Workshop in Scottsdale,
Arizona, this summer.


Saving Green 

     GSA already maintains an innovative energy and water
management program that has reduced utility costs and helped
to protect the environment while still providing a quality
work space for clients. GSA tracks energy usage and is
making the necessary adjustments to cut that amount 20
percent by 2000 and 30 percent by 2005. Additionally GSA is
partnering with DOE to institute solar power projects. The
procurement of solar power and other green power sources,
such as wind power, are part of GSA's plans to conserve
energy, explained Beth Shearer, head of the Save Green
component of Planet GSA.

     Shearer says that though conserving energy has been one
of GSA's ongoing goals, "having the support of the
administration, through the Planet GSA program, makes a huge
difference and helps us focus our efforts." 

     Additional environmental conservation efforts
undertaken by GSA include recycling paint, purchasing carpet
made from plastic bottles, promoting less-toxic cleaning
products, and advocating safer pest-control technologies.

     To further encourage environmental practices, GSA is
pursuing partnerships with other federal agencies to help
identify and develop additional "greening" opportunities.
EPA firmly supports the Planet GSA program and currently is
exploring the partnership potential between the two
agencies. 


************************************************************
     EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guideline Program
     is part of EPA's continuing effort to promote the
     use of materials recovered from solid waste. Each
     year, EPA designates additional products that can
     be purchased with recycled content. Buying
     recycled-content products ensures that the
     materials collected in recycling programs will be
     used again in the manufacture of new products. All
     federal agencies are required by RCRA 6002 and
     Executive Order 12873 to purchase CPG items.

     EPA's Energy Star programs and products are
     designed to promote energy efficiency, reduce
     pollution, and save money for consumers,
     organizations, and businesses.
************************************************************


************************************************************
     For more information on GSA's "green" products
     that are available for purchase, please see GSA's
     Advantage Program, an online shopping service, at
     <www.fss.gsa.gov>.
************************************************************


A NEW PILOT APPROACH FOR EPP

     In an effort to help federal Executive branch agencies
achieve their environmentally preferable purchasing goals,
EPA has published a notice of availability of a Pilot
Project Approach on the Use of Nongovernmental Entities.
Examples of "nongovernmental entities" include, but are not
limited to, environmental standard setting organizations,
environmental labeling programs, and third-party
certification programs, to which agencies may refer for
technical assistance in meeting EPP goals. EPA acknowledged
a potential role for such entities in its proposed Guidance
on the Acquisition of Environmentally Preferable Products
and Services, published in September 1995.


************************************************************
     Nongovernmental entities include, but are not
     limited to, environmental standard setting
     organizations, environmental labeling programs,
     and third-party certification programs, to which
     agencies may refer for technical assistance in
     meeting EPP goals.
************************************************************


     The purpose of the pilot project approach is to
demonstrate how Executive agencies can use nongovernmental
entities to support federal environmentally preferable
purchasing efforts. EPA believes there are several
advantages to this approach. First, it allows the EPP
program to increase the variety of product categories being
examined. Second, EPA can determine when the use of outside
expertise is appropriate and helpful. Third, results from
the pilot will help EPA identify the most effective and
practical ways to achieve the goal of environmentally
preferable purchasing. Finally, this approach might
encourage increased competition among existing and new
organizations and programs that can support the procurement
of environmentally preferable products.

     Public input is welcomed. If you are interested in
talking to EPA about this issue, please contact Julie
Shannon at 202 260-2736 or e-mail her at
<shannon.julie@epa.gov>. To obtain a copy of the
Nongovernmental Entity Pilot Project Approach (document
number EPA 742-B-98-003), write to the Pollution Prevention
Information Clearinghouse (7409), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460;
or call 202 260-1023. You also can obtain the document
through fax on demand by dialing 202 401-0527 and requesting
item 8001, or via the Internet at <www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/>. 


************************************************************
    Suggested Approaches Using Nongovernmental Entities 

     Federal Agencies can use existing information
     developed by nongovernmental entities to:

          Identify a range of environmental attributes
          that can contribute to EPA's determination of
          environmental preferability.

          Buy commercial items off the shelves using
          literature provided by nongovernmental
          entities that profiles product performance on
          environmental attributes, so that informed
          procurement decisions are made.

          Denote specific information about a product's
          environmental characteristics through the use
          of symbols from nongovernmental entities in
          Executive agency catalogs and schedules.

          Develop symbols to appear in agency catalogs
          and schedules, using existing information
          about environmental attributes provided by
          nongovernmental entities.

     Use nongovernmental entities as "consultants"
     under Advisory and Assistance Contracts.

     Use nongovernmental entities qualified to certify
     specific claims in order to verify environmental
     claims made by manufacturers or vendors.
************************************************************


              PARKING LOT PROTECTION FACT SHEET

                 AN EPP PILOT PROJECT UPDATE


************************************************************
     As of October 21, 1997, Federal Acquisition
     Regulations (FAR) require all federal agencies to
     purchase "environmentally preferable and
     energy-efficient products and services" (FAR
     23.704). The DOD parking lot contract illustrates
     one way of satisfying this FAR requirement.
************************************************************


     After more than a year of experience with the "green"
parking lot contract, the Department of Defense (DOD) and
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are sharing
the most recent results of this Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing (EPP) pilot project. This fact sheet describes
the project's background and current status, highlights
recent project successes, suggests future challenges, and
details the lessons learned. It is an update to Paving the
Road to Success, an EPP case study published in November
1997 (EPA742-R-97-007). The full case study is available via
the EPP Web site <www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp> or by calling
the Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse at 202
260-1073.


BACKGROUND 

     In June 1997, DOD awarded D-M&S, Inc., a 5-year, $1
million per year, fixed-price, line-item contract to
maintain and repair the parking lots and access roads at the
Pentagon and three other DOD facilities. The contract
includes traditional price and performance requirements as
well as incentives to use products with multiple, positive
environmental attributes.

     The contract includes work sheets for 20 product
categories representing 90 percent of the materials used to
repair and maintain the parking lots. Each work sheet
identifies the mandatory operational requirements for a
product. Eleven work sheets also include optional
environmental attributes for which D-M&S, with DOD approval,
can earn a 2-percent price differential for each attribute
it incorporates up to a ceiling of 10 percent per line item
and an overall task-order price differential of 5 percent.
The contract also provides additional opportunities for the
contractor to improve environmental performance and earn
price differentials, which are subject to the same line-item
and task-order ceilings.


************************************************************
     This fact sheet is designed to be removed from the
     EPP Update and kept with your existing copy of
     Paving the Road to Success, the EPP case study
     documenting DOD's parking lot pilot project.
     Living its mission, the EPP program determined
     that it was more environmentally preferable to
     insert this fact sheet in the newsletter than to
     produce and deliver it separately.
************************************************************


CURRENT STATUS 

     During the 15 months the contract has been in place,
the contractor has used products with positive environmental
attributes to pave 227,934 square feet of parking lots and
roadways. When compared to traditional products, the
contractor's products have increased recycled-content
percentages, reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) levels,
and decreased overall toxicity.


************************************************************
     227,934 square feet of parking lots and roadways
     have been paved with products that contain
     positive environmental attributes.
************************************************************


************************************************************
     Use of Environmentally Preferable Products

     Since the contract began, the DOD contractor has
     used: 

     -    3,328 tons of recycled asphalt 

     -    1,031 tons of recycled concrete 

     -    300 cubic yards of concrete containing
          recovered materials 

     -    3,558 linear feet of recovered glass for
          reflective surfaces 

     -    5,200 linear feet of an asphalt sealer
          containing recovered crumb rubber 

     -    3,558 linear feet of paint containing less
          than 50 grams per liter of VOCs 

     -    24,324 square feet of low VOC concrete curing
          compound 

     -    5,200 linear feet of recovered-content
          asphalt joint sealant 
************************************************************


PROJECT SUCCESSES 

     While this pilot project has enjoyed many successes,
the two most recent success stories involve identifying new
environmental attributes and promoting the widespread use of
environmental products.


Identifying New Environmental Attributes 

     To prepare the contract work sheets, the DOD/EPA team
used publicly available information and conducted a limited
market survey to identify the environmental attributes. The
team believed it would be challenging for the contractor to
locate products exceeding the attributes it identified.

     A few months into the contract, however, D-M&S had
already identified eight products exceeding the
environmental criteria detailed on the work sheets and had
proposed an environmental attribute for several products for
which DOD had not identified any criteria. The contractor
conducted an extensive Internet search and queried numerous
contacts and suppliers throughout the paving and road
construction industry looking for products with improved
environmental performance. "All we needed to know,"
according to Sam Croghan, a cost-estimator with D-M&S,
"[was] what types of environmental information to look for."


Promoting the Wide-Spread Use of Environmental Products

     Several of the products D-M&S identified as
environmentally preferable perform better than traditional
products. In fact, the contractor is using them on other
projects, not because of their environmental features, but
by virtue of their performance. As a result, the use of
environmental products is spreading beyond the scope of the
pilot project, achieving one of the goals of the DOD/EPA
pilot project team and of the EPP program. It also
demonstrates that environmental improvements can be made
without compromising cost or performance.

     In addition, several organizations have contacted DOD
and EPA regarding the environmental language used in the
parking lot repair and renovation contract. Several cities,
counties, and municipalities are considering incorporating
similar language into their contracts.


************************************************************
     New environmental decision-making tools will
     continue to develop as more environmental
     attributes are introduced to products.
************************************************************


FUTURE CHALLENGES 

     Currently, DOD officials can readily determine if a
proposed product improves environmental performance because
the parking lot contract clearly identifies the
environmental attributes on 11 of the 20 product work
sheets. If a work sheet identifies a VOC content of less
than 80 g/L as environmentally desirable, for example, and
the contractor proposes a product containing 60 g/L, the new
product is considered environmentally preferable.

     Determining environmental preferability will likely
become more difficult as the contract continues, however.
DOD, for example, is currently evaluating two competing
sealants--a traditional sealant with environmental criteria
defined on an existing product work sheet and another
potentially revolutionary product that is more durable.
While durability is generally a positive environmental
attribute, it does not necessarily mean the new product is
more environmentally preferable. It is possible, for
example, that the processes used to manufacture the more
durable product require more energy to produce and transport
the product or are more toxic than those used to produce the
traditional product. These additional environmental concerns
might negate the environmental improvements attributed to
its increased durability. From an environmental life-cycle
perspective, it is still unclear which product is
preferable.

     At this point, DOD, EPA, and D-M&S have asked the
manufacturer of the new sealant for additional environmental
information about its product. The information provided by
the manufacturer will help DOD determine which of the two
competing sealants to use. Until the environmental benefits
of competing products are clearly defined, traditional
measures like price and performance will remain the primary
determining factors.

     This situation highlights the complexities associated
with comparing the environmental attributes of two different
types of products designed to perform the same function. As
new environmental attributes are introduced, these decisions
will continue to become more complex. It also should lead to
the development of new environmental decision-making tools.


LESSONS LEARNED 

     In addition to the lessons cited in the full case
study, recent contract experiences demonstrate that
contractors can locate environmental products as part of
routine project performance, price differentials might not
be necessary, and environmentally preferable does not
necessarily mean "more expensive." 


Contractors Can Locate Environmental Products 

     D-M&S's ability to collect information on the
environmental attributes of the products used under the
parking lot renovation and repair contract suggests
construction contractors might be in a better position than
federal purchasers to identify the environmental attributes
of construction products because of the contractors'
previous experience with the products and their contacts
throughout the industry. After DOD identified the
environmental attributes of concern, D-M&S obtained product
information that allowed DOD to compare products based on
their environmental performance. This experience suggests
the contracting mechanisms used in this innovative contract
might be appropriate in other situations.


Price Differentials Might Not Be Necessary 

     The DOD/EPA team included price differentials in the
contract fearing small businesses would not otherwise be
able to afford to conduct the product research. D-M&S
claims, however, the price differentials had no effect on
its decision to bid on the project. According to Mr.
Croghan, the 2-percent price differential is not nearly as
important or as profitable as the following: 

     --   Keeping the customer happy.

     --   Gaining knowledge and experience in identifying
          and working with environmental products and
          processes.

     --   Using the experience working with environmental
          products and processes to distinguish D-M&S from
          its competitors.


************************************************************
     "No one will get rich off of the price
     differential, but we believe the knowledge we gain
     will bring us a lot of future business." 

     --   Sam Croghan, D-M&S, Inc.
          DOD Parking Lot Repair Contractor 
************************************************************


Environmentally Preferable Does Not Mean  More Expensive'

     After more than one year of experience with the
contract, the average cost for the work completed is
significantly lower than similar work on other DOD parking
lot repair contracts, which do not include environmental
features. The price differential has increased expected
contract costs by only 0.5 percent. In fact, even if the
contractor had earned the maximum price differentials as
defined in the contract, the average costs still would be
lower than other DOD parking lot repair and maintenance
contracts.

     Bob Cox, the DOD program manager for the contract,
attributes the favorable contract price to DOD's competitive
contracting process and the traditional evaluation
factors--price and performance. Furthermore, as a
fixed-price, line-item contract, the contractor, not DOD,
absorbs any cost difference between the contractor's
proposed line-item cost and actual costs. The contractor
might be making additional profits on some line items and
losing money on others, but the cost to the government does
not change. "With this contract," according to Mr. Cox, "DOD
is receiving a quality product with improved environmental
performance at a lower cost, which proves you do not have to
pay more to go  green.'" 


"GREEN" CONFERENCE PLANNING

     EPA is currently developing guidance to help conference
planners incorporate comprehensive environmental
improvements into their events planning. The final product,
an interactive, Web-based, multimedia planning tool, will
answer important questions about how to plan a "green"
conference.

     EPA recognizes that conferences and large meetings
consume a significant amount of natural resources and
generate large volumes of waste. From the initial planning
stages to the distribution of the proceedings, conference
organizers and participants use pamphlets, flyers, papers,
and presentation materials; consume food, water, and
electricity; and require many forms of transportation. Since
these conferences and meetings involve many people, these
events also are highly visible, providing opportunities to
raise environmental awareness and to practice pollution
prevention.

     A number of documents already exist on holding "green"
conferences. Most of these documents, however, focus on
particular conference elements, such as specific pollution
prevention opportunities within waste management or general
pollution prevention opportunities within the lodging
service sector. In an effort to fill the gap, EPA's green
conferencing tool will provide a comprehensive overview of
the different stages, products, and services involved in
conference planning and the "green" opportunities within
each.

     The Web-based tool will undergo three stages of
development. In the first stage, existing information on
conference planning will be identified, com piled, and
organized into a comprehensive list of environmental
opportunities. For easy access by conference planners, these
opportunities will be chronologically organized by service
sector and inserted into a matrix. The second stage involves
testing each opportunity at an actual conference from an
environmental, logistical, and economical perspective. These
first two stages are expected to be completed in July 1999.
The third and final development stage involves the actual
production of the interactive, Web-based, multimedia tool.
Based on the results of the test experience, the
opportunities will be grouped on the Web according to their
ease and difficulty of implementation, economic costs and
savings, and environmental return. EPA intends to widely
publicize this information to all event planners and
sponsors. For more information on this project, please
e-mail Russell Clark at EPA at <clark.russell@epa.gov>. 


************************************************************
     EPA's Web-based "green" conferencing tool will
     provide a comprehensive overview of the different
     stages, products, and services involved in
     conference planning and the "green" opportunities
     within each.
************************************************************


************************************************************
          EPA INITIATES COPIER PAPER PILOT PROJECT

     EPA recently had the opportunity to put environmentally
preferable purchasing into practice when deciding what brand
of copier paper to purchase. For the past several years, EPA
has purchased a brand of paper containing 100 percent
recovered fiber, including 50 percent postconsumer fiber.
After learning that this brand would be discontinued in
1997, the Agency began investigating which new paper to
purchase.

     EPA's print shop, which is responsible for purchasing
paper through the Government Printing Office (GPO),
suggested that a pilot be conducted to test a paper with at
least 30 percent postconsumer content. This standard was
chosen because it puts the Agency in compliance well ahead
of the December 1998 deadline issued by Executive Order
12873, which requires federal agencies to purchase 30
percent post-consumer copier paper by the end of the year.

     In addition to recycled content, the print shop also
wanted to consider other environmentally preferable product
attributes for the paper it was seeking to buy. With the
help of the EPP program, EPA identified several
environmental attributes related to copier paper and then
determined how to fit the attributes into the procurement
process. GPO is supportive of the goals of the pilot and has
provided invaluable input throughout the process.

     The final contract language will require bidders'
products to meet current GPO performance requirements and
contain a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer recycled
content. Beyond that, bidders also will be invited to
voluntarily document their progress with regards to a number
of additional environmental attributes. Their progress will
then be weighed along with price, in a best-value, rather
than low-bid, procurement approach.

     The details of this innovative paper procurement will
be shared in a pre-bid conference that will convene this
fall. Public feedback on the voluntary attributes will be
welcomed by GPO at the pre-bid conference. The U.S.
Department of Justice, DOE, and the U.S. Department of
Interior have all expressed interest in joining the pilot
project and will soon review the contract language to make
their official commitments.

     For more information on EPA's copier paper pilot
project, please e-mail Russell Clark, EPA, at
<clark.russell@epa.gov>. 
************************************************************


EPP UPCOMING EVENTS

GREEN BUILDING CHALLENGE  98 
October 25 to 28, 1998 
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Contact: Nils Larsson, 
Phone: 613 769-1242, 
Fax: 613 996-9416, 
E-mail: larsson@greenbuilding.ca.

Attendees: Green building researchers, designers,
developers, and investors.


ECOEXPO 1999 
May 3 to 5, 1999 
Anaheim, CA.

National Marketplace for the Environment, 800 334-3976.

Attendees: Federal procurement, contract, maintenance, and
managerial personnel.

Private-sector attendees: procurement and environmental
officers, engineers, designers, office managers, fleet
managers, marketing and sales executives, consultants, and
investors.


84TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PURCHASING CONFERENCE AND
EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT 
May 23 to 26, 1999 
San Diego Marriott & Marina, San Diego, CA.

Contact: Jolene Gulley or Judy Welp, Phone: 800 888-6276,
Ext. 3008 or 3049.

Attendees: Senior buyers, purchasing agents, purchasing and
materials managers, directors and vice presidents of
purchasing and materials.

For a list of other EPP events, or to post an event of your
own, refer to the EPP Web site at
<www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp>.


EPP RESOURCES

One-Stop Shopping for Green Product Standards Information

     The EPP Team is developing a database that will give
federal purchasers and others access to U.S. and
international green product standards for a variety of
products. Initial research for product information on
existing Internet resources has been completed, and a draft
structure for the database has been created. To assure that
this resource is user friendly and meets the needs of
federal purchasers, the EPP Team is in the process of
obtaining user input on the database's structure. After
revisions are made, the database will be beta tested before
it is made publicly available. Future phases of the database
will include links to existing federal, state, and local
specifications in contracts for greener products, as well as
standards information. For more information on this effort
or to learn how you can provide comments on the draft
structure, please e-mail Holly Elwood at
<elwood.holly@epa.gov>.


Learning from the Private Sector 

     Many companies in the United States and abroad have
already attained impressive results from their environmental
purchasing efforts. These "recipes of success" also can be
applied to the public sector. The EPP Team is currently
compiling data on these corporate efforts and plans to
publish a corporate case study report, in both hard copy and
on the EPP Web site. For more information on this research,
e-mail Holly Elwood at <Elwood.Holly@epa.gov>.


EPP on the Web 

     EPA's new EPP Web site will be available on the
Internet at <www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp> by mid-October.
You'll find useful information on the EPP program, access to
EPP publications, examples of EPP success stories,
environmental purchasing tools for purchasers and suppliers,
and information on upcoming EPP events. The new EPP Web site
also will feature a discussion bulletin board in an effort
to collect and share information related to environmental
purchasing. EPA will continue to improve and expand the Web
site features in the future, so check the site frequently.


EPPNET Provides Forum for Discussion 

     The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) hosts EPPNET, an
environmentally preferable products discussion list server.
EPPNET provides an open forum for posting and discussing
news and information on the procurement of environmentally
preferable products such as product specifications, vendor
lists, pricing, strategies to achieve EPP goals, and federal
procurement policies. EPPNET is open to all public and
private sector procurement officials and advocates of
environmentally preferable procurement. To subscribe to
EPPNET, send an e-mail to <epratt@sover.net> describing your
job and place of employment. NERC pre-approves all EPPNET
members. Also, send an e-mail message to
<lyris@aladdin.webrover.com> with SUBSCRIBE EPPNET<FIRST
NAME> <LAST NAME> on the subject line or in the body of the
message. If you have questions about EPPNET, or if you
experience problems with the server, contact Ellen Pratt
with NERC at <epratt@sover.net> or 802 254-3636.


Massachusetts Case Study Available Soon 

     Green Spending--A Case Study of Massachusetts'
Environmental Purchasing Program (EPA742-R-98- 002) is the
most recent EPP publication. The case study describes how
Massachusetts incorporated environmental attributes into its
purchasing process and how it spread the word to
Commonwealth purchasers about the importance of buying
environmental products. This publication, as well as all
other EPP documents, can be obtained free of charge by
calling EPA's Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse
at 202 260-1023, by e-mailing PPIC at <ppic@epa.gov>, or by
accessing the EPP Web site at <www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp>.


EPP Pilot Project Group List 

     Interested in learning more about the EPP program's
pilot projects? EPP created a group e-mail list to keep
interested parties updated on pilot project activities and
opportunities. To be added to the group list, e-mail your
request to <epp.pilot@epa.gov>.