Government Eco-Action Mon: Fairfax Eco Purchasing

If you think about the sheer quantity of goods that local governments and schools procure  – ranging from pencils and printers to computers and cars – it only makes sense to examine the eco-effects of such purchases. Last week, FairfaxCounty Executive Anthony H. Griffin signed a memorandum directing county departments to do just that.

The Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policy aims to help purchasing decision makers buy products and services offering the best value and the least environmental impact.

Led by the Department of Purchasing and Supply Management (DPSM), the primary procurement agency for the Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the policy was established in conjunction with an interagency team that includes FCPS, along with the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Park Authority.

Government and school purchasers will have access to Web-based tools for finding eco-friendly goods and services, support for the purchase of items with recycled content and those with “take-back programs,” and contract purchasing specifications that factor in environmental considerations.

As quoted in the county’s press release, DPSM director Cathy Muse explained, “We want to provide information and resources to county employees to help them purchase quality products and services that reduce or eliminate unnecessary environmental impacts.”

While the policy doesn’t appear to be mandatory or have any measure of enforceability – at least not yet – it is nonetheless a good start. In addition, the policy promotes waste reduction through the DPSM auction program – including a new online auction (still in pilot phase) – which sells surplus items no longer used by the county, diverting items that might otherwise have been sent to landfills.

For more information about the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policy, contact Patti Innocenti at 703-324-2261 or Chris McGough at 703-324-3288, TTY 800-828-1140.

Photo Credit: Flickr CC User Haole Punk