In June 2013, the Ray C. Anderson Foundation awarded a Sustaining Grant to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for the development of a sustainable procurement toolkit for facility managers, planners, administrators, faculty and students at colleges and universities around the world. The “Sustainable Procurement Toolkit” was launched in June 2014 and is available as a free download through AASHE.
According to AASHE, "Higher education is in a unique position to model a sustainable economy while also influencing and benefitting from sustainable purchasing decisions. Supporting markets for environmentally preferable computers and other electronic products, switching to green cleaning and janitorial products, purchasing recycled-content and third party certified office paper, supporting the triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental health, and social equity through their procurement activities, employing Life Cycle Cost Analysis, and influencing the guidelines for the vendors, contractors and franchisees with which they do business, are just a few ways that higher education institutions are transforming their campuses and the economy.”
The Sustainable Procurement Toolkit includes four webinars, as well as helpful links to other online tools, sustainable business directories and sustainability certifications.
Sustainable Procurement in Higher Education: A Focus on Apparel – March 2013
Empowering Procurement to Transform Your Campus and the Economy – October 2013
Contributing to a Sustainability Culture on Campus through Purchasing and STARS – November 2013
The Impact of Sustainable Purchasing Decisions – April 2014
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