Going Green Seminar

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• Going Green Seminar
• Presented by
• Karl Bruskotter, City of Santa Monica
• September 26th, 2008

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City of Santa Monica

• Population 90,000
• City employees 1,890
• 600 million tourism economy
• City provided services include Police, Fire,
  Water and Wastewater, Utilities, Solid Waste
  Collection, Municipal Bus System

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Challenges Facing California

• 37 million Californians
• Population increases 600,000/year
• Creates more demand
• Water, Energy, Materials
• Products/Services
• Also creates more
• Pollution
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• 12th largest
• Waste

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Smog and Indoor Air Quality

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) contribute to
  photochemical smog and poor IAQ
• Consumer products are 2 source of VOCs
• Ex. Cleaning products, paints, graffiti
  removers, floor care, aerosol products

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Santa Monica Bay Pollutants

• Constituents of Concern identified in the
  Santa Monica Bay Restoration Plan mercury,
  copper, others
• All drains lead to the ocean

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End of Life Disposal Concerns
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Procurement Policies and Programs

• Ordinances
• Tropical Rainforest Wood (1990)
• Ozone-depleting Chemicals (1991)
• Non-Recyclable Plastic Disposable Food Packaging
  (2007)
• Council Adopted Policies
• Vehicle Management Program (1993)
• Renewable Energy (1999)
• Administrative Instructions
• Not mandated by City Council
• Purchase of Energy-Efficient Office Equipment,
  Recycled Products Procurement and
  Toxics-Use-Reduction

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Santa Monica Sustainable City Plan

• Purpose
• The Sustainable City Plan was created to enhance
  our resources, prevent harm to the natural
  environment and human health, and benefit the
  social and economic well-being of the community
  for the sake of current and future generations

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Sustainable City Pan Goal AreasGoal represent
commitments for both municipal operations and the
community as a whole
www.smepd.org/scpr
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Sustainable Procurement Indicator

• Indicator Number of categories of city
  purchased products that meet established
  purchasing criteria and standards.
• Target By 2010, 20 purchased product categories
  converted from conventional to environmentally
  preferable.
• Transition average of 5 products per year.

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Resource ConservationGoals Decrease consumption
of non-local, non-renewable, non-recyclable
energy, water, materials and fuels and promote
renewable resource use

• Solid Waste
• Water Use
• Energy Use
• Renewable Energy
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Ecological Footprint
• Sustainable Procurement
• Green Construction

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Targeted Product Categories
Carpet Food Packaging Computers Copy and Printing
Paper Janitorial Paper Supplies Office
Supplies Furniture Lumber or wood products Office
Equipment Toner cartridges Vehicles
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Product-Specific Attributes

• Reduce
• Reusable
• Durability
• Recycled Content
• Energy and water efficiency
• Biobased
• Low toxicity

• Renewable resources
• Packaging
• End of Life issues
• Low-VOC
• PBT-free
• Others

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To Avoid Greenwashing
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Renewable Energy

• First City in the US to choose 100 renewable
  energy
• Geothermal and now waste to energy
• Solar Santa Monica initiative

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Paper Products

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Electronic ProductEnvironmental
Assessment Tool
Multi-Tier Label
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Office Equipment

• Administrative instruction for Purchase of
  Energy Efficient Office Equipment
• Energy efficiency and other environmental
  attributes
• Eco-labeled office electronics
• Getting away from single use printers and using
  networked printers
• Remanufactured toner cartridges

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Office Supplies

• Reduce, reuse and recycle
• Office Depot Green Book
• Blocked items on Office Depot site

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Water Efficiency

• Low Flow toilets Reduce, reuse and recycle
• Waterless urinals
• Drip irrigation

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Energy and Water Efficiency

• Energy Star rated appliances and equipment
• Water Sense rated appliances and equipment

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Reduced Emissions Fuels Policy
Vehicles that are less polluting, such as those
running on alternative fuels
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Furniture

• Repairable vs. disposable
• Low-emitting materials
• Greenguard certified
• Recycled content
• ANSI/BIFMA furniture emissions standards

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• Recycled content
• Indoor air quality
• CRI Green Label and Green Label Plus
• Take-back program
• Cleaning and Maintenance
• Flooring and floor care maintenance

Carpet and Flooring
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Environmental and Public HealthGoals
Minimize/eliminate the use of hazardous and toxic
materials and the levels of pollutants entering
the air, soil and water

• Santa Monica Bay Health
• Waste Water
• Vehicle Miles Traveled
• Air Quality
• Household Hazardous Waste
• City Purchase of Hazardous Materials
• Toxic Air Contaminants
• Urban Runoff
• Local Produce _at_ City Facilities
• Farmers Market
• Restaurant Food
• Food Choices

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City Purchase of Hazardous Materials Indicator

• Indicator The volume and/or toxicity of
  hazardous materials purchased by city operations.
• Target By 2010, decrease the volume and/or
  toxicity of 20 hazardous materials purchased by
  the city.
• Transition average of 5 products per year.

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Targeted Hazardous Materials
Diesel Fluorescent lamps Cleaning
products Graffiti removers and anti-graffiti
coatings Rodenticides Treated wood Paints
Brake cleaners Pesticides
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Chemical Safety in the US

• Testing chemicals for harm flammability,
  reactivity, skin and eye irritation, acute
  toxicity, carcinogenesis bioassays.
• Thalidomide treatment for nausea, which caused
  severe deformities in over 8,000 children.
• 1,000s of new chemicals being developed every
  year, which undergo minimal testing for impact on
  health.
• 103 chemicals added to Proposition 65 list in
  past 5 years.
• Brominated flame retardants, PFOA (Teflon) and
  Vioxx.
• Is it even possible to know the effects
  chemicals in our environment will have on humans
  and wildlife?

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Carcinogens and Reproductive Toxins

• Proposition 65 warning This product contains
  chemical that are known to the State of
  California to cause cancer or reproductive harm
• Cancer causing agents Ex. asbestos, benzene,
  sun exposure, cigarette smoke, diesel exhaust
• Reproductive toxicants Ex. Mercury, arsenic,
  alcohol

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Human exposure to chemicals

• Eye and skin irritation corrosive ingredients
• Skin absorbers 2-butoxyethanol
• Acute effects, including central nervous system
  (CNS) carbon monoxide
• Chronic effects to liver or kidney damage, CNS
  effects chlorinated hydrocarbons, N-hexane
• Neurotoxins N-hexane
• Respiratory toxins smoke, diesel exhaust,
  asbestos

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Evaluating chemical products services

• Do you need the product or service?
• Can you buy a less-toxic product or service?
• Can you reduce exposure?

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Cleaning Products

• High volume, daily use products
• Certified products
• Air fresheners and disinfecting sprays

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Pest Control

• Integrated pest management
• Pesticides prohibited within city operations

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Pesticides

• Agriculture vs. Urban
• Perimeter sprays
• No pesticides used at parks and dog play areas
• A word about weed killers
• Flying insect spray and foggers
• Pest fact sheets

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Lamps and Lighting

• Energy efficiency
• Lamp life
• Mercury content
• Quality of light

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Maintenance

• Sidewalk cleaning products
• Graffiti removers and anti-graffiti coatings
• Painting

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Vehicles and maintenance

• Diesel exhaust
• Re-refined motor oil
• Aqueous-based parts washers
• Brake cleaners

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Elements for Success

• Humans
• Support from the top
• EPP teams stakeholder groups
• Progress, not perfection
• Inspect what you expect
• Celebrate successes

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Obstacles to Successful Green Purchasing

• Humans
• Issue of low bid
• Neophobia
• Product performance
• Burden of criteria development and product
  evaluation

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California Product Stewardship Council
(CPSC) www.caproductstewardship.org
MISSION To shift Californias product waste
management system from one focused on government
funded and ratepayer financed waste diversion to
one that relies on producer responsibility in
order to reduce public costs and drive
improvements in product design.
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• If you think youre too small to make a
  difference, then youve never spent the night in
  a tent with a mosquito.
• - Canadian First
  Nations Elder
• karl.bruskotter_at_smgov.net
• www.smepd.org