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Dear Colleagues, As you know, Yale is moving towards becoming a sustainable institution, which will lead to decisions that sustain the health and well-being of our community and environment as well as result in lower energy costs. Building on our past sustainability efforts and energized by the newly created Office of Sustainability, students, staff and faculty have been actively engaged in a variety of issues related to energy conservation, transportation policy, waste reduction and procurement. The development and endorsement of these new sustainable procurement standards is the result of multi-departmental efforts and collaboration. We are pleased to announce and support two new initiatives that go into effect immediately: Recycled Paper Standard. We are setting the expectation of a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled paper for departments purchasing bond and copy paper for FAS departments and urging the same standard for self-support schools. A campus-wide commitment will double the amount of 30% post-consumer paper currently used by the University. Our long-term goal is to use 100% recycled paper by 2008. Our research demonstrates that our initial goal of 30% post-consumer paper will not involve an increase in costs for most departments. We also continue to encourage paper reduction practices which will lead to cost savings in procurement and disposal. The single largest action you can take is to encourage double-sided copies as the standard in your office. Order your 30% post-consumer paper the next time that you place your Corporate Express order - ask for #CEB8511RCY. For further information go to http://www.yale.edu/procurement. If you have specific questions, please contact Martha Crawford in the Purchasing Department at 432-9986. Energy Star Standard. When purchasing electronic devices such as computers, audio-visual equipment, and refrigerators, we ask you to choose products that are rated as Energy Star. Our analysis of typical expenditures indicates that this simple change will prevent the emissions of more than 234 tons of C02 and reduce electricity use by approximately 650,000 kwh each year. For more information on Energy Star products go to http://www.energystar.gov. If you have specific questions about Energy Star products, please contact Anthony Kulikowski at 432-9964 or Steve Arnold at 432-9984 in the Purchasing Department. We greatly appreciate your support of these practices in your department. If you have additional ideas or would like to learn more about Yale's Office of Sustainability, email julie.newman@yale.edu or go to http://www.yale.edu/sustainability Andrew Hamilton, Provost
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