Green workplace: City of L.A. to buy green

This week's eco-topic: Green workplace

The City of L.A.'s offices will be getting greener! On Tuesday, the L.A. City Council approved an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing statement and program, committing the city to opting for eco-friendly products whenever possible. The city council also voted to request that the Boards of the Harbor, Water and Power, and Airport Commissioners adopt similar green purchasing program policies.

L.A.'s already been slowly greening its purchases, according to Jane Paul, a researcher and consultant with the enviro-coalition Green L.A., which has worked with the city to move this policy forward. In fact, L.A. even approved funding for this green purchasing effort last year; some of that money went to hiring two people in the General Services Department to help carry out this policy.

Now, the green purchasing policy's official. Says Jane: "That means that the city's many millions of purchasing dollars will begin to go to the right places: products that are recycled, recyclable, have reuse in their life cycle, minimal packaging, eliminate uncertified hardwoods, reduced energy /water consumption, heavy metal free, are biodegradable, reduced greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing, made from renewables, low toxicity, etc., etc."

Of course, product cost and quality issues will remain key. The policy calls for "purchasing and using recycled and other environmentally preferable products whenever possible, while recognizing that their principal requirements are product performance and fiscal responsibility." You can read more details of this policy in the Tuesday's City Council Agenda (PDF).

Other California cities that have developed similar environmentally preferable purchasing programs include Santa Monica and San Francisco. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has more details on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing policies around the country.