Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 56.94
Liaison Scott Morgan
Submission Date Dec. 21, 2023

STARS v2.2

Evergreen State College, The
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.50 / 3.00 Shaina Thompson
Graduate Sustainability Fellow
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Institution-wide sustainable procurement policies

Does the institution have written policies, guidelines, or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across multiple commodity categories institution-wide?:
Yes

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
https://des.wa.gov/purchase/how-use-statewide-contracts/green-purchasing

Evergreen also has a Greenhouse Gas Reduction policy: https://www.evergreen.edu/policies/ghg

Part 2. Life Cycle Cost Analysis 

Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
Institution employs LCCA as a matter of policy and standard practice when evaluating all energy- and water-using products, systems and building components

A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
Life-cycle Cost assessments are required by RCW 39.35 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=39.35D), with particular emphasis upon renewable energy systems and total energy costs, for all publicly-owned new construction or renovations over 25,000 gsf and district energy systems. The analyses are managed/supported by WA Department of Enterprise Services.

Part 3. Product-specific sustainability criteria

To count, the criteria must address the specific sustainability challenges and impacts associated with products and/or services in each category, e.g. by requiring or giving preference to multi-criteria sustainability standards, certifications and labels appropriate to the category. Broader, institution-wide policies should be reported in Part 1, above. 

Chemically intensive products and services

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Avoiding persistent, bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs) in state purchasing:
Chapter 173-333 WAC defines PBT chemicals and recognize that PBTs “pose a unique threat to human health and the environment in Washington state. They remain in the environment for long periods of time, are hazardous to the health of humans and wildlife, can build up in the food chain, and can be transported long distances and readily move between air, land and water media.” It also states, “The goal of this chapter is to reduce and phase-out PBT uses, releases and
exposures in Washington.”
EO 04-01: Persistent Toxic Chemicals directs state employees to avoid purchasing products containing PBTs, stating:
1. DES shall make available for purchase and use by all state agencies equipment,
supplies, and other products that do not contain persistent, toxic chemicals unless there is no feasible alternative. In circumstances where a product that does not contain persistent, toxic chemicals is not available, preference shall be given to the purchase of products that contain the least amount of persistent, toxic chemicals.
2. Each state agency, as part of its Sustainability Plan, shall adopt measures to
reduce the use of equipment, supplies, and other products that contain persistent, toxic chemicals.

Consumable office products

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
Policy Statement
The Evergreen State College is committed to using environmentally benign products and technologies whenever possible. The College supports protecting forest ecosystems and wildlife habitat and using manufacturing processes that minimize erosion and replenish soil nutrients. The General Use Paper Purchasing Policy promotes these principles. Because bioaccumulative and persistent toxic effluent resulting from the chlorine bleach used in pulp and paper processing damage aquatic ecosystems and human health, the College endorses the production and use of paper that is not bleached with chlorine and chlorine derivatives and will, whenever possible, purchase 100% post-consumer recycled paper and/or paper made without trees. This policy will apply to paper used in College offices, in copy machines campus-wide and in student computing laboratories.

https://www.evergreen.edu/policies/paperpurchasing

Furniture and furnishings

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
---

Information Technology (IT) and equipment

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
Evergreen is subject to Washington State purchasing criteria, which define a preference for "gold rated EPEAT registered electronic products", as well as minimal criteria.


5.2.h. ELECTRONIC PRODUCT PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS
As required by state law under RCW 43.19.539, the OSP has established the following
purchasing preferences for electronic products:
• Purchasing activities will purchase gold rated EPEAT registered electronic products.
When gold rated products are not available, are not life cycle cost efficient, and do not
meet reasonable performance standards; the purchasing activity may acquire silver
rated electronic products. Information including a searchable product registry on
EPEAT-registered computer products is available at www.epeat.net.
• Purchasing activities will acquire RoHS compliant electronic products; provided such
products are available, are life cycle cost efficient, and meet reasonable performance
requirements. RoHS compliant electronic products must carry the RoHS label or
indicate in its product literature that RoHS requirements have been met.
• Information about RoHS requirements can be found at www.rohs.gov.uk.
• When acquiring electronic products that do not have an EPEAT ranking or a RoHS
certification, the purchasing activity are to grant a preference to those products with the
least hazardous materials. The purchasing activity may consider other product
environmental certifications in their award criteria if the result would reduce or
eliminate hazardous materials.

http://des.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/documents/ContractingPurchasing/Washington-Purchasing-Manual.pdf

Food service providers

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

4.1 Sustainability
Sustainability and Social Justice Issues are complex and deeply interdependent, possessing dimensions that are constantly changing. In recognizing this, The College has established the Sustainability & Social Justice Advisory Committee which addresses Dining at Evergreen, and operates in an oversight, planning and advisory capacity to attend to these changing factors as they pertain to food purchasing.

The College holds ARAMARK to high standards in our partnership toward a more sustainable and socially just future of food at Evergreen. However, as factors inevitably change over time, there may be instances in which both parties agree to something now that is made impossible to achieve in the future. For these rare, but realistic inevitabilities, this contract includes a “fair out” offered for situations that are beyond our control, which applies throughout this section: “3.1 Sustainability” of the contract, and will be implemented at the discretion of The College.
ARAMARK is expected to work with The Evergreen State College to continue to develop current (and whenever possible, implement new) sustainable practices defined by the Sustainability Council and the Sustainability and Social Justice Advisory Committee. Implementation of new strategies and practices will be mutually agreed upon by both The College and ARAMARK. The College expects ARAMARK to work with The College to implement these practices in a manner equaling or exceeding campus standards pertaining to, but not limited to, the following sections:

4.1.1 Energy Consumption
ARAMARK is expected to maintain utility consumption levels at a reasonable level making fair allowance for material growth in customer counts and/or meals served. ARAMARK will be expected to manage utility costs through energy saving practices such as turning off equipment when not in use, closing cooler doors, and identifying problem areas and recommending ideas for efficiencies and reduction.
Wherever possible and as metering exists, ARAMARK and College will jointly develop performance benchmarks to guide this cost reduction and responsible energy consumption. ARAMARK will promote energy conservation, including the education and training of ARAMARK staff in ways to use energy more responsibly.
Should ARAMARK not meet the jointly developed targets, the costs for the consumption above those targeted levels, this will be considered by The College in the following year’s rate discussions.

4.1.2 Recycling
ARAMARK must use Evergreen’s current recycling program and is expected to continue the program evolves and expands. ARAMARK will make proper efforts to sort, break down, and otherwise properly prepare recyclable materials to maximize efficiency of participation with this program.

4.1.3 Purchase and Transport of Food
ARAMARK will work with The College to ensure that, to the fullest extent practicable; suppliers used in the Food Service Program work to minimize their environmental impact through the effective use of ecologically sustainable techniques. ARAMARK will actively work on reducing the amount of deliveries to campus, and look for ways to reduce packaging of supplies and materials. (I.e. communicating with distributor and increasing efficiency of individual trip loads, as well as buying in bulk whenever possible, which will help to advance both of these goals.)

4.1.4 Sustainable Food Procurement
ARAMARK will work with The College to meet or exceed Evergreen’s commitment to increase local, organic, and sustainable procurement. ARAMARK will work with The College and its Sustainability and Social Justice Advisory Committee when identifying criteria for sustainable purchasing for the Food Service Program. Further, ARAMARK will work with The College regarding The College’s interest in utilizing comprehensive metrics to measure procurement, specifically the Real Food Calculator, in addition to AASHE STARS, though preferable alternatives may emerge in the future.

The criteria and methodologies may be further expanded by the Sustainability and Social Justice Advisory Committee in coordination with ARAMARK.

The Sustainability and Social Justice Advisory Committee will assess the metrics after this first year, and will work with The College and ARAMARK to develop an updated set of criteria for the Food Service Program. The Flaming Eggplant Café, the Organic Farm and the Bookstore, may perform all metrics that ARAMARK is required to perform. This will provide continuity in comparing results, and ensures all food providers on campus are held to the same basic standards of assessment. The Real Food Calculator, as it is a new metric on campus, will operate under the following structure for its launch year and will be further developed in consecutive Academic Years:

For the duration of the first year using the new metric, the responsibility for coordinating the process of performing the calculations will be shared by ARAMARK’s Sustainability Intern and The College’s Sustainability and Social Justice Dining Coordinator. As this is a metric designed to be performed by students, the process could likely be supported by a number of different individuals in the future (with the possibility of the two Sustainability students supervising or overseeing committed Campus Food Coalition members, or students in a program or Independent Learning Contract [ILC] that would perform the Calculator as part of their academic learning.) At the end of this first year exploring the use of the third-party metric of the Real Food Calculator, the ARAMARK Sustainability Intern and The College’s Sustainability and Social Justice Dining Coordinator will deliver a presentation to the campus, to the Sustainability Council, ARAMARK Management about the process and results of the calculations. This presentation will offer a clear comparison of results derived from the AASHE STARS metric versus Real Food Calculator, and will establish a baseline to compare the two by in the future.

ARAMARK will partner with The College on the development of a sustainable food purchasing policy to address the expansion of a sustainable foods program. ARAMARK will work with the Sustainability and Social Justice Advisory Committee to develop the following tasks:

1. Define Evergreen’s criteria and parameters for sustainable foods (i.e. mileage requirements, humane treatment of animals, or certification requirements)

2. Research and survey the campus community through focus groups, intercepts, and a formal
Survey to garner support and commitment for the program.

3. Develop purchasing/financial parameters for the program.

4. Address communication of The Committee’s policy with the campus community.

5. Determine transparency and tracking requirements and frequency.

ARAMARK is expected to work in conjunction with The College to continue progress in this area throughout the contract, with discussion and analysis pertaining to considerations of cost, benefit, supply, and demand.
ARAMARK will continue working with the Organic farm to purchase as much produce as possible. ARAMARK will join in quarterly meetings with the farm manager to continue a relationship and plan on future growing plans.

4.1.5 Energy Management
ARAMARK will ensure that management, kitchen, and serving operations use resources efficiently through the effective deployment of resource-saving practices and technology. Ideally, we should see a trend of increasing efficiency and reduced consumption. However, serving customers is the first and foremost priority. Should customer usage or traffic increase dramatically from one year to the next, this information will be factored into the comprehensive assessment.

4.1.6 Waste Management
ARAMARK, in partnership with The College, will implement programs to reduce the waste produced in connection with the Food Service Program. Mechanisms to reduce food waste such as composting when possible should be maintained. Efforts to minimize packaging and other waste should be taken, and more ecologically-sensitive disposable products should be used when possible. The College has been tray-less since 2008 and ARAMARK will continue this practice.

4.1.7 Sustainability and Social Justice Education
Educating the community about the food service being provided on campus is crucial. Special attention to the sustainability initiatives including transparency around food procurement is essential. ARAMARK will continually evaluate and update sustainability practices. Campus dining is situated as an innovator in food service sustainability, and programs should be put in place to educate the customer/student body about innovations and reasons for operations decisions in food service. In addition, the ability to work with academic programs when possible should be explored and increased when possible. ARAMARK’s Sustainability Intern will in tandem with The College’s Sustainability and Social Justice Dining Coordinator facilitate a dialogue with the campus community, engaging with students, staff and faculty about campus dining and how it relates to the broader themes of sustainability and social justice.

4.1.8 Ban the Bottle
ARAMARK will not sell bottled water on campus with the exception of offering it in boxed lunches, for summer conferences, and for large events where water stations may be cost prohibitive. ARAMARK will work with The College to investigate alternatives and methods to decrease or offset the impact of bottled water consumption in these rare exceptions.

4.1.9 Fryer Oil Waste
ARAMARK will divert 100% of all fryer oil waste. ARAMARK will be responsible for this diversion process, and will sustain a relationship with a cooking oil recycling service. Proper disposal is key, however, beyond responsible waste dumping, The College prefers that ARAMARK seek out a partner that will up-cycle the waste oil, recycling it into usable biodiesel, or other similar projects.

4.1.10 Seafood Purchases
ARAMARK will follow Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program guidelines, as applicable, when purchasing.

4.1.11 Farm to Fork Meals
Each quarter ARAMARK will host a Farm to Fork meal in celebration of the campus and community’s commitment to sustainable food. Local farmers and local partners will be invited to participate in these events. These events will be put on in partnership with the Sustainable and Social Justice Advisory Committee.

4.1.12 Food Donations and EBT
ARAMARK will have a plan to minimize food waste and to donate unused food to the community. ARAMARK will work with non-profit and similar organizations (e.g., Food Donation Connection, the Thurston County Food Bank etc.) to combat hunger regionally and to donate unused food on a regular basis. ARAMARK will keep records of these donations and update the community on a quarterly basis about their donation efforts.
ARAMARK’s Sustainability Intern and The College’s Sustainability and Social Justice Dining Coordinator will work together to act as liaisons to both the Food Pantry and the larger Food Bank Satellite at The College. This cooperative work will be essential after catering events with leftover food, minimizing the amount of time food is left out, its potential redistribution is maximized. Catering events occurring on the day that the Food Bank Satellite operates will be highlighted for rapid assessment, and if practicable, donation of usable foodstuffs to the on campus Food Bank Satellite.
ARAMARK will investigate the Corner Store Point of Sale system as a Food Stamps eligible location, and if it is determined unfeasible this year, ARAMARK will use commercially reasonable efforts to work with The College to pursue this when it is possible. ARAMARK will explore promoting and expanding the access to dining services through utilizing other state support for food assistance, such as “Basic Food”, “WIC”, and others. ARAMARK will pursue options for offering additional programs and services such as reduced-cost meal plans for students, staff and faculty experiencing poverty and low-income situations.

4.1.13 Sustainability Internships
ARAMARK will hire and pay for sustainability student intern(s) to assist with assessment and reporting of sustainable food sourcing and other efforts. This intern will work with the Sustainability and Social Justice Advisory Committee. The Sustainability Intern will be expected to conduct assessments based on criteria approved by The College, to help with information sharing around sustainability efforts and report findings to the community quarterly.

Garments and linens 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
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Professional service providers

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
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Transportation and fuels

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
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Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable procurement program or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.