Katie Newcomb:
Hi everyone, I’m Katie Newcomb, sustainable operations coordinator for
region six and I’ll be facilitating today. We have a great webinar for you.
The topic is Green Purchasing Tools for Success. We’ll be covering three
main topics. The first will be an introduction to the green purchasing
team and the green purchasing demonstration toolkit. The second will be
information about green leasing requirements and resources. Then last
we’ll hear about the Northwest Earth Institute with great learning
opportunities.
I’d like to turn it over to our first speakers. I’ll be introducing the green
purchasing team and the demonstration toolkit. Diane Berry is the Public
Affairs Specialist on the Huron-Manistee National Forest and David Easter
is the purchasing agent at the Forest Projects Lab in Minnesota. Diane,
whenever you’re ready.
Diane Berry:
OK, thank you Katie. Thank you all for joining us today. I’m honored to be
participating in today’s learning series. My green roots go deep and my
photo, the top right displays my home project. That’s the solar ray that I
installed in 2009 and I actually sell it yesterday to our local utilities. Back,
as a college student, in ’75 I helped get Michigan’s returnable bottle, the
bottle bill on the ballot here in Michigan. When I moved to northern
Michigan I helped bring recycling in to this community of 10,000 people
and it was strictly a volunteer effort. As I mentioned, 2009, invested in
solar electricity and my home front and also installed a hot water system
and I am the only resident in the city to have such a system.
Then active member of the Huron-Manistee National Forest Green Team
and last year we did receive the Eastern's Regions Walk the Talk for
Sustainability Award for the effort that we had implemented during 2011
and 2012. Those accomplishments were shared. Last October you may
have heard me speak of those accomplishments during a [inaudible
00:02:18] seminar. Both David Easter and myself, during the National
Green Participating Team late last fall under the lead of Linda Dulak,
region six, who is also joining us here today. Thank you Linda. Linda
retired last December and we really are working hard to carry on her
enthusiasm and dedication to the Green Purchasing Team. Linda, please
jump in at any time to further enhance our presentation today.
With that I will show the first slide. The outline today is to first talk about
the deliverables from this team. The network, this is not a stand-alone
effort as you will soon see. The climate change score card, Green
Purchasing has a very strong role in the score card element. Purchasing
resources or the wealth of information readily available to you through
the demonstration toolkit which will also be discussed.
Move to the next slide please. The toolkit was developed to help the
units comply with the various directives, executive orders that we are
required to comply with. The federal agencies were directed by both
congress and the President, of course, to be good stewards of the
environment by conserving energy and other resources. Executive order
13423, The [inaudible 00:04:12] Federal Environmental Energy and
Transportation Management mandates Green Purchasing even at the
micro-purchaser level.
Green Purchasing is not always as easy as one may hope. The toolkit was
developed to collaborate said effort to really assess and make it easy for
people to use and provide the resources readily available at your
fingertips. The next slide please. The toolkit is not static. I wanted to … I
should mention the deliverable … The purchasing team has an ongoing
role with this effort by making sure that those resources are kept up to
date and providing those links. Also, again it’s assisting in the reporting to
Element 10.
The collaboration is shown here on the slide, the network. You see on the
left it includes you because each of us are directly responsible for how
we, the purchaser divisions of our agencies and we do have a role to play.
We are a key component. It’s not just the management’s responsibility.
It’s everyone’s individual responsibility to work towards sustainable
operations. Altering how and what we purchase is really one of the most
direct ways that we can positively influence our environment.
The next slide, please. The climate change score card launched in 2010.
The score card is used by all national forests and grasslands to report
their annual progress in 10 score card elements. Green purchasing
includes seven of the 66 sustainability action elements as shown on the
next slide. This slide depicts the percent yes by the Green Purchasing
action items based on two years, fiscal year ’11 and fiscal year ’12
reporting. Action item three saw the highest increase in the percent yes
at 23%.
That action item three is referring to the Green Purchasing training.
Training is a key element for Green Purchasing. As you all leaders see that
the training will apply to five different user groups from the micropurchaser, contracting officers, managers. We’re really trying to have a
useful tool that’s easily assessable, user friendly and is going to make a
big difference and help all of us get to yes on our score card reporting. I
will mention region one, the Administrative Center for Excellence,
purchasers receive training to ag-learn.
In addition to intensive green purchasing training made available directly
to their management and that’s in region two, the San Juan National
Forest was one of the first units to incorporate green cleaning supply
purchasing policy in a stand-torial contract. Region six also had another
forest participate in the sustainable operations collectives initiative to
green fire camps. We say a lot about that lately.
Next slide, please. This is just a short list, as it says, of some of the
websites where the sustainable operations information is housed. This
will be further discussed later in the presentation and there are links to
all of these sources within the toolkit itself.
Next slide, please. This is Green Purchasing. The FDA’s Green Purchasing
sustainable program defines in purchasing as a purchase and use of
recycled content products, energy star and energy efficient products, biobased products, environmentally preferable products and services, the
EPEAT- Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool registered
products, water efficient products, non-ozone depleting substances and
non-toxic or less toxic chemicals. That definition is in accordance with the
Executive Order 13514 which is the Federal Leadership and
Environmental and Economic Performance was defined in October of
2009 as well as other legislative and executive order requirement.
That executive orders really compile several federal acts related to
energy conservation as you’ll see in reference to the recycled content
products, the Resource Conservation Recover Act- RCRA, requires the
purchase of recycled content products designated by EPA- Environmental
Protection Agency and these products are also known as a
comprehensive [inaudible 00:10:31] guideline items. Some of those
examples that readily come to mind would include the recycled content
copier paper, other paper products, notebook binders, remanufactured
toner cartridges.
Some of the energy efficient products come under the Energy Policy Act
of 2005, as well as an agency directive and that requires agencies that
purchase energy star products or energy efficient products designated by
the department of energies, Federal Energy Management ProgramFEMP, as well as the products that would use minimal standby power.
Some of those examples would include water heaters, gas or electric ice
machines, boilers and chillers.
The bio-based products fall under the Farm Bill of Farm Security and
Rural Investment Act of 2002 which requires the purchase of bio-based
products designated by USDA. These products will be made from
feedstock devised from farm products, farm crops and residues, also can
contain wood byproducts. Such examples would include lubricants,
greasers, all system bathroom cleaning products, hand soaps and other
cleaning products.
The environmentally preferable products and services, again an executive
order 13323 emphasizes significance of these and can be viable
alternatives to products that contain hazardous or toxic chemicals, such
as the cleaning products that we use. Some examples would include paint
with no or low VOC’s, Volatile Organic Carbon Compounds, 100% postconsumer paper that is not chemical de-inked and chlorine free. Green
meetings also falls under this.
The service environmentally preferable products and services, green
meetings are a huge energy saver and I’m here on Huron-Manistee
National Forest we did a quick calculation showing how much was saved,
not just in terms of staff hours, but also energy save, fuel save, the cost
saved by having virtual meetings. Products must be energy efficient.
Those would include scanners, printers, refrigerators and again that same
executive order requires USDA to produce electronic products,
environmental assessment to a register the EPEAT registered electronics
for desktop computers and laptops.
Another category of green purchasing is water efficient products. Some
of those examples would include the high efficient toilets, sinks, faucets,
shower heads, urinals, landscape irrigation systems. In our forest we
installed some rain sensors, such that when it is raining or during a recent
rain event our sprinkler system that’s on automatic timer does not come
on. It senses that there is enough precipitation recently on the ground, in
the air that it shuts off that irrigation system.
A non-ozone depleting substances include such things as aerosol solvents
and propellants, adhesives and coatings, ETA identifies alternatives to
ozone depleting substances to its SNAP program, that’s the Significant
New Alternative Policy and provides recommendations. With these
different categories we have links which identify products, sources of
materials that meet those categories.
Next slide, please. I just want to mention first that with all of those items
listed, the categories of what is part of a Green Purchasing we need to be
aware of what’s often called the Green Washing and that’s mislabeling
with use of such words as natural, organic, pure, environmentally friendly
terms because there’s no one authority that verifies every green claim
made on a product. You really have to look at those certification logos
that I just described. The recycled content, energy efficiency, energy star,
the bio-based, the EPEAT, water assistance, the SNAP and such.
Why do we purchase green? What is this all about? As I started, we each
have a role in purchasing at various levels of our employment, the federal
government. It really does make a difference how we direct our
resources. It’s … Sustainability is a collaborative effort. We have a great
deal of influence on how products and services are purchased. We have
an obligation and a legal requirement. Those legal requirements include
the executive orders I had mentioned, the federal acquisition regulation,
the agricultural acquisition regulation, department and agency policies
and the Presidential memorandum.
The Green Purchasing toolkit, again, does provide links for sources of
information as well as sample contact language for services, such as;
janitorial supply services that are required to use the environmentally
preferred products. Again, the Green Purchasing toolkit is a wonderful
item that will really help all the units that need a boost to get to yes in
element 10, the same with operations.
With that I will turn the presentation over to David Easter who is going to
take a look with you at the toolkit itself. Thank you.
David Easter:
Thank you, Diane and thank everyone for coming and joining our webinar
and this is my first time doing this so I’ll try to slow down and take my
time in going at it. My name is David Easter, I’m with the Forest Product
Laboratories in St. Paul, Minnesota. I became a member of the
sustainable operations after I got fascinated with the Nano cellulous that
they’re producing at the Forest Product Laboratories in Madison,
Wisconsin.
The forest service opened their second processing plant to make this
Nano pulp and I would recommend everyone to go on the Forest Product
Laboratories site and click on the link for Nano cellulose and look at the
future that’s coming with the sustainability of our trees. The forest
service is leading that and I … New things come out every day with the
products I make in this Nano pulp on the trees.
With that we also have Linda Dulak that came out of retirement to come
on to our site here. Linda, are you live with us or are you muted out?
Linda Dulak:
I’m live.
David Easter:
Hi, Linda.
Linda Dulak:
Hi.
David Easter:
Everyone else here, Linda has … This was Linda’s baby, this toolkit.
Unfortunately, she retired before the fruitation came out where it’s going
to be … I think people are going to use this every day in these fields that
are going on. With that, Linda, would you like to go over this here? I know
you’ve started this and [inaudible 00:19:45] problems letting you tell
people what this is about. I’m just sorry that it is not active yet. Hurry up
and wait to everyone out there because soon you’re going to get a notice
that it is live.
Linda Dulak:
Well, the toolkit’s gone through quite a few different changes due to our
acid testing of the website and listening to non-AQM users. We
completely changed … We started at ground zero again in the formatting
of the toolkit, even though the information that we have will be pointing
to hasn’t changed. We listen to those non-purchasing type people and
that’s why it’s taking so long for this to become live because we went
back to the basic and redesigned the whole toolkit and I know we are
very excited that the product that you’re going to be able to use will be
much easier to use and find, tap into all the information.
Green Purchasing sounds like it should be easy, but it’s not and the
reason is the market changes, resources change. There isn’t any one
place that you can go to to find what you’re looking for in purchasing.
Whether it be through contracting or purchasing through GSA, there’s so
many sources. That’s what this toolkit is. The purpose of it is to help you
use the tools that are out there and the resources that are out there to
find what you’re looking for.
I’ll turn it back to you David.
David Easter:
Thank you, Linda. As Linda said, it’s not just an easy click of a button to
purchase green. There’s legal requirements and market changes that go
in this. That’s why we start here with training. We’re going to identify
sources. On your sheets here, if you look at on the bottom we got three
columns and that’s pretty much the standard format you’re going to see
on all of our webpages here. Conferences we’ll list, online webinars and
training we’ll be able to get in there, put those things in there such as the
new data’s classes, the 018 and the 028.
Mark Sable from USDA also has a couple new classes on A-learn that we’ll
put into here. Then we’ve got some PowerPoint exhibits that go on there
with the training. Peer learning series, we can put this demonstration on
there.
Next slide, please. This is what it’s going to look like when you get onto
our site. You’re going to have to identify who you are; contracting officer,
purchase card holder, program manager or core, climate change score
card coordinator, those are on the forest level and then the manager
director of the forest site that is using this climate change to go on there
and compile his information.
Then we’ll go to the next slide. We’ll start off with the contracting officer.
Again, if you just look at the site starting at the top, it’s just our toolkit.
Then to the right of that, common green products. The important thing,
contract language for green purchasing. There are some sites on the IES
website that is suggested language for a contract for bio-based and biopreferred products. That will be on there and it’s easy, cut and paste
answered into any contract that a contracting officer is writing.
Some highlight fun to that, why purchase green? Legal requirements,
mandatory market sources, FPDS instructions that’s a big one, that seems
to be changing. IES instructions, this says it’s under development, but it is
on RES on the main site for forums. Our sustainable program, our USDA
buy out preferred. Second one I had is contract resources. You’ll be able
to go in there and pick out certain things that you can add into a contract.
Find other guides and tips on how to do stuff. Third bullet is the contract
templates which is good. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every
time you have a landscape lawn mowing type of contract where we want
bio-preferred, two cycle engine oil. You’ll be able to put in there and
finding G-oil and it’s readily available at Wal-Mart and it’s easy to get and
it doesn’t cost that much which are the requirements for that.
Linda Dulak:
I might say that once the toolkit becomes operational, training will be
prevented by user groups. For instance, there will be a training for
contracting officers and during that training we’ll get into the real details
of what we’re seeing on this page and how to use the toolkit to go
through all these different resources. We’ll also have a, by each of the
five user groups, we’ll have individual trainings available.
David Easter:
Next slide, please. On this site I think we got a lot more purchase card
holders out there than anything else. I assume that this website here will
be the most visited and it’s going to have … Again, you’re getting started,
legal requirements and the memo’s dated. Then again, we got our tips
that we have. Market changes and legal requirements change, we can go
on and find stuff. Then we’ll also post other success stories that people
have found with their purchase card as we get into that.
Then the third drop-down is finding sources. We’re going to have a good
base of information. It all looks pretty good until we get live and we see
what kind of problems we have. If we want to go to the next slide. This is
going to be a program manager, all of your core which is contracting
officers, representative, somebody puts together the requirements they
… This is where they can go to find, again, tips and finding sources of their
need.
I need to go over on that side. If you want to go to the next slide, here’s
one we … because of the seven items that Diane pointed out. One of the
slides of the seven of the 66 items on the score card the elements are
directly related to green purchasing. We’re bundling that in with our
toolkit here because there’s a lot of overlap between the two. There are
some certain things that we’ve coordinated with GSA to provide us of the
GSA advantage, some information that we can pull in.
We’re working with US Bank as purchase cards. You’re LA PC’s will get
you out information on where to put that specific information so we can
data mine it. Again, if you can see the small print, we want to have 95%
compliance within 2015 of this score card.
Next slide, please. On this score card it’s going to go into the action items.
They’ll be able to see the specific action items and I’m sure that the
foresters on their own forest will be using this side of the action items as
they go through the years to try to get up their 95% compliance in there
on their 10 score card.
Next item, please. This just goes through the action items too of our
score card. This is, of course, consumable paper, an easy one. Next item,
please. Action of all employees identify the unit as purchasing completed
green purchasing training. There we go, there’s our training. Now, if they
haven’t, we can go back into our training and see what kind of training is
required for our action item three. Next item.
Linda Dulak:
You know we set up the toolkit we don’t want you to have to keep going
after screen after screen after screen. If you notice on the climate change
action items, the left column is you can always get to anyone of the
action items with one click. We’re trying to make the toolkit as easy to
use as possible.
David Easter:
Here, action item four, that’s why we have a green purchasing toolkit
because it is in direct correlation of the purchasing agents and
contracting agents putting the requirements into our contracts and
orders. The last I heard of that only 4% of contracts were under the biobased, bio-preferred audit that came back. I think that’s over federal
wide so we got a long ways to go and it should be easy ground to pick up
once we have the tools that everyone can get and standardize that in
that.
Next slide, please. Action on a part, there’s a unit purchase bio-based
whenever possible. I guess that stands for itself and with our Nano pulp
that the forest service is going to be selling, I’m sure that’s going to be on
there. Does this product contain Nano pulp? We’re going to drive change
with that.
Next slide, please. There’s a unit track purchasing through USDA
advantage website. That’s one where Mark Sable from the USDA, we got
together. Laura Polanski will be spear heading that and they’ll be able to
data mine that information so that the regions and the forests can get
that information and answer these questions.
Next slide, please. The unit shared green purchasing information with all
employees. That’s easily understandable, what we’re doing today. Next
slide, please. Here would be for a manager, somebody that is looking
over at their footprint in the forest and this is just going to have this
service managers and reports that they can pull one and look at regions
and forests. No, I’m sorry, I’m not … We don’t have this at my unit so I’m
not too well-versed in it, but I understand the concept of what they got
going on here.
With that, just hurry up and wait. This is going to come online and we had
a start date of May 1st, but that’s pushed back a little bit and we got
Laura Polaski that’s working on this hard too and a lot of that element 10
and the score card and our green team is ready to push out. Once this
becomes live we’re going to get in and talk specifically about who you are
and the contracting, purchasing card holder or the program manager of
the score card coordinator. We’ll be able to get some specific training on
just those sites. With that, thank you for your time and if you have any
questions you can raise your hand and send it in or just wait until the end
of the presentation for questions. Thank you.
Katie Newcomb:
Thanks so much, David, Diane and Linda. That was a great overview of
the green purchasing team and the demonstration toolkit. We have just a
couple minutes for questions so if you guys have any questions about this
topic, please enter it in the notes on the webinar or press star one on
your phone. We’ll probably just take one or two and then move on to the
next speaker. Then press star one on your phone. Emily, do we have any
questions coming in?
Emily:
I am not seeing any raised hands.
Katie Newcomb:
OK, it looks like we have no on … Do we have a question on the phone,
Emily?
Emily:
Yes, we do.
Katie Newcomb:
Let’s go there first.
Emily:
Go ahead Sagee, your line is open.
Sagee:
I don’t have a microphone, can you hear me?
Emily:
Yes, we can hear you.
Katie Newcomb:
Yes.
Sagee:
OK, I was wondering, is there going to be a reporting capability and
access online for green purchases using the purchase card?
David Easter:
Eventually there will. We’re working with US Bank and as you know one
of the requirements is a comment you’re supposed to break down your
items into whether it is green purchased or not. I know that there isn’t a
lot of direction out there because if you have making two purchases and
one is you’re purchasing say copy paper and another is staplers, you’re
supposed to break out those purchases to say it’s post consumable copy
paper and then your second purchase would be the staples or staplers.
We’re getting there, we’re not there yet, but that’s going to be
something we need to work on with US Bank and our next hurdle to
cross.
Sagee:
OK, thank you very much.
Linda Dulak:
The USDA is working directly with the bank on that. The problem is the
US Bank has customers that are not only several, but they’re in the
private market area and anytime that program is changed they have to
have agreement by everybody. The USDA is really working directly with
them trying to figure out a way to get the reports we need from purchase
cards. Progress is being made on it, it’s just taking a long time.
Sagee:
OK, thank you. I appreciate that.
Emily:
We have one more question on the phone.
Tawny Milburn:
Hello, this is Tawny Milburn from region five and I actually work on the
grants and agreements team. I was wondering if there was going to be
any sort of requirement for our instruments where we have partners who
are doing purchasing. If there was any requirement to encourage them to
utilize green purchasing or if there was going to be any clauses added to
our instruments or any type of a hand out that we could give them to
encourage green purchasing?
Linda Dulak:
That is an excellent question. It’s been over a year ago that our green
purchasing team talked with USDA about that very issue. There is no legal
requirement in agreement in any of the executive orders or the laws that
have been, the presidential memorandums and stuff to require the
agreement and to be doing anything in the sustainable operations area.
We are aware of that. I think that that’s going to be one of the next big
pushes. I would think that the green purchasing team, David and Diane
and the rest of the team members will need to add that to a deliverable
to be working on that, but right now there isn’t anything that requires
you to do that. That might be something that the USDA green team
should discuss and take on also.
Diane Berry:
I’m so glad you brought that up because in the last two years the
agreement end of it has been completely left out because there is no
legal requirement at this time.
Tawny Milburn:
Right, but in terms of our requirements and getting our work done we do
have the requirement federally, but … A lot of times, I should say, we do
partner with agencies, non-profits or whoever it might be to help us get
our work done. I don’t know if that’s something that should be looked at
as well.
Linda Dulak:
It definitely should.
Tawny Milburn:
Since we’re ultimately responsible for the work.
Linda Dulak:
Right.
Katie Newcomb:
All right, thank you guys for your questions. Emily, it looks like there’s no
more on the phone, is that correct?
Emily:
That is correct.
Katie Newcomb:
OK, I have one comment from the notes and then we should move on to
the next speaker, but the comment just says, “Have you seen the GSA
green products compilation website. It’s user friendly and intuitive.” I
think that’s one we can all check out or maybe David and Diane could add
that link to the toolkit.
Linda Dulak:
Actually that link should be on the toolkit already.
Katie Newcomb:
Perfect, thanks Linda. Thanks again Diane, David and Linda for that
presentation. I appreciate your time. If one or all of you could stick
around until the end in case people have more questions that would be
great.
Now, we’ll move on to our next speaker. I’m happy to introduce Magenta
Winter. She works at the Glacier Public Service Center on the Mt. Baker
[inaudible 00:38:53] National Forest. She’ll be sharing slides prepared by
herself and Steve Austin the Branch Chief Asset Manager in the
Washington office. Magenta, whenever you’re ready.
Magenta Winter:
I’m ready. Hi, my name is Magenta Winter. I am part of the ONET 10
team. The first part of this presentation is going to be on green leasing.
Green leasing standards and Steve Austin put this PowerPoint together,
he’s the Branch Chief of KSAD out of the Washington and he isn’t able to
present his PowerPoint today so I’ll be reading the slides for him.
I am totally unqualified to answer specific questions about green leasing
standards so if you have any questions please note them and Steve
indicated that he is available and happy to answer any questions through
the contact information that’s on this slide. That will be available or you
can look him up on the address book.
You can go on to the next slide. Starting out is just the executive order
13423, strengthening federal environmental energy and transportation
management which requires agencies to reduce energy and water
intensity and achieve other sustainability goals and real property lease
acquisitions must be made in a way that contribute toward meeting
these goals.
Next slide, please. When you address these construction projects that are
greater than or equal to 10,000 rentable square feet, or the government
is the sole occupant of the building with the exception of retails based.
The leasing officer must include the GSA Green Lease paragraph that
requires a building to obtain a B silver rating.
A major aspect of sustainability in leasing involves a third party green
building rating system referred to as the leadership in energy and
environmental design. A lead is internationally recognized certification
system for rating the designs, construction and operation of high
performing green buildings. The four lead levels are certified silver, gold
and platinum. I would imagine that many of you are familiar with lead.
For the new and succeeding leases for existing buildings, the leasing
officer must include the GSA Green Lease paragraphs that require the
existing building to meet an energy star rating of 75. The requesting unit
and the leasing officer may also elect to include to bill leadership and an
energy in environmental design for commercial interiors paragraph, but
it’s not required.
Also, another major aspect is sustainability in real property leasing
involves energy star which was introduced in 1992. It’s a joint program
via Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. It
is a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy
efficient products, improve energy performance in buildings and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
The energy star label appears on qualified major appliances, office
equipment, lighting, home electronics, new homes and commercial and
industrial buildings. For renewal options, supplemental lease agreements,
lease extensions and temporary leases, the leasing officer may include
the GSA Green Lease paragraph as deemed appropriate. We’re all third
place certification may not be economically or practically feasible for
lesser of smaller buildings, many green building design construction and
operations measures can involve no and low-cost improvements and
strategies that result in lower maintenance and operating cost over the
life of a facility.
Some of these initiatives are day time instead of afterhours janitorial
services using hand dryers instead of paper towels in restrooms, recycling
and using products and materials with recycled content, employee
telework or shared work spaces, vacant space temperature set back
significantly or having the HVAC equipment turned off if practical, setting
HVAC temperatures back at night and on weekends by at least 10
degrees.
Check the lease requirements first before you move forward on
something like that. Setting water temperature heaters to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit, sharing office equipment, using a network instead of
individual printers, powering down unused electronics at night and on
weekends which is one of the element 10 energy items also so that will
help you in a couple of aspects.
Next slide, please. These are just some additional resources. Some of
them you can get to already the sustainable operations website is
probably familiar to everyone here, but these resources are also available
if you’re looking into Green Leases. I, like I said, I can’t answer any
questions. Please note them and unless someone else who’s on the line
right now feels that they might be able to answer questions I’ll move on
to the case study of the now bigger range, our district building.
The case study might be a little bit of a grand title, but the now bigger
ranger district and the now bigger snow walking forest which is in region
six is the most northern ranger district in region six on the west coast
here. It’s located in Sedro-Woolley, Washington which is west of the
Cascades near I-5 and it’s equal distance from Seattle and the Canadian
border. The forest service is the lease holder, but the office space is
shared with the North Cascades National Park, the USGS, North Cascades
Institute and Discovery of Northwest Interpretive Association. Those last
two are inter associations that work with the park and the forest
respectively.
The building owner undertook this project as an investment for his heirs
and it was not part of his lease agreement so he just did this as a personal
interest. As you can see, it was installed in March 2010. It’s a 32.2
kilowatt good connected portable TX system that was designed to
provide a minimum of 14% of the energy needs for the agency
headquarters and the visitor information center that’s part of that
headquarters.
The actual amount of electricity provided has been closer to 20% as the
panels are more efficient then was expected. This is mostly attributed to
the long periods of light in the summer and cooler temperatures than
would occur in a more southern location. The project was supported and
encouraged by both the forces and the park service. Tax credits were one
thing identified by the building owner as soon as it made it possible for
him. He had the interest, but the tax credits really were the balancing
point that tipped him toward doing it.
He also, just as an additional note, this particular building owner is very
forward thinking in his sustainable operations of the building. After a hot
water leak occurred and all the hot water heaters in this building are on
the second floor, he installed on demand hot water heaters both as a way
to save energy and as a way to help protect the building and equipment
since they don’t have the leak problem.
That is the end of this mini-case study. It doesn’t really address ways to
get people that are reluctant to add this stuff, but ways to encourage
people that may be interested in sustainable operations as a way to
move forward. If anyone has any questions I can answer them.
Katie Newcomb:
Thanks Magenta.
Magenta Winter:
You’re welcome.
Katie Newcomb:
Please press star one on your phone if you have any questions. Are any
questions coming through, Emily?
Emily:
Not that I’m seeing.
Katie Newcomb:
OK. As a reminder as Magenta mentioned, if you have questions about
Green Leasing, please contact Steve Austin. Now we’ll go to our next
speaker. I’m happy to introduce Natalie Little. She’s the region four
Engineering Budget and Programs Coordinator. She’ll be talking about the
Northwest Earth Institute discussion courses. Natalie, whenever you’re
ready.
Natalie Little:
OK, great. Once again, I’m Natalie Little. I’m located in R4 regional office
here in Ogden, Utah and work in engineering. I’m happy to do a
presentation on Northwest Earth Institute discussion courses. Next slide.
Northwest Earth Institute inspiring people to take responsibility for earth
and their website is there if you want more information nwei.org.
Last December I became involved in R4 and RO green team and
sustainable opts, including as RO green team lead which haven’t met in a
few months. I started reading and researching about all the things going
on in the forest service and green teams as so far and actually became a
bit overwhelmed about all that was going on and all that wasn’t going on.
I remembered about these NWEI for short discussion groups that I’ve
done before in the past and thought this would be a great opportunity to
do one with our green team to build our team up and it’s cohesiveness.
We’re in the middle of one of the discussion courses right now in our
green team and just this morning I asked one of the members, “How’s it
going for you? What are you getting out of it?” She said she thought it
was great and that it was eye-opening about information that isn’t really
mainstream and helping to shift her point on sustainability choices, even
on things such as shopping at the grocery store. What kind of fruits and
vegetables to pick out and transportation options as well as, it’s good to
hear other people’s points of view on sustainability.
Let’s go back a little bit more on how I first found out about NWEI
discussion courses. I first found out about them in 2002. I was living in
Reno at the time and it was shortly after 9/11. A small group of us, I think
a lot of people felt a shock from that event and we wanted to do some
kind of community building and community action, but really weren’t
sure where to start. These discussion courses were really good at building
a community team and helping us decide what we wanted to work on.
Since I first found out about NWEI from several of these courses outside
of work, also did a couple of the courses when I was in the Humboldt
[inaudible 00:51:11] at a brown bag lunch course. As of right now I’m
doing one here at R4/RO as a part of our green team.
Next slide. A question, how does an individual community go about
change and make it almost part of a permanent change as well? What
should we change or how to change? These NWI discussion courses help
answer these questions and facilitate change.
Next slide. Each one of these discussion courses is part well organized
and there’s a collection of articles. It helps engage individuals in
discussions. The basic format of the discussion course is each participant
gets one of these discussion course books and it’s divided up into
chapters which then correspond to weeks or weekly. Every participant
reads one chapter which takes about one or two hours of reading
depending on your speed and reflection. Each chapter covers a certain
topic. Then the group comes together and discusses it for an hour.
A lot of things that are discussed are what really moved you? What hit
you? What do you want to do differently after reading this chapter? It
really helps engage people. Next, right now NWEI has 12 different
discussion groups. Two of the discussions groups have the word
sustainable in the title. There’s one on the left, Choices for Sustainable
Living and one on the right, Sustainable Systems at Work.
Then we have others. Another one I really like it the voluntary simple city
one as well. Let’s see. Let’s go ahead and go to the next slide. These are
the two I wanted to focus a little bit more on. The ones on suitability. The
one on the right, Choices for Sustainable Living, that’s the one we’re
doing right now in our green team. It’s divided up into seven chapters
including a chapter on ecology, one on food, community, transportation
and it really talks about a wide spectrum of things.
Again, each chapter is one or two hours of reading then we come
together and we talk about them. The one on the right is a newer book
and NWEI haven’t gone through this yet, however I do have a copy and
was able to do some review on it. It talks about system things and how
do we step back and see patterns in our work and go about changing
them?
Some questions that I see in the book, what motivates you to create a
more sustainable organization? Imagine that your organization has
implemented a successful sustainability plan, what looks different? One
example they gave was what’s on micro-systems which sell computer
servers. They used to give a manual whenever they sold a server. If the
client wanted one server they would get one server and one manual.
Clients bought 100 or 1000 servers they would also get 100 manuals or
1000 manuals. One of their employees one day said, “How about if we
only gave a client the number of manuals they wanted instead of one per
server. They implemented this change and they realized the 60% paper
savings. This is one example of some of the questions the discussion
groups helped get us to think of some more system changes we can be
doing in our work.
Next. Ideally the discussion groups involve eight to 12 people, however I
will say our discussion group in our green team now is a little bit smaller,
we have five people. It still works. It gets us through the book. Again, you
read a chapter and then you get together and you meet for one hour. It’s
self-facilitated and you take turns being the facilitator so there’s no one
overall leader and it really helps trust in the idea that we’re all leaders in
this. There’s so much work to do, we all really need to be leaders in our
community.
Also, our green team felt that meeting on a weekly basis was a little too
intensive on our schedules so we’re meeting every other week. Next. A
little bit about the process that helps facilitate change. There’s this
personal reflection part when you’re reading the weekly material. Also,
you come together and you have this shared part where you’re sharing
with the group and hearing other people’s point of view. Then through
the questioning in the chapters it encourages you to take action.
There are three distinct parts of this process that NWEI discussion
courses try to get you to be doing. Next. I really like this quote. ‘The
discussions lead to meaningful examination of the choices we make every
day that affect our environment and it’s complex network of people,
plants, animals and natural resources.’
Next slide. NWEI talks about this [inaudible 00:57:37] that exists. A lot of
people say, anyone say it’s important to use reusable shopping bags, but
only 33% optimal always do. Next slide. Here’s another example, 76% say
it’s good to walk or bike, in fact, only 15% usually do. Why this huge gap
and how can we close this gap?
Next slide. NWEI has done some research that it takes more of the
information in education to really change our behavior and that these
one-on-one connections that you can get in these groups can help make
changes happen and happen more permanently. OK, go ahead, next slide.
These discussion groups can help close this gap because it provides this
support group and when you do start implementing a change or have an
idea that you want to implement you can bounce it off other people in
the group and see what they think also.
Next. Just here is my contact information if anybody wants more
information. Also, NWEI is super personable, if you ever call them on the
phone and you’re thinking about starting a discussion group they’re easy
to talk to. There is a cost with these books. Each participant needs a book
and they are about $25 a book. The one book, Sustainable Systems at
Work, is $35 so you just need to budget that in as well. I think that’s it.
Katie Newcomb:
Great, thanks so much Natalie. I just wanted to highlight the next peer
learning webinar is Wednesday, June 5th at 10:00 am pacific. We’ll be
talking about the water footprint area. Then on the right side of the
screen is the peer learning schedule of FI13. If you guys have any topics
you’d like to hear about in the next out coming peer learning series,
please email me Katie Newcomb.