The university has adopted several environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) initiatives. These initiatives have led to the purchase of fair trade, shade grown coffee at the Daily Grind and recycled paper in printing labs. The university now has 100%, and 50% recycled, non-chlorine bleached paper on contract, and default paper contains 30% recycled material.
In December 2006, university administrators approved an Energy Efficiency Purchasing Policy, developed by the Vice Chancellor’s Sustainability Advisory Committee. The policy mandates that energy consuming equipment purchased by UNC departments shall be certified with the Energy Star label. The product categories certified to date are listed on the Energy Star website and include computers, appliances, lighting, and office and food service equipment. For product categories that have not yet been certified by the EPA, departments must include energy efficiency in their selection criteria for equipment.
Students have been quite active in pushing for local and organic food in on-campus dining halls. Carolina Dining Service (CDS) now purchases 70% of its milk and much of its meat from local sources. Additionally, CDS purchases non-bleached napkins for its locations. Visit the Carolina Dining Service’s initiatives website for more information on food purchasing efforts.
UNC currently contracts with Staples for most of its office supplies. Staples carries a range of green products and denotes them with a special logo to highlight them and encourage employees to purchase them.
Other examples of environmentally preferable purchasing across campus include flooring with recycled content, bathroom dividers with recycled content, and green cleaning products. For more information on purchasing initiatives on campus, view the following sections: