Trash Talk: State of Minnesota Honored for Sustainable Purchasing
State purchasing initiatives reduce costs and waste
St. Paul, MN — The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) honored the State of Minnesota and the state’s Chief Procurement Officer for national leadership in sustainable purchasing. The State of Minnesota received the SPLC’s 2016 Sustainable Purchasing Award. Betsy Hayes, the state’s Chief Procurement Officer, received the SPLC’s Leadership Award.
The work that earned the State of Minnesota the award
is a result of Governor Mark Dayton’s Executive Order 11-13,
directing state agencies to implement new practices and policies that save
money and reduce the environmental impact of state government operations. The
Minnesota Department of Administration (Admin) and the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency (PCA) have partnered to develop solutions for all agencies to
practice sustainable operations.
PCA and Admin
developed an interagency team to highlight green purchasing and educate state
personnel on sustainable practices. An initial change was office supply contracting
that featured greater usage of remanufactured and recycled products. Through
vendor contract negotiations and user education, state agencies saved $58,000
by switching to remanufactured toner cartridges for copiers and printers and
prevented over 940 metric tons of waste by increasing the recycled content in
the paper purchased.
“State agencies are committed
to operations that are both financially and environmentally sound,” said Admin
Commissioner Matt Massman. “Governor Dayton’s leadership provided the strategic
direction and our state employees answered the call.
I commend our Chief Procurement Officer Betsy Hayes and all state employees for
rising to the challenge.”
“Minnesota has led the way in
sustainable purchasing for many years, and it’s exciting to see our partnership
recognized as a national example of driving growth and demand for sustainable
products that protect the environment and human health,” said PCA Commissioner
John Linc Stine.
In honoring Betsy Hayes, the
SPLC cited her “commitment to leadership in sustainable purchasing.
Collectively, they focus the powerful purchasing influence of organizations —
in public and private sectors alike — to advance a socially just, ecologically
robust, and economically prosperous future.”
The
SPLC convenes buyers, suppliers,
and public interest advocates to develop programs that simplify and
standardize sustainable purchasing efforts by large organizations. The
Council creates guidance, resources, and an online community of practice to
create strategic sustainable purchasing programs, or enhance existing ones.
For additional information, contact:
About the Minnesota
Department of Administration
The
Minnesota Department of Administration (Admin) provides best value
administrative services to Minnesota’s state agencies and other governmental
organizations, as well as various other services to diverse audiences across
the state. The department was established in 1939 by Governor Harold Stassen as
part of an effort to reform state government’s administrative functions. Today,
the department strives to meet that mission and continues to act as a leader in
government administration and operations. With $176.5 million in annual
operating costs and 475 full-time employees, Admin oversees $2.1 billion in
state purchases, maintains 4.4 million square feet of owned space and leases an
additional 3.6 million square feet of space for over 100 state agencies, boards
and councils. The agency also insures $12 billion in property and 13,400
vehicles, and manages over 400 building projects and $166 million in capital
appropriations.
|
