Policy and practice

Summit, Sep 2003 by Collison, Melanie

From low-lying Prince Edward Island's fear of rising seas, to Ontario's smog alerts and heat emergencies, to Manitoba's lessons learned from hydro-related flooding, to the Yukon's passion for its pristine wilderness, the risks of climate change are alerting citizens and governments all across Canada to the need to cherish our air, water and land. To that end, governments are pursuing green purchasing policies and energy consumption efficiencies to varying degrees, with much focus on office products and equipment, vehicle fleets and buildings.

The federal government defines green procurement as, "the practice of acquiring goods and services that minimize the use of natural resources, the use and production of toxic materials, and emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and other air pollutants over a product's lifecycle."

The range of stuff government buys is incredibly broad. Generally the marginally higher prices for green products and services are taken in stride, but there are lots of products that are billed as green whose benefits are open to interpretation, and sometimes the small quantity being purchased does not warrant the investment in research to determine how green it is.

Manitoba is consciously committed. "Stimulated by the obligation to move in this direction, we now have a specs and standards person. It's still early days, but we feel it's a good thing,"an official says.

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia voice confidence that manufacturers have adapted to a change in sensibilities. In the North, transportation costs and narrow selection are severe limitations, but the commitment to greening government continues nonetheless.

In the accompanying chart, Summit looks at where governments stand on formalizing a green procurement policy, their current practices, and how they conserve energy in managing their vehicle fleets and buildings.

Government of Canada

The Task Group on Green Procurement under the Sustainable Development in Government Operations (SDGO) initiative is to set direction and make greening government happen. Priorities are green environmental management systems, green procurement, sustainable buildings, and guidance to federal departments and agencies (www.greeninggov ernment.gc.ca). In 1988, Environment Canada introduced eco-labelling to provide market incentive to manufacturers and suppliers.

Practices: Procurement is somewhat decentralized. To help individuals assess impacts and life cycle costing, a variety of programs are available such as: Energy Star(R) (www. energystar.gov); Environmental Choice Program (www.environmentalchoice.com/ index, html); EnerGuide (http://energuide. nrcan.gc.ca/html/home.html); and PowerSmart (www.ase.org/powersmart). The Federal House in Order website (www.fhio.gc.ca) offers examples of success stories. By 2010, 75 percent of all federal road-vehicle gasoline purchases will be ethanol blends. Fleets and mileage have been reduced since 1995. Alternative fuel vehicles have been added. The government has committed $44.2 million over five years to reduce GHG emissions from federal operations, including $30 million for the purchase of electricity from renewable resources and $1.2 million for on-site generation demonstration projects.

British Columbia

Guidelines are being updated and formalized. The province has not had a concrete green policy, but has been paying attention since the mid '80s. Green practices are routine and include areas with the biggest payoff. Because green benefits are open to interpretation, green commodities are not pursued where the quantity is not large enough to warrant researching how green it is.

Practices: The focus is on recycling materials, including lubricants. Electronic devices - fax, copiers, PCs, printers - meet US federal Energy Star standard. High up-front costs can discourage a purchase, such as using recycled plastic as an alternative to wood. The vehicle fleet includes a substantial number of hybrids and alternative fuel pick-up trucks (some OEM-dedicated, some converted); 15 percent are energy-efficient compact cars. Higher upfront costs are balanced by life cycle savings and spot fuel purchasing. Since 1978, B.C. Buildings Corp. has reduced energy intensity by 50 percent in government buildings. The province provides support and guidelines for educational institutions and hospitals.

Alberta

The province has well-established green practices, but no mandatory policy. Value for taxpayer dollar and longevity of product are considered as important as environment impact. They buy recycled paper and lubricants, rechargeable toner cartridges, recycled plastic garbage bags.

Practices: The government has found green sources for more than 90 percent of its power supply. Standards have been established for environmentally preferable flooring, painting, lighting and fibreboard partitioning. Paint, carpeting and adhesives specs were revised with regard to air quality. Reusable partitions reduce the amount of gypsum board going to landfills. Energy retrofits are part of the government's major commitment to dealing with climate change by reducing GHG emissions. One Eco-Logo certified education and outreach office uses motion detectors that turn lights off; the $2,400/year savings pays for the investment in fluorescent lights over three years.