Green procurement hits Columbus Published March 19, 2008 By the 14th Civil Engineer Squadron Special to Silver Wings COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. -- Columbus AFB spent more than $2 million dollars for goods and services in Fiscal Year 2007. With all this purchasing power we have a tremendous opportunity to be good stewards of the environment by choosing "green products". When someone purchases JWOD/AbilityOne products, they are assured compliance with Executive Order 13423 "Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management" and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR 23.704a). However, Green Procurement is not only about "helping the environment" or complying with laws. In most cases "green" product perform better than their virgin-material counterparts. The benefits of buying "green" are far reaching. CAFB can improve their mission by replacing hazardous materials with environmentally friendly products which in turn decrease the amount of hazardous waste they produce and have to pay to dispose of; reduce dependency on foreign sources of energy; reduce impacts to the environment and human health; and life-cycle cost savings. The Department of Defense issued new guidance which mandates federal employees and military employees to "buy green". In response to this mandate, CAFB identified Green Procurement as one of its seven significant aspects with in our Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Management System. Objectives and targets were established to include base-wide Green Procurement awareness training, identifying the top five GPC and Form 9 purchases and increasing the use of bio-based products. CAFB Green Procurement team in coordination with the South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, 1Store Solutions, developed a base store that exemplifies Green Procurement. Recycled content carpet tiles, wall paint containing no volatile organic compounds were donated by vendors to modernize the "green" store and demonstrate product durability. Government Purchase Card holders are able to shop with confidence knowing they are meeting green purchasing requirements. Currently there are more than 225 recycled-content products available at our base store. For more information, call Renee Howell at 434-7146.
