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| April 2009 - In This Issue |
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| RPN Program News |
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RPN Featured at 2009 EcoProcura Conference
In Reykjavik last month, over 220 delegates from 41 nations, representing local governments, national governments and other public sector bodies, heard RPN Senior Director Chris O'Brien and others discuss how green purchasing practices help counter climate change.  More |
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Responsible Purchaser of the Year Awards
RPN is pleased to announce the winners of the first annual Responsible Purchaser of the Year awards: Jeffrey Baer of the City of Portland, Oregon, Yalmaz Siddiqui of Office Depot, Eric Nelson and Karen Hamilton of King County, Washington, and Alicia Culver of the Green Purchasing Institute. More |
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Welcome Vincent Kitira as New RPN Manager
Vincent Kitira is our new RPN Manager! He comes to us from New York City’s main purchasing agency, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ Division of Municipal Supply Services (DMSS). At RPN, Vincent will oversee research, work with members and partners on purchasing projects, and develop a responsible purchasing handbook synthesizing RPN’s resources into a comprehensive framework for developing, implementing, tracking and reporting on responsible purchasing programs. More |
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RPN Member Logo: Wear it Proudly
RPN Members, now you can proudly display your commitment to socially responsible and environmentally sustainable purchasing with the RPN Member Logo. Place it on your website or use it in written materials to show the world you are serious about responsible purchasing. More |
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Coming Soon: Carbon Offsets Purchasing Guide
In a bind over offset options? Help is on the way. The Responsible Purchasing Network has partnered with Carbonfund.org to produce The Responsible Purchasing Guide to Carbon Offsets, scheduled for release this summer. The guide will outline the environmental impacts of various offset options, so your organization can get the most abatement for your buck. More |
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| RPN Member Spotlight: Green Purchasing on Puget Sound |
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King County Issues Environmental Purchasing Annual Report
Read King County’s 2008 Environmental Purchasing Annual Report to learn how they spent $54 million on environmentally preferable products while saving over $800,000, compared to conventional alternatives. More |
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Snohomish County Plans to Fuel Cars with Canola
Snohomish County is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to "homebrew" its own fuel by drying, storing, and crushing canola seed to produce biodiesel. More |
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| Responsible Purchasing in the News |
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Green Seal Issues Environmental Standard for Restaurants and Food Services
After just over a year of development, the new Green Seal Environmental Standard for Restaurants and Food Services, GS-46, is complete and available for applications for Green Seal certification. More |
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L.A. Adopts Landmark Green Building/Green Jobs Ordinance
In early April, the L.A. City Council unanimously passed a "Green Building Retrofit Ordinance" that will retrofit city-owned buildings to achieve LEED silver certification, provide green jobs, and revitalize L.A.'s inner city. More |
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Louisville to Use Stimulus Funds to Buy Hybrid Buses
Louisville's Transit Authority of River City (TARC) plans to use funds from the federal stimulus package to make its bus fleet greener while creating jobs. More |
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EPA Announces Stricter Energy Star Standards for Monitors, Electronic Displays
Come October 30th, computer monitors, digital picture frames, and other electronic displays will have to meet stricter standards to qualify for the Energy Star label. More |
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Philadelphia Businesses Embrace Green Office Practices
Thirty-three companies from across the region have signed on as charter members of the Greater Philadelphia Green Business Program, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council that asks businesses to voluntarily commit to green procurement and other green office practices. More |
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Minnesota County Turns Its Trash into Treasures
Anoka County, just north of Minneapolis and St. Paul, has opened up an internet surplus goods store to divert unneeded supplies away from landfills and toward willing buyers. More |
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AT&T Calls Up Alternative Transportation Vehicles
AT&T plans to add 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles to its corporate fleet by 2019. The company intends to invest $565 million toward this goal. More |
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EPA Recognizes Connecticut as One of Nation's Top Green Power Purchasers
The State of Connecticut has been named one of only three states making EPA's top 50 list of national Green Power Partners. This year, Connecticut will purchase more than 98 million kilowatt-hours of green power--enough to meet 17 percent of the state's purchased electricity use. More |
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| Jobs |
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| Calendar of Events |
Check our online events page for a more complete calendar of events. Please e-mail events for the calendar to rpn@newdream.org. Look for RPN staff at events marked with  |
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Subscription Details
The Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN), a project of the Center for a New American Dream, helps institutions incorporate environmental, human health, and social justice considerations into their purchasing decisions. RPN promotes responsible purchasing through outreach, trainings and presentations, conference calls, and media and communications efforts. For more information, visit www.responsiblepurchasing.org.
How to Subscribe: If this message was forwarded to you by another individual and you would like to receive this newsletter and other periodic communication from RPN, please send an e-mail with “SUBSCRIBE” in the subject line to rpn@newdream.org or go to www.responsonsiblepurchasing.org/user_signup.php
To unsubscribe from the Responsible Purchasing email list click here. |
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Responsible Purchasing Trends and Pioneers
Food Services 
