Going Green

Going Green

By NHS Staff

NHS is one of the many organizations participating in the Healthy City/Healthy Climate Challenge.

In late April, NHS of New Haven will apply for designation as a NeighborWorks America Green Organization. While we have always thought of ourselves as a “green” organization, we have learned over the past several months that there are plenty of areas in which we could “green up.”

One area to which we have been paying particularly close attention is purchasing. By taking a closer look at the products we purchase and the vendors we utilize, we have found some ways in which we can change our habits while helping out both the environment and the local economy.

A purchasing committee made up of Green Team staff members Areta Huckaby, Becky Skau, and Colleen Trompeter, Board representative Celeste Suggs, and AmeriCorps Green VISTA Member Allison Kelly went through our office supplies, checking each product to see if it was an environmentally-friendly product. Surprisingly, many of our products were not as good for the environment as we thought! We learned a lot about greenwashing, which occurs when companies attempt to brand their product as “green” and “natural” without actually meeting any certification requirements.

The purchasing committee was a tad daunted at first. We needed to research alternative products that would better suit our sustainability goals. However, after reading just a few articles about the toxins and carcinogens in our current cleaning products, the committee decided to start by finding cleaning agents that would be better for the environment and for our staff! Once we decided to switch our cleaning products, we were much more open to switching over other types of products.

The NHS "Green Team" meets monthly to discuss how to make our operations more sustainable.

Paper was next. We were looking for paper products, from paper towels to copy paper, with at least 30% post-consumer recycled content. Since we’re recycling all our paper now, we need to show the market a healthy demand for new paper made from the old.

We were also pleased to have the opportunity to work more closely with local businesses. We were a little worried, for example, that our copy shop would not be able to meet our post-consumer recycled content requirements. However, they had plenty of paper choices and were happy to guide us as we transition our orders over to a more sustainable option.

We did learn, though, that we cannot switch over all of our products at once, as much as we would desire it. Some products, such as 100% post-consumer recycled content copy paper, or compostable utensils, while much better for the environment, are just too costly at the present time. When we discussed this with our vendors, they agreed that products such as these are not yet as affordable as they will be in the future. We decided to revisit these product options in a few years, to see if the market has shifted and their price has dropped into a range that we can afford.

However, we were also pleasantly surprised to find that several environmentally-friendly products, such as facial tissue and hand soap, were less expensive than the products we’re currently using! Buying in bulk will make each product cheaper per unit while also cutting back on packaging and transportation costs.

As we transitioned each product to a “greener” alternative, we were able to draft overall purchasing guidelines to help guide future purchasing decisions. Our goal is to purchase products that:

o       Minimize air, land, and/or water pollution

o       Avoid the use of chemicals and greenhouse gases that are detrimental to human

o       and environmental health

o       Are reusable, multifunctional, and produce the least amount of waste

o       Are locally produced or within 400 miles of New Haven, CT

Some products fit into multiple categories, while others satisfied just one requirement. Even small steps in the right direction, though, are reducing our impact on the environment while setting an example for other businesses.

Our new purchasing guidelines are just one part of our Green Designation Application. We’re optimistic that they will help us achieve a higher degree of green consciousness and sustainability in the years to come. We hope you will follow us as we report how we’re greening other areas of our organization.