Green Purchasing
One of the easiest places to start reducing your environmental impact is to look at the things you're already doing! Take printer paper as an example. PDC has historically consumed nearly 2.2 million sheets of printer/copier paper on an annual basis. We've begun implementing a comprehensive Paper Reduction strategy, and hope to significantly reduce this consumption. We have also replaced our original source paper with recycled paper (35% post-consumer recycled content), which amounts to an estimated savings of:
| Wood Use: | 13 tons = 92 trees |
| Total Energy: | 64 million BTU's |
| Greenhouse Gases: | 8,116 lbs of CO2 |
| Wastewater: | 33,684 gallons |
| Solid Waste: | 4,326 lbs |
| Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP): | 33% |
| Particulates: | 20 lbs |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): | 14 lbs |
As you can see, the savings from making a simple change can be quite substantial. At PDC, we are careful to examine the potential environmental impact of products and supplies during our purchasing process. Paper, cleaning/janitorial supplies, paint, and carpeting are a few examples where PDC is working hard toward buying green. In many cases, green alternatives are available at low/no-cost differences.
Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator. For more information visit http://www.papercalculator.org.