Title
Resolution authorizing and directing the Mayor and the Director of the Department of Finance to establish Sustainable Purchasing Criteria to guide purchasing activities on behalf of the City.
Body
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution 443 of 2008, the City of Pittsburgh adopted the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, thereby committing to reduce the impact of local and global climate change, to improve the local environment and the local economy, and to enhance Pittsburgh's reputation as an environmentally responsible city; and
WHEREAS, other local governments, in furtherance of fulfilling similar commitments, have successfully incorporated environmental considerations into their routine purchasing decisions, consistent with standard considerations such as safety, price, performance and availability; and
WHEREAS, the inclusion of the environmental impacts of a product or service in making government procurement decisions is known as Environmentally Preferred Sustainable Purchasing; and
WHEREAS, the practice of Sustainable Environmentally Preferred Purchasing of products and services is growing among government entities, and is expected to become more common in the future; and
WHEREAS, the City is already committed to purchasing, whenever feasible, products containing recycled materials, as set for in Section 619.10 of the City Code; and
WHEREAS, there are a number of third-party certifiers that create standards for sustainable environmentally preferred products, equipment and services, and that such standards can be incorporated into Sustainable Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Guidelines; and
WHEREAS, the City's commitments under the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan support the creation of Sustainable Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Guidelines for products, equipment, and services that are certified by a third-party certifier, such as Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, or Green Seal, an independent non-profit organization.
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh calls on the Mayor and the Director of the Department of Finance to establish Sustainable Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Guidelines.
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1. Authorizing and directing the Mayor and the Director of the Department of Finance to establish Sustainable Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Criteria to guide purchasing activities on behalf of the City. The City shall purchase products, equipment, services, and establish procedures, to the extent practical based on safety, price, performance, and availability, that meet standards established by a third-party certifier such as Energy Star or Green Seal.