Green Procurement at Fort Bragg

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Green Procurement at Fort Bragg

• To eliminate this

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Green Procurement at Fort Bragg

• And this.

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Start at the source! But first, a little
background information
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Sustainable Fort Bragg

• Initiated in 2001, stakeholders from installation
  met and hammered out a vision for a sustainable
  installation by 2025
• Formed teams (air, land use, water, materials,
  waste, and energy) to develop objectives to meet
  sustainability goal
• Environmental procurement position was created to
  work materials issues from cradle to grave

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Sustainable Sandhills

• In 2003, a regional sustainability initiative was
  begun by Fort Bragg and NC DENR to include the
  six counties surrounding the installation
• Similar teams were formed to address
  sustainability objectives
• Ft Bragg provided team liaisons and the interim
  director

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Sustainable Fort Bragg

• Materials Team used process mapping to discern
  what FB purchased in great quantity
• Compared it to landfill violations
• The decision is made to immediately work on
  carpet and office furniture

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Green Procurement at Fort Bragg

• Process Improvement Issues
• Carpet and serviceable furniture ending up in the
  CD landfill
• No central management of office furniture
• Multiple sources of purchase for furniture

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Green Procurement at Fort Bragg

• Solution
• Tackle carpet first, then furniture
• Walk the walk! Environmental Management Branch
  renovates offices. We find out if this process
  will really work

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Carpet
CARPET Issue Carpet ends up in
landfills Solution Require the carpet contractor
to take back existing carpet and make new
carpet recyclable
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Carpet
CARPET Process Write it into Installation Design
Guide (IDG) for all new carpets purchased
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Carpet

• Our research indicated carpet tiles were more
  sustainable than 6 or 12 carpet
• Shaw Carpet carried tiles made from recycled
  content and would be recycled at the end of their
  useful life cycle
• Negotiated with the Corps of Engineers to install
  Shaw tiles in lieu of 12 roll in our office

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An Installation Solution

• We have a working relationship with COE that most
  installation customers will not have
• Make it easy for everyone to choose tile Insert
  it in the Installation Design Guide (IDG)!

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Process

• Team formed with installation architect and
  environmental procurement specialist
• Hosted a forum with four manufacturers JJ,
  Mannington, CA, Shaw
• Used EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines
  (CPG) as foundation for specs
• Relayed what Fort Bragg wanted in carpet

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Carpet Qualities Desired

• Recycled content
• Recyclable
• Product take-back
• Take existing carpet (regardless of manufacturer)
  and recycle
• Make the transition to carpet tiles

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Feasibility

• Did the carpet industry see our specs as
  feasible?
• Feed back from manufacturers was added to specs
  to create a living document for environmentally
  preferable carpet
• Created more stringent specs for 6 and 12, less
  stringent for tile

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Next Step Furniture

• Compared to furniture, carpet looks easy!
• Using the same process, we are inviting office
  furniture manufacturers to Fort Bragg for a forum
  in June to begin writing furniture specs for the
  IDG Knoll, Kimball, Steelcase, Adden and GF

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Furniture Specs

• Basic Specs
• Incorporate EPA CPGs (like carpet)
• Product take-back
• Repair not replace

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Other Furniture Issues

• Refurbished vs. new
• EMB office furniture purchase refurbished Knoll
  furniture
• Contracting difficulties? Uh, yeah.
• Refurbish our own furniture? Ask me about our EPA
  grant!

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Next Project

• Interior Environmental Showcase, similar to the
  Fort Lewis model
• Will include sustainable carpet, furniture and
  paint selections

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Contact Information

• Julia Love, Environmental Procurement Specialist,
  Directorate of Public Works, [phone],
  julia.love_at_us.army.mil