Helping others do the green thing
The Defense, Veterans Affairs and Interior departments are among the agencies to adopt Electronics Stewardship Implementation Plans that identify how the agencies will meet requirements for buying products registered with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT). Some agencies are also integrating these requirements into their information technology optimization plans for the Office of Management and Budget, said Holly Elwood, headquarters lead for the Environmental Protection Agency’s EPEAT program.
Chief information officers and federal IT governmentwide contract managers can help feds buy EPEAT products more easily by:
- Incorporating language in federal contracts that requires vendors to use only EPEAT-registered products.
- Developing a list of available EPEAT-registered products and providing the list when individuals request non-EPEAT products.
- Adding language to contracts that requires suppliers to report quarterly the number of EPEAT products purchased under a contract, so that the EPEAT totals can be easily tracked.
About the Author
Mary Mosquera is a reporter for Federal Computer Week.