Purchasing or procurement is the fifth focus area of the 2011 climate action plan. Procurement is an extremely important part of reducing waste, CO2, & energy consumption across campus.
There are various ways to incorporate sustainability into the way purchasing dollars are spent. Whenever possible, Carleton selects third-party vendors that are environmentally conscious.
Further research can be done to find providers who take a “cradle-to-cradle” approach to manufacturing, making them responsible not only for creation of goods but for recycling or composting them upon disposal.
Sustainable Food
Carleton has a number of initiatives and student organizations to ensure that all aspects of our food systems are ethical and sustainable. Each year, we analyze the amount of our food sourced from conventional sources, versus sustainable sources — some of which comes from our student-run organic farm. We also run a chapter of the Food Recovery Network, where students recover uneaten food from the dining halls every day to donate to local food shelves.
Carleton’s dining services partner, Bon Appétit, has a long list of sustainability commitments, which makes them a great partner in achieving our goals and providing delicious, local foods in the dining halls.
Appliances & Maintenance
The Facilities department purchases EnergyStar certified and other certified products for its projects. Carleton requires contractors to adhere to many construction design standards for projects to reduce energy, maintenance needs, and to ensure the College’s values are upheld.
Electronics & Computers
Carleton currently purchases computer products from Dell, Apple and Lenovo on an annual basis. Carleton seeks to purchase computer products that are EnergyStar or EPEAT certified, or both. Carleton works to recycle all of its computer products through Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations.
Cleaning & Custodial Products
Carleton’s Custodial Department aims to reduce the environmental impacts of cleaning products, disposable custodial paper products, and trash bags. The purchase a cleaning product line that honors the environment, personal health and wellness, and helps maintain a natural ecological balance. These items account for over 85% of the total cleaning supply purchases annually.
Vehicles & Transportation
As part of our climate action on campus, with community input we have framed goals for transportation that support both emissions reductions and equity and access.
A task force including facilities, fleet services, sustainability, and campus services has explored the fleet decarbonization landscape to develop goals for our Climate Action, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice Plan. The City of Northfield and the First United Church of Christ (across from the Weitz Center) have been involved in conversations as charging infrastructure opportunities move forward.
In fall 2024 the College announced a new car share service with Zipcar. This service offers the ability to use an electric vehicle to run errands, grab groceries, or visit the Twin Cities. Vehicles are located in the parking lot west of James Hall.
Campus Fleet Vehicle Services and Campus Security have recently added electric vehicles. An EV charger dedicated to Security was installed east of the Chapel, and two EV chargers dedicated to Fleet Vehicle Services were installed near Laird Stadium. An additional EV charging station on campus is open to the public and part of the ChargePoint network. It is located in the parking lot west of James Hall.
Campus Surplus
Per the disposal policy for the College, we try to reuse items on campus as much as possible. When an item is no longer needed by the College, we use GovDeals as an online auction site to sell any unwanted surplus. The funds from these sales goes to waste reduction efforts across campus.