Six EM Sites Honored for Commitment to Sustainability Through Green Purchases

CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley team members at the West Valley Demonstration Project stand behind newly purchased electronic equipment that meets EPEAT standards.

Six U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) sites are among a group of award winners who collectively cut greenhouse gas emissions last year by more than 565,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, which equates to taking 121,000 average U.S. passenger cars off the road for a year.

EM winners of the 2024 EPEAT Purchaser Award include the:

• Hanford Site, winner in five product categories;
• Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project, winner in four product categories;
• Paducah Site infrastructure support services contractor Swift & Staley, winner in two product categories;
• Portsmouth Site infrastructure support services contractor North Wind Dynamics, winner in three product categories;
• Savannah River Site, winner in four product categories; and
• West Valley Demonstration Project cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, winner in two product categories.

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The annual EPEAT Purchaser Awards honor organizations demonstrating outstanding leadership in and commitment to sustainability by procuring EPEAT registered products. The awards highlight the substantial impacts resulting from prioritizing environmentally responsible purchasing. EPEAT stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool.

"EPEAT has been instrumental in helping the DOE Office of Environmental Management achieve our sustainability goals by providing a reliable standard for sustainable electronics procurement," said Jeanne Beard, chief information officer and director of Information Systems for EM. "Through EPEAT's rigorous criteria and global recognition, we have significantly reduced our environmental footprint and promoted responsible purchasing practices across our projects. Our field site participation in this program is especially noteworthy in that it is voluntary and reflects well on their continued commitment to the cleanup mission."

EPEAT is an ecolabel for the electronics sector that helps purchasers, manufacturers, resellers and others buy and sell environmentally preferable electronic products such as computers, displays, imaging equipment and mobile phones that have been independently verified to meet its criteria. EPEAT is owned and operated by the Global Electronics Council, a nonprofit that advocates for purchasing practices that improve the environment.

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, 2024 EPEAT Purchaser Award winners collectively reduced:

• 2,133 gigawatt-hours of energy, comparable to the annual electricity consumption of 175,000 average U.S. households;
• 400 metric tons of hazardous waste, equivalent to the weight of 3,300 refrigerators; and
• 4.4 billion liters of water consumption, saving enough to fill 1,756 Olympic sized swimming pools.

The 2024 EPEAT Purchaser Awards virtual ceremony will be held July 25.

-Contributor: David Sheeley