Purchasing

Student-led research resulted in the adoption of a Principia Green Cleaning Purchasing Standard in 2015, which reads: "The Principia shall prioritize the purchase of cleaning products that meet industry certifications intended to minimize negative impacts on ecological systems and human health and safety, while at the same time upholding financial and performance criteria." The Standard has dramatically streamlined product and brand diversity, reduced cost, generated greater awareness of "green" certifications, and created a safer working environment for our staff.

The Store epitomizes sustainability's "triple bottom line" by nurturing a local economy (such as by providing jobs to students), building community, and caring for the environment. The Store offers an alternative to the long drive to Alton for snacks and personal care essentials, and there are plenty of eco-labeled products to choose from! Examples include Rainforest Alliance Certified chocolates, USDA Organic snacks and soap, recycled paper, refillable water bottles, energy-efficient light bulbs, locally crafted sodas, various plant-forward food items, and much more. Always look for the PRINCIPIA SUSTAINABILITY logo tags!

The necessary procurement of food is a powerful tool for promoting sustainability on campus, as well as locally and globally. Our Green Dining Standard (2019) "encourages a campus culture of balanced, healthy, joyful, minimum waste dining." The Standard calls upon Dining Services to work with commercial vendors, local farmers, and community-based organizations to measurably increase the availability of sustainably grown and humanely raised food – locally sourced when practicable – in an effort to contribute to a thriving local, regional and global economy, a healthy environment for present and future generations, and a high quality of campus life.

As education becomes more technology-dependent, Principia's Green Electronics Purchasing Standard (2015) prioritizes the purchase of products that maximize performance, while minimizing environmental and human safety concerns. The Standard favors EPEAT® registered Computers & Displays, Imaging Equipment, and Televisions, and ENERGY STAR® certified Appliances, and Electronic and Office Equipment for which EPEAT® certification is not available. At end of life, all electronics are recycled or repurposed by MRC, a local R2 certified, zero landfill facility. See our recycling volumes at Zero Waste.

Sustainability is woven into the fabric of our lives at Principia College. From Steelcase classroom chairs and office desks to nearly 10,000 square yards of carbon neutral flooring from Interface, we live and work in attractive, environmentally safe spaces. Environmentally friendly fabrics and furnishings in student residence houses offer low emission manufacturing, non-toxic durability, and sustainable component sourcing, including GreenGuard Certified laminates, FSC-certified wood, and high recycled content.

Our Green Seal® certified MOKA toilet tissue is made from 100% recycled fiber (minimum 60% post-consumer material), reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 15% (vs 100% recycled white fiber tissue), and is made with water and energy efficient chlorine-free processes. EcoLab hand soap and TORK single draw paper towels (made from 100% recycled fiber, minimum 25% post-consumer fibers) save money and resources, are safer for our health and environment, and allow us to support companies that match our values.

One of several advances made during 2019-2020 as part of Principia College's participation in Ameren Illinois' Strategic Energy Management program, was the transition to energy-wise LED lighting campus-wide. By switching out nearly 4,000 T-8 lamps (along with a variety of other fixtures), lighting energy consumption by the new lamps declined by more than 60%, and financial savings followed. Coupled with bulk purchase incentives that reduced lamp cost, return on investment was less than six months.

Like most academic institutions, we use a distressing amount of paper. Meetings access documents electronically, assignments and exams are increasingly digital, payroll is paperless, and tracking software helps us identify opportunities for savings ... but admittedly, it's a long road. Since 2015, we've partnered with PrintReleaf, which helps us to give back in small but meaningful ways. Based on letter pages printed, PrintReleaf (through Eden Reforestation Projects) plants trees in Madagascar, where 200,000 species that exist nowhere else on Earth are imperiled by illegal logging.