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The Materials Process: Procurement to Deconstruction |
Best Practices for Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Beth Eckle, Environmental Purchasing Consultant, StopWaste.org
Environmentally-Sound Demolition, Deconstruction, and Materials Reuse
Ron Whittaker, Regional Director, The Reuse People
This event reviewed the best practices for environmentally preferable purchasing from StopWaste.org's Environmental Purchasing Consultant Beth Eckle and the many benefits of environmentally sound demolition, deconstruction, and materials reuse from The Reuse People's Regional Director Ron Whittaker.
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing. To protect our environment and our own health, it is important to consider how a product is made and what it’s made with. Beyond recycled content, it is also important to look at other environmental attributes of products, such as energy consumption, toxicity, air and water pollution impact, materials efficiency (such as packaging), and the disposal impact at the end of its useful life. StopWaste.Org is an expert in determining best management practices in procuring and specifying environmentally preferable products in firms both large and small.
As much as 30 percent of all landfill dumping is estimated to be from C&D waste. The ReUse People will discuss environmentally sound demolition and deconstruction and material reuse benefits such as: tax donation receipts, lower overall project costs, and the assurance that someone, somewhere reuses the materials generated from your project.
About the SpeakersBeth Eckl, Environmental Purchasing Consultant, StopWaste.org
Beth Eckl has been an environmental purchasing consultant for the last ten years working with municipalities, businesses and health care purchasing groups around the country. Beth assists organizations implement their environmental values through their purchasing and contracting activities. She has worked closely with purchasing stakeholders to modify contract specifications for products and services. Beth has provided dozens of training seminars to businesses and trade associations, and continues to provide her experience as a stakeholder in standards development for several product areas. Prior to consulting, Beth was the Manager of waste reduction, recycling and environmental purchasing for Alameda County General Services Agency's Purchasing Department in Oakland, CA. The County's success in environmental purchasing was recognized by the US Conference of Mayors and the California Resource Recovery Association. She has a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, which focused on energy, environmental science and policy, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ron Whittaker, Regional Manager, Oakland
A transplanted New Yorker, Ron has called the Bay Area home for over 20 years. In addition to working with over a dozen certified deconstruction contractors on projects from Carmel to Napa to Lake Tahoe, he continues to volunteer time with local community service groups. He and his partner Kate live with their two sons in the lovely island city of Alameda.
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