ORISE receives DOE silver award for GreenBuy program Stringent environmentally friendly purchasing criteria achieved

March 1, 2021

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education was recognized recently as a silver-level recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy’s GreenBuy award for fiscal year 2020. The GreenBuy Award Program recognizes DOE sites for achieving stringent sustainable acquisition goals which extend beyond the government’s “green” minimum compliance requirements.

ORISE received the bronze level award in the fiscal years of 2019, 2018 and 2015. The silver level achieved this past fiscal year required meeting more stringent goals of select products in categories. For example, the bronze level required that ORISE meet the goals of four products in at least two categories. Under the silver level, those requirements increased to six products in at least three categories.

“Environmental stewardship is fundamental to ORISE and our commitment that all programmatic and business functions will operate in a way that is both safe and environmentally sustainable; we are also proud that we have recycled more than we threw away for the past several years,” said ORISE Director Jim Vosburg. “ORISE is honored for our purchasing efforts to be recognized with DOE’s silver-level GreenBuy award; we were able to achieve it through exceptional multi-departmental coordination to integrate sustainable products and energy-efficient equipment and systems into our facilities and operations.”

ORISE’s silver-level award is based on six products/goals: 1) Mobile Phones, 2) Imaging Equipment (Copiers, Multifunctional Devices, Printers), 3) Computers & Displays (Desktops, Integrated, Monitors, Notebooks, Tablets, Thin Clients, Workstations), 4) Chillers, 5) IT Calculation Goal, and 6) IT Recycling Goal. These products spanned three GreenBuy Program product categories; 1) Construction, 2) Electronics, and 3) Other.

Fiscal year 2020 products had to meet one, and in some cases multiple, environmental standards, including Energy Star^® certified; EPEAT GOLD, SILVER and/or BRONZE registered; and Federal Energy Management Program standards. The IT Recycling goal, new to the GreenBuy Program in fiscal year 2020, was achieved by ORISE since 100 percent of the electronic equipment sent for recycling was recycled by R2 Certified Recyclers, which is the leading standard for electronics repair and recycling. The R2 Standard provides a common set of processes, safety measures, and documentation requirements for businesses that repair and recycle used electronics.

For more information on the DOE GreenBuy Award Program, visit https://www.energy.gov/ehss/greenbuy-awards.