GreenGov News

"Amped: The Benefits and Basics of Driving Electric Vehicles" Webinar Series, September 28 – October 1
Hosted by Drive Electric PA Coalition

Learn how you can drive electric. The Drive Electric PA Coalition of state agencies and partners will host Amped: The Benefits and Basics of Driving Electric Vehicles, a free webinar series September 28–October 1, during National Drive Electric Week.

Webinars are tailored for municipal leaders (Monday 11:00 am), business owners (Tuesday 11:00 am), consumers (Wednesday 11:00 am and 6:00 pm), and fleet managers (Thursday 1:00 pm). Speakers from around the state will share their knowledge and experiences as experts or new converts to get you as close to driving electric as virtually possible. Register now, and plug into the electric transportation trend. Questions welcome!

Wolf Administration Nationally Recognized for Excellence in Sustainable Electronics Purchasing

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services, Bureau of Procurement has been honored for its excellence in purchasing sustainable electronics with the 2020 EPEAT Purchaser Award. Pennsylvania made $27,840,482 in EPEAT-registered purchases in the Computers & Displays and Digital Imaging categories in Fiscal Year 2018-19. The commonwealth was one of only 10 states recognized with this honor.

During the 2018-19 fiscal year, the commonwealth purchased more than 40,000 eligible products that met either "Gold" or "Bronze" Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT, criteria. The criteria consider materials selection, design for product longevity, reuse and recycling, energy conservation, end-of-life management and corporate performance. In total 97.8 percent of the commonwealth's Computers & Displays and Digital Imaging equipment achieved a gold (91.6 percent) or bronze (7.1 percent) EPEAT rating.

The energy savings associated with the green electronics purchases is enough electricity to power nearly 4,070 US households for a year. The carbon footprint reduction is equivalent to annually removing 2,231 passenger cars from the road. The amount of toxic substances avoided from re-entering the environment is 23,480 pounds.

The EPEAT is a resource administered by the Green Electronics Council where organizations can find or promote electronic products that meet certain environmental performance criteria. The Green Electronics Council maintains the EPEAT website and product registry and recognizes organizations for their purchases of EPEAT-registered products.

The EPEAT awards ceremony is recorded here https://vimeo.com/442832271 and DGS acceptance of the award starts at 11:00 minutes.

GreenGov Council & Penn State Sustainability Institute's Sustainability Series for Commonwealth Employees

The series is intended to give commonwealth employees opportunities to hear from subject matter experts and receive updates on each topic to enrich their knowledge while engaging in group conversations.

This series will also be a useful tool for agencies to explore options and develop sustainability initiatives while receiving credit on upcoming GreenGov Agency Certification Checklist (Checklist) program areas. Specifically, the series supports Checklist efforts under the "Culture" category on Employee and Public Engagement (sections 13 and 14).

Registration:

All interested employees are asked to complete this survey and indicate which presentations they plan to attend.

Series Information:

Webinar Summaries:

UN Sustainable Develop Goals & Pennsylvania

Paul Shrivastava will discuss Penn State's Sustainability Institute's (SI) goals and how they are engaging regional campuses across Pennsylvania. The SI uses the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for its charter. Learn how Penn State utilizes the SDGs to institutionalize sustainability throughout the Penn State system and can help address need throughout the state.

Ensuring Food Security in PA

Nicole McGeehan will introduce participants of this webinar to the value of local food systems, will spotlight the resources of Penn State Extension and offer practical helps on food preservation. 

Carbon Emission Drawdown (CO2)

Tom L. Richard, PhD will discuss ways we can utilize technologies and best practices available today to not just slow the growth of carbon emissions, but drawdown (or reverse) emissions. Learn how energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart grid solutions play a role. Learn about opportunities for carbon sequestration through forestry, farming practices and other technologies.

Green Teams to Activate the Workplace

Lydia Vandenbergh will highlight the values of implementing a "green team" in your agency (GreenGov Sustainability Teams). Learn about Pennsylvania's legal foundation to support sustainability. Lydia will share what constitutes a green team and how to staff and support them. Large corporations in the U.S. are beginning to implement green teams learn and discuss how this is working in a corporate setting.

Water, Agriculture and Pennsylvania

Lara Fowler will discuss critical challenges associated with water and agriculture facing Pennsylvania, including meeting requirements for water quality for the Chesapeake Bay. After briefly outlining such federal and state requirements for the Chesapeake and beyond, Lara will discuss efforts through the Pennsylvania in the Balance meetings to find ways to promote sustainable agriculture and sustainable watersheds in the Susquehanna River watershed. Additionally, the Water for Agriculture project focused on engaging stakeholders in addressing local watershed concerns related to water and agriculture will be discussed.

Recycling Markets

Lydia Vandenbergh will discuss the current market for recyclables and why they are changing in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. Learn where are our recyclables going and into what types of products. The PSSI will share its predictions for the future and how the commonwealth can play a larger role in supporting the markets.