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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGreen Fleet Policy GREEN POLICY FOR THE TOWN OF ITHACA FLEET Overview: This Green Policy for the Town of Ithaca Fleet (hereafter called "the policy") was developed to assist Town policy-makers and Town staff in working toward two Town goals: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce fuel costs incurred by the Town. Key points: It is the intent of this policy to include the entire Town fleet. The Town's fleet is the collection of vehicles and equipment utilized for Town operations. This collection includes, but is not limited to,passenger vehicles, work trucks, bulldozers, excavators, generators, and lawn mowers. The Town's fleet is managed by the Department of Public Works. Department heads request replacement vehicles during the budgeting process with the final budget approved by the Town Board. The Town's Public Works Committee will monitor and support compliance with the policy. Key Goals and Objectives: • The Town of Ithaca will strive to reduce fleet-related GHG emissions by 50%by 2025. • Town of Ithaca employees are encouraged to avoid driving (particularly solo driving) and the use of petroleum-fueled equipment when appropriate and feasible. • The Town of Ithaca will manage and operate its fleet in a manner that is energy efficient in order to reduce GHG emissions and fuel use. The Town will work to educate its personnel on servicing electric vehicles. • When appropriate and feasible,the Town of Ithaca will use the most energy efficient vehicles and equipment that meet the operational needs of the relevant departments. Older, less efficient fleet items will be phased-out and replaced with more efficient items. List of Strategies: 1. Educate Town Employees 2. Minimize Vehicle Miles Traveled 3. Optimize Fleet Size—Total Numbers 4. Maximize Efficiency Through Maintenance 5. Purchase Fuel-efficient/Low-emission Vehicles and Equipment 6. Annually review Vehicle/Equipment Inventory and Analysis and monitor progress Explanation of Strategies: 1. Educate Town Employees • The Town will include education and training related to this policy in standard employee orientation and other ongoing training programs including driving and equipment operation training. • Town employees should drive Town vehicles in a manner that maximizes fuel efficiency, by observing speed limits, by minimizing idling when feasible and by minimizing rapid acceleration and braking. Employees should be encouraged to learn more about operation habits that increase fuel efficiency. • Supervisors should actively and positively reinforce efforts made by staff that help to further the objectives of this policy. • Employees should choose the vehicle with the lowest GHG emissions that meets their needs for their trip. For example, driving to a meeting does not require a truck, but driving to a repair job may require a truck to carry equipment. 2. Minimize Vehicle Miles Traveled • Alternate meeting methods, such as conference calls, or other technology, should be used when appropriate and feasible to reduce the number of driving trips. • Meetings should be held at centralized locations, when appropriate and feasible, to reduce distances traveled. • Where appropriate and feasible, employees should walk, bicycle, use public transportation and/or carpool. Supervisors should adjust travel time expectations accordingly. • In general, travel routes should be planned to optimize efficiency. When feasible, trips should be chained together to reduce required travel time and distance. • Personal use of Town vehicles is prohibited as per the Vehicle Usage Policy. 3. Optimize Fleet Size—Total Numbers • Vehicles that are used infrequently should be considered for removal from the fleet. • Vehicle share agreements, either among departments or with other municipalities, should be explored to reduce the number of fleet vehicles needed. 4. Maximize Efficiency Through Maintenance • Regularly scheduled preventive and other maintenance shall be performed promptly on all fleet items to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize emissions. All such work shall be noted in easily accessible records for inclusion on the Annual Vehicle Inventory. 5. Purchase Fuel-efficient/Low-emission Vehicles and Equipment • The Town will work to identify the most fuel-efficient vehicles and equipment with maximum emission reduction available that meet the department's operational needs. 1. Vehicles of a smaller class size should be considered to achieve increased fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Requests for new vehicle purchases must be supplemented with a written justification of need. 2. For all vehicles and equipment, the Town will give first preference to purchasing electric, hybrid or alternative/renewable-fueled vehicles and equipment when (A) they meet the operational needs of the Department, (B)they,their fuels and relevant parts are available or could easily be made available, and(C) they show a reduced or equivalent emissions or life-cycle per-mile costs (including maintenance), when compared with similar gas or diesel equipment. • "Clean"fuels (such as electricity, biodiesel, ethanol, and others) may be an option but they are not the focus at this time. • All vehicles acquired will be selected with the following priorities: minimum GHG emissions; maximum fuel efficiency; and vehicles that achieve an annually set mpg target for each vehicle class. Proposals for standard passenger vehicle purchases that do not meet these criteria require sufficient justification and will be approved by the Public Works Committee. • Work trucks, cargo vans, special purpose and equipment shall be purchased or leased to comply with the requirements of this policy to the extent that the purchase or lease of such vehicles or equipment does not reduce the Town's ability to provide safe, quality services. • Responsible parties shall incorporate the above criteria into vehicle bid specifications and include these criteria when purchasing vehicles off of state contract. • Final criteria relate to budget considerations. While every effort will be made to purchase equipment that is supportive of this policy's goals there may be times when purchasing some equipment is cost prohibitive. 6. Monitor Progress Director of Public Works will monitor and support compliance with this policy. On an annual basis,after the Annual Vehicle/Equipment Inventory(described in Section 7 below) is completed & distributed, coordinated with budget submissions, a review will be made for compliance purposes by the Public Works Committee. 7. Annual Vehicle/Equipment Inventory and Anal To establish baseline data so the overall Town Green Fleet Plan can be established, implemented, and monitored; an annual inventory and analysis of the fleet vehicles and equipment shall be developed. For each vehicle and piece of equipment, the inventory information shall include: • A list of vehicles and equipment ordered by classification, drivetrain (2WD/4WD) or engine type, model year, make, model, engine size, vehicle identification number (VIN), etc.; • Vehicle or equipment function (i.e., the tasks associated with the vehicle's use); • Type of fuel (or power source, e.g., electricity); • EPA estimated miles (or time used)per gallon (or gallon equivalent); • Actual miles (or time used)per gallon(or gallon equivalent); • Average fuel cost per mile (or time used) for the past year and for the life of the equipment; • Annual miles driven(or hours operated); • Total fuel(or power)consumption(including fuel from non-Town owned fuel pumps); • Annual cost of repairs and routine maintenance; • Annual and lifetime operational (fuel and maintenance) cost per mile (or time used); • Equivalent Carbon Dioxide(eCO2)calculations based on gallons(or gallon equivalent) of fuel consumed; • Average fuel cost per gallon (or gallon equivalent) for all the fuels used by the fleet; • Other relevant fuel-related information that is not vehicle specific. The annual vehicle inventory will be used by the Director of Public Works and reported to the Public Works Committee to identify opportunities to increase policy compliance (and achievement of GHG emissions reduction targets), including but not limited to: • Identification of little-used vehicles that could be removed from the fleet or whose function could be replaced by a sharing agreement. • Identification of fleet items with poor fuel efficiency or increased repair/maintenance costs as prime candidates for replacement with more efficient vehicles or those requiring less maintenance. GREEN PROCUREMENT POLICY Addendum to the Town of Ithaca Procurement Policy and Green Fleet Policy (revised January 2021) FINDINGS Green Procurement,also known as Environmentally Preferable Purchasing,is an effort to purchase products and services that have a reduced negative impact or increased positive impact on the environment and human health compared to traditional products. Green products or services may be recycled, consume fewer natural resources, last longer or include or produce less toxic substances or solid waste. Considerations for green procurement may also include the environmental cost of raw materials, manufacturing,packaging,transporting, distribution, storing, handling, using, maintaining and disposing of the product. When comparing alternative products, lifetime maintenance costs, operational costs, and disposal costs should be considered as well as initial costs of acquisition. Reducing the total cost of ownership is a core objective of green procurement by reducing or eliminating the use and generation of toxic substances,pollution or waste. The Town makes significant purchases of goods and services and can use this buying power to influence markets to create sustainable products and services and support green jobs. The Town can also take a leadership role in reducing waste generated in conjunction with work practices by purchasing cost-effective, recycled products for use in the delivery of Town services and by reusing and recycling materials and products when feasible and cost-effective. Environmentally Preferable Purchasing is an important component of the Town of Ithaca's procurement policy and shall guide Town efforts to meet the following goals: • Minimizing health risks to Town residents and staff. • Minimizing the Town's contribution to global climate change. • Improving air quality. • Protecting the quality of ground and surface waters. • Minimizing the Town's consumption of resources. Further, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing guidelines are adopted by the Town in order to: • Purchase products that include recycled content in order to support strong recycling markets. • Institute practices that reduce waste by increasing product efficiency and effectiveness, use products that are durable and long-lasting, and reduce materials that are land-filled. • Purchase products and institute practices that conserve energy and water,use agricultural fibers and residues, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and use recycled wood and wood from sustainably harvested forests. • Purchase energy from renewable or green sources. • Increase the use and availability of environmentally preferable products, services and distribution systems. • Support emerging and established manufacturers and vendors that reduce environmental and human health impacts in their services and production and distribution systems. • Create a model for successfully purchasing environmentally preferable products and services that encourages other buyers and consumers in our community to adopt similar goals. POLICIES Subject to New York State law and purchasing requirements and supplementing the Town of Ithaca Procurement Policy, all purchases by the Town of Ithaca of products and services shall be subject to and comply with this Green Procurement Policy. To the extent possible, Town departments and staff shall engage in environmentally preferable purchasing through NYS Office of Government Services contracts for products and services (NYS General Municipal Law §104). When competitive bidding is required by state law (NYS General Municipal Law §103), bidding documents shall be drafted to encourage environmentally preferable purchasing by incorporating bidding specifications which conform to this Green Procurement Policy. When product or service purchases are exempt from state statutory competitive bidding requirements (NYS General Municipal Law §104-b), this Green Procurement Policy shall apply. A. SOURCE REDUCTION 1. The Town of Ithaca shall institute practices that reduce waste and result in the purchase of fewer products whenever practicable and cost-effective,but without reducing safety or workplace quality. Town departments shall purchase remanufactured products whenever practicable, but without reducing safety, quality or effectiveness. Products that are durable, long lasting, reusable, refillable, recyclable, or otherwise create less waste shall be selected whenever practicable. 2. Vendors shall be required to minimize packaging to the greatest extent practicable. Packaging that is reusable, recyclable or compostable shall be selected when suitable uses and programs exist.The Town shall not purchase any polystyrene foam packaging. 3. Vendors shall be required whenever possible to take back and reuse pallets and packaging materials. Suppliers of electronic equipment shall be required to take back equipment for reuse or environmentally safe recycling when the Town discards or replaces such equipment, unless the Town deems it worthwhile to send the equipment to a non-profit organization for reuse. 4. Documents shall be printed and copied on both sides whenever practicable to reduce the use and purchase of paper. B. RECYCLED CONTENT PRODUCTS 1. It is the policy of the Town to purchase and use recycled products to the extent that such use does not negatively impact health, safety, or operational efficiency. 2. Town departments and staff shall examine their purchasing specifications and, where feasible, restructure them to include the use of products which contain post-consumer recycled content, are reusable, or designed to be easily recyclable. 3. Only recycled paper shall be purchased and used in copy machines and shall also be used for printing purposes by Town departments and staff. Copiers and printers purchased shall be compatible with the use of recycled content and remanufactured products. 4. The Town will favorably consider the selection of other recycled content and renewable materials, products and supplies over their non-recycled content and non-renewable alternatives in cases where availability, fitness, health, operational efficiency, quality, safety, and price of the recycled product is otherwise equal to, or better than the non- recycled content and/or non-renewable alternative. C. TOXICS REDUCTION AND POLLUTION PREVENTION 1. Town departments are encouraged to purchase energy-efficient products and to consider "less toxic alternatives" when purchasing products such as cleaning products, pesticides and herbicides. To the maximum extent practicable, all cleaning or disinfecting products (i.e. for janitorial or automotive use) shall (i) be products delineated on the NYS OGS Green Cleaning Product List or (ii) meet NYS OGS guidelines and specifications for green cleaning products(collectively"Green Cleaning Products"). 2. When maintaining buildings and landscapes, the Town shall manage pest problems through prevention and physical,mechanical and biological controls and use least toxic chemical pesticide products only after safer approaches or products have been determined to be ineffective. The Town shall adopt and implement an organic pest management policy and practices, or use chemical controls only as a last resort. 3. When maintaining buildings, the Town shall use products with the lowest amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), highest recycled content, and low or no formaldehyde when purchasing materials such as paint, carpeting, flooring, adhesives, furniture and casework. 4. The Town shall purchase products and equipment with no lead, cadmium or mercury whenever practicable. For products that must contain lead or mercury because no suitable alternative exists, preference shall be given to those products with the lowest quantities of these metals and to vendors with established lead, cadmium and mercury recovery programs. 5. The purchase of pentachlorophenol, arsenic and creosote treated wood shall be avoided whenever practicable D. ENERGY AND WATER SAVINGS 1. New and replacement equipment for lighting,heating,ventilation,refrigeration and air conditioning systems, water consuming fixtures and process equipment and all such components shall meet or exceed Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) recommended levels, whenever practicable. 2. All products purchased by the Town and for which the U.S. EPA Energy Star certification is available shall meet Energy Star certification. When Energy Star labels are not available,products shall meet or exceed the FEMP recommended levels. 3. When energy is purchased, renewable or green sources are preferred. These include solar power or photovoltaics, wind power, geothermal, and hydroelectric energy sources and do not include fossil fuels (coal, oil or natural gas). 4. Demand water heaters shall be purchased whenever practicable. 5. Energy Star and power-saving features for copiers, computers, monitors, printers and other office equipment shall be enabled during the initial installation and shall remain enabled unless these features conflict with the manufacturer's recommended operation and maintenance of the equipment. E. LANDSCAPING 1. All landscape renovations, construction and maintenance by the Town, including workers and contractors providing landscaping services for the Town, shall employ sustainable landscape management techniques for design, construction and maintenance whenever possible, including, but not limited to, integrated pest management, grasscycling, drip irrigation, composting, and procurement and use of mulch and compost that give preference to those produced from regionally generated plant debris and/or food waste programs. 2. Plants should be selected to minimize waste by choosing species for purchase that are appropriate to the microclimate, species that can grow to their natural size in the space allotted them, and perennials rather than annuals for color. Native and drought-tolerant plants that require no or minimal watering once established are preferred. 3. Hardscapes and landscape structures constructed of recycled content materials are encouraged. The Town shall limit the amount of impervious surfaces in the landscape, wherever practicable. Permeable substitutes, such as permeable asphalt or pavers, are encouraged for walkways, patios and driveways. IMPLEMENTATION Nothing contained in this policy shall be construed as requiring any Town department or staff either (i) to procure products that do not perform adequately for their intended use or are not available at a reasonable price in a reasonable period of time, or (ii) to exclude adequate competition for products or services. Although not the lowest proposal or price quoted by suppliers, Town departments and staff may nonetheless purchase a product that adheres to the Green Procurement Policy, if there is "prudent and economical use of public moneys in the best interests" of Town taxpayers (GML 104-b (1)). Such determination of"best interests" may include full consideration and comparison of product life cycle costs (including product maintenance, operation and disposal costs), as described more fully in Point 2 above.A further consideration may include direct and identifiable benefits to Town taxpayers, other than product cost. For example, the cost of permeable pavers might exceed the cost of asphalt paving, yet the use of permeable pavers could mitigate storm water run-off and reduce the potential for flooding and infrastructure damage in low-lying areas. Justification for a determination of "best interests" shall be fully documented by Town departments and staff and submitted to the Town Finance Officer prior to the purchase of products or services. Implementation of this Green Procurement Policy may be phased based on available resources and Town priorities.