Over their lifetime, compared to products that do not meet EPEAT criteria, the 49,062 EPEAT-registered IT products purchased by the Missile Defense Agency in 2018 will result in environmental impact reductions including:
Reduce use of primary materials by 3,769 metric tons, equivalent to the weight of 725 elephants
Avoid the disposal of 37 metric tons of hazardous waste, equal to the weight of 306 refrigerators
Eliminate the equivalent of 69 U.S. households’ solid waste for a year—128 metric tons
Avoidance of 24 metric tons of water pollutant emissions
Energy-Related Savings EPEAT’s requirement that registered products meet, and often exceed, the latest ENERGY STAR specifications means these products will consume less energy throughout their useful life, resulting in:
Savings of 12,815 MWh of electricity—enough to power 1,055 U.S. households for a year
Greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 7,742 metric tons of CO2 equivalents—equal to taking 1,658 average U.S. passenger cars off the road for a year
$1,323,088 in lifetime cost savings
MDA 8400.01-INS, December 2014 Policy b. Acquiring U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-Silver and EPEAT-Gold registered electronics for 95 percent of annual COTS electronics purchases, when the EPEAT standard applies and where such products meet our performance requirement and are cost effective over the life of the product. Currently, EPEAT has registered desktop computers, laptop computers, thin clients, computer monitors, televisions, and imaging equipment. EPEAT categories are included in the Definitions in the Glossary. In the future, other electronics (e.g., servers, cell phones, smart phones) will be added to the EPEAT registry. MDA will include the added categories in these requirements upon their registration with EPEAT. c. Acquiring ENERGY STAR®-certified and Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)-designated electronics for all purchases when an EPEAT standard is not established. 5. RESPONSIBILITIES a. All MDA Organizations and Personnel, as applicable, will: (1) Require that all MDA contracts requiring the purchase of electronic equipment contain sustainable electronics management requirements metrics and direction. This equipment is generally classified as IT assets used in the performance of the MDA mission, including laptop and desktop computers, monitors, servers, switches, and cell phones. These asset listings and metrics are based on compliance targets in all applicable E.O.s, the “Energy Policy Act of 2005” (Reference (p)), the “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007” (Reference (q)), the FAR, FGC/EPEAT procurement reporting, ERRC disposition reporting, and conformance with DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO) instruction and guidance. (3) Use available specifications and model templates applicable to electronics stewardship for contracts as appropriate. b. Contracting/Purchasing and Government Purchase Cardholders Personnel will administer contracts containing sustainable electronics management requirements based on all federal electronics stewardship compliance targets; MDA, FGC/EPEAT, ERRC, and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Sustainability and Chemicals Reduction reporting requirements; and DoD CIO instruction and guidance to: (1) Ensure that all applicable FAR parts, specifically FAR Subparts 23.2, 23.4 and 23.7 for sustainable electronics management standards (e.g., MDA’s requirement for EPEAT-Silver or EPEAT-Gold, FEMP-designated or ENERGY STAR®/FEMP products) are included in all new solicitations, contracts, and contract modifications, as applicable. Reinforce the requirements with the contractor when appropriate during contract performance. (2) Guide program/technical personnel on procurement requirements and clauses governing electronics purchasing.
MDA 4700.03-INS, July 2013 3. POLICY. It is the MDA’s policy that: a. GP and sustainable acquisition shall be integrated into both MDA daily operations and in the earliest phases of acquisition activities to minimize the impacts on mission, human health, and the environment, while meeting performance parameters. The goal of the Agency is to advance sustainable acquisition to ensure that 95 percent of new contract actions, including task and delivery orders for products and services with the exception of acquisition of weapon systems, are energy efficient (ENERGY STAR® or Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) designated), water-efficient, biobased, environmentally preferable (e.g., Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certified), non-ozone depleting, contain recycled content, or are non-toxic or less toxic alternatives, where such products and services meet Agency performance requirements. b. Procurement decisions shall compare lifecycle costs between green and non-green products and services instead of basing the decision solely on purchase price. c. To the maximum extent practical, preference shall be given to contractors providing green support services and products by including environmental factors in selection criteria.
Becca provides administrative support to the internal processes for Green Electronics Council and the EPEAT program. She divides her time between supporting the financial processes and the EPEAT conformity assurance program. Becca has over five years of experience working in the non-profit sphere. Prior to joining GEC, Becca worked as a bookkeeper at Susan Matlack Jones & Associates (SMJ), specializing in non-profit financial statements. At SMJ she was responsible for the creation of monthly financial statements for several local non-profits. Prior to working at SMJ, Becca has worked at various non-profits helping them streamline their processes and procedures. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and History from University of California, Santa Cruz. In her spare time, Becca enjoys hiking, exploring Portland and volunteering.
Senior Managing Consultant, Smarter Cities, Water and Transportation, Innovation, Research & Development at IBM
Jean-François Barsoum has over 20 years of experience at IBM where his focus is on understanding and communicating the societal and environmental impacts of technology. He was part of the core team that built the smart city concepts in the early 2000s.
Currently, his main objective is to communicate and popularise climate change solutions, smart city innovations, and the potential impacts of autonomous vehicles.
In 2008, he was selected by Al Gore’s Climate Project to be trained by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He later joined the board of directors of the Canadian branch of Mr. Gore’s Foundation for Climate change education.
He regularly advises startups in incubators and accelerators, and is collaborating on large research collaborations with several Canadian universities.
He chairs the disruptive technology committee of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Quebec Smart Transportation experts’ committee; is a director at the Canadian Water Network, and has advised the Canadian government on cleantech programs. He is also part of the committee overseeing the application of the Quebec Policy on Sustainable Mobility.
