New York State Issues 10th ‘Greening New York State Report’

The GreenNY Council has issued the tenth annual Greening New York State Report for 2020-21, documenting the continued progress made by New York State to reduce the environmental footprint of State operations.

Highlights of this year’s report include a record $300 million invested in green products and services, 4.4 trillion BTUs of energy saving projects completed or underway as part of the BuildSmart 2025 program, and a record 94 percent recycling rate.

The GreenNY Council, co-chaired by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York Power Authority (NYPA), Office of General Services (OGS), and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), issued the report detailing progress on a wide range of sustainability initiatives, many of which save State resources and make operations more resilient. The full report is available online on the State’s GreenNY website, along with more details about New York’s efforts to green State purchasing and operations.

Executive Order 4 directs State agencies and authorities to implement a Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship Program and assign an employee to serve as Sustainability and Green Procurement Coordinator. In addition to releasing the report, the Executive Order 4 Interagency Committee gave final approval to three new green purchasing specifications and tentative approval to 15 additional specifications. These specifications are expected to lower the environmental impact of goods and services purchased and used by New York State government, with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing exposure to hazardous substances. Approved specifications are:

• Lower Carbon Concrete;
• Menstrual Products; and
• Product Packaging

Specifications given tentative approval include:

• Heating and Cooling Equipment (Heat Pumps);
• Green Cleaning Products (specifications for 13 different types of equipment); and
• Passenger Vehicles.

Specifications that received tentative approval will be posted for a 90-day public comment period before the Interagency Committee considers them for final approval at their next meeting. Today’s actions bring the total number of final green purchasing specifications to 79. All green purchasing specifications can be found on the GreenNY website.