Need Help Locating Products & Services to Meet Mandates of Environmental Regulations?
GSA provides more "green" furniture, furnishings and services on contract than many think. GSA vendors, all the best known names in the industry, have put innovative corporate resources to work to provide quality, environmentally sensitive products from floor to ceiling.
Start with flooring that conserves resources by using 100% renewable ingredients like Forbo's linoleum.
Mannington's recycled content vinyl composition tiles won them the 1997 State of New Jersey's Recycling Award.
If a softer feel underfoot is needed, GSA has that covered, too. Milliken, winner of GSA's first Evergreen Award, takes back used Milliken carpet tile, cleans and rejuvenates it, and overprints a new pattern for reuse. Recycled content carpet from Talisman Mills uses 36, 2-liter soda bottles in every square yard of carpet, preventing an estimated 40 million pounds of waste from entering landfills, in turn reducing depletion of finite reserves of fossil fuel. For recyclable, recycled content vinyl-backed carpet, Collins & Aikman uses reclaimed carpet to create vinyl backing for their carpet -- which can then be reclaimed at the end of its life cycle and again re-manufactured into backing for new carpet -- a closed loop system of mining facilities for resources rather than the Earth.
Save thousands of budget dollars with office workstations in which pre-owned systems panels and components are re-manufactured to "like new" condition.
Shed some light on the subject with task lighting with occupancy sensors to reduce energy consumption.
If it's a table lamp that is needed, many of GSA vendors supply products that accept the energy saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's) -- certified allies of EPA's "Green Lights" Program, and
Energy-saving window coverings include see-through shading systems that let in the light, but not the summer heat.
It doesn't stop there!
Keep furniture and furnishings investments looking great with environmentally friendly services. Suppliers perform a wide variety of services to extend the useful life of furniture and furnishings (carpet and draperies), thus keeping it out of the landfill. Suppliers provide services such as restoring, repairing, renovating, reupholstering and cleaning - onsite or at the supplier's facility - using nontoxic, odorless refinishing and cleaning solutions. Cleaning processes help agencies not only reduce replacement costs but also to improve indoor air quality by removing significant allergenic pollutants.
GSA could go on and on, but the picture is clear -- GSA is constantly on the lookout to provide products and services for customers that save the planet's resources. Copies of all Federal Supply Schedules are available from GSA's Schedules e-Library.
To contact any of these companies and more, check out GSA's Environmental Products and Services Guide. For a copy, visit the Environmental Programs page. For the latest information on furniture and furnishing products and services that didn't make it into the Guide, check the Evergreen Furniture and Furnishings Program Partners page.
