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Purchasing & Investments

Purchasing

  • Review Your Existing Supplies

    •  You may already have the item(s) you need.
    • If possible, store all office supplies in one location. This will make it easier to account for all available materials.
  • Check The Campus Surplus Collections

    • Visit the Office Supply section at 1550 Summit/The Free Swap Outlet! You can pick up and donate small to medium sized items here.
    • Visit the furniture surplus area in the OLRI Basement. Facilities Services maintains a limited amount of surplus furniture on campus. The surplus furniture storage room can be accessed on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. To access the space meet on the lower level of Olin Rice, next to the dinosaur bones (southwest corner of the building) at 1PM. A Facilities Services representative will escort you to the storage space and answer questions about items that are available for reuse.
  • Share & Borrow

    • Look for opportunities to share or borrow items that are used infrequently.
      • Within your department or unit, this could include a shared set of common tools like scissors, rather than one for each person
    • If you only need something for a single event, check if someone on campus can lend it to you.
  • When You Must Purchase New

    • Choose items that are:
      • Reusable and durable
      • Refillable
      • Repairable
      • Recyclable
      • Compostable
      • and/or made from recycled materials
  • Avoid Plastic, Especially Single-Use Items

    • This includes synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic.
  • Mac Swag Suggestions

    • Reduce swag and design items for maximum reusability (e.g. don’t print dates on items).
    • Refer to the Swag Hierarchy Pyramid

     
  • Reducing Waste At Events

    • If small, use reusable dishes, utensils and napkins.  Starting in 2025 you can rent a dish kit from the Sustainability Office. They are offering reusable plates in sets of 30. Please email [email protected] for more information!
    • If large, order compostable dish ware and utensils from mailing services.
    • Request no utensils from the restaurant/caterer.
    • Support local businesses by ordering from them
  • Cleaning Supplies

Investments

  • New Content Coming Soon!